Digital Calipers

[flyinsquirel]

Looking to upgrade from the old Midway Dial Caliper to a digital. Is the Mitutoyo really worth the coin?

 

[AK_Skeeter]

Yes, I like the precision of Mitutoyo for measuring case primer pocket depth.

 

[Smithb9841]

Looking to upgrade from the old Midway Dial Caliper to a digital. Is the Mitutoyo really worth the coin?

That’s what brand we buy for our quality dept at work where we depend on accuracy for our testing. Not sure if it’s worth the extra money but they are reliable

 

[wapitibob]

If you're measuring +- .001 their OK. That'll work fine for case length. For diameters get a 0-1 mic, for neck thickness get a pin mic, for depth get a depth mic.

 

[JoeDirt]

Save your money and get good dial calipers. Im a machinist I find my digital calipers are always dead for home use. I also find you can see .0005" on a dial where the digital just flashes the .0005"

 

[flyinsquirel]

Didn't really think of battery life. How long are the batts lasting in these things for you guys?

 

[JoeDirt]

Didn't really think of battery life. How long are the batts lasting in these things for you guys?

Using caliper daily they seem to last a long time. (year or more) Sitting unused for months at home in my tool box I find them dead a lot. I just quit putting batteries in them.

So a bonus to higher end digital calipers is hand sweat. If you have sweaty hands cheap calipers will give you funny reads where the name brand seems to work a lot better. The issue is when the beam gets wet.

One other benefit to digital is being able to zero on lets say case length. You zero at the desired length and its easy to read you +- tolerances without doing math making it quicker and more reliable.

If I use calipers everyday hands down 8"-12" digital (6" suck), if they sit in my tool box for months a cheaper dial is the way to go!

 

[AK_Skeeter]

 

[Ffjmoore]

I got sick of the harbor freight bs always breaking or jumping around. But did not want to spend the coin on a mitutoyo. I did some research and bought iGaging from Amazon. Use them for reloading and they have been great. Better than harbor freight by far.

 

[Geologist]

Bringing this post back from the dead... what are people recommending now for a decent set of digital calipers for reloading?

The shit set I got from Midway a few years ago adds or subtracts 0.200" (exactly) when you look at it cross-eyed. They are branded National Metallic and were probably around $30. Sooner or later these are gonna cause me to blow something up.

Seems like Mitutoyo is the current gold standard, with price to match... any other recommendations?

Thanks all!!

 

[A382DWDZQ]

I think more importantly, get a couple of calibration rods in different lengths, a longer and shorter one. That way if your calipers are off, you will know.
Lower end of the price range like so: https://www.amazon.com/Calibration-Professional-Micrometer-Calibrating-Micrometers/dp/B08K3KN9NP.

 

[rbaney]

Mitutoyo, Fowler, Starrett are some of the best/better brands.

 

[Castle Rock]

I have used cheap digital calipers for at least 20 years with no problems, first one probably lasted 15 years
Battery life seems decent and the batteries only cost a few cents anyway
Accuracy has been verified many times against a micrometer and has been fine

 

[Sinistram]

I have both a set of dial and digital calipers I use for separate purposes. The dial calipers have been my go-to choice for a long time and haven't let me down. I bought a cheap, but well-reviewed, set off Amazon a few years ago to use with the Hornady comparator gauges. They've both proven accurate when compared against each other. I understand the appeal and precision of the high-end brands, but my basement isn't exactly mission control at NASA, so that level of precision really isn't needed.

 

[sdupontjr]

Mitutoyo here also. But be careful when buying on amazon or ebay. If the price seems to good to be true, it is. There was a rash of FAKES online a few years back when I bought mine that folks claimed didn't last too long. I haven't had any issues with mine other than if it starts blinking the number readout, change the battery.

 

[ResearchinStuff]

I used a cheapo set of Frankford arsenal for a long time, but eventually they quit reading accurately regardless of how fresh the battery was. No regrets on my mitutoyo, haven't had to rezero them since I first opened the box 2 years ago. That being said, I find myself needing calipers less and less frequently for reloading. Creedmoor cases just don't really change shape that much.