Ben recently asked readers for inexpensive caliper recommendations, and you guys came back with some great recommendations – thank you!
But if you’re not quite shopping on a tight budget, Mitutoyo digital calipers are a solid pick. Mitutoyo has been my preferred brand when it comes to precision measuring equipment, and from the comments to Ben’s post, many of you feel the same.
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Years ago, I needed good calipers. I watched the sales at Enco (which has since been absorbed into MSC), and bought Mitutoyo 500-196-20 digital calipers. At the time, the NIST-traceable certificate version was less expensive (I paid under $100). I also bought vernier calipers at around the same time. Since then, I picked up dial calipers as well.
The current version of my calipers is 500-196-30. Like my -20, it features a 0-6″ measurement range, ±0.001″ accuracy, and 0.0005″/0.01mm LCD resolution. It also has AOS (active onsite sensor) tech which is said to offer increased battery life and resistance to dirt, water, and oil that can lead to false readings.
Like other digital calipers, you can change between inch and metric units at ease. There’s an origin reset button, as well as a zero/absolute button for switching between absolute and relative measurements.
You can make outside or inside measurements, or use the rear shaft for making depth measurements.
There’s a thumb roller for easy and controllable adjustments, and a locking knob. The caliper takes SR44 batteries. It comes in a plastic case.
What’s so good about Mitutoyo digital calipers? Honestly, I can’t tell you how these differ from less expensive calipers you can find for a fraction of the price. I started with Mitutoyo and never looked back. But what I can tell you is that it has been bulletproof for me. My Mitutoyo digital caliper has been reliable, accurate, repeatable, and simply perfect. I’ve had mine for more than 11 years now, and it’s still going strong.
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It’s not just a tool, it’s a precision instrument.
Not everyone needs to step up to Mitutoyo, but I’ve also never heard of anyone regretting doing so.
Price: $125-130
Buy Now(via Amazon)
Buy Now(via Zoro)
There are other sizes, but generally 0-6″ is a good start.
Daniel Reetz
Here are a few differences:
1. Mitutoyo calipers last 1-3 years on a charge.
2. They are very repeatable and reliable, no double/triple measuring for me.
3. You can get them in water and coolant proof models.
4. You can get them with carbide anvils (perfect for measuring drill bits and end mills)
5. You can trust the damn things. They will turn on when you need them. They will measure accurately. They can be calibrated back to zero
Lance
I own those same Mitutoyo digital calipers and they’re fantastic. As you said, consistent and repeatable since day one, and mine have seen light use over 15 years or so. A great tool.
I think AVE did a tear down video of some cheap replica caliper a while back. Yep, it was cheaper for a reason but still worked.
Farid
I agree with everything said about the Mitutoyo calipers. I never regretted spending the money on one.
Little machine shop has a good tutorial on using calipers. One trick I learned is the step measurement – pretty useful.
https://littlemachineshop.com/images/gallery/instructions/usingcalipers.pdf
David
That’s a great little PDF. Thanks for pointing it out.
Greg
I’ve been planning on getting a new pair of Mitutoyo calipers, but other things have higher priority for now. The model I was looking at is solar powered. Never having a dead battery again just sounds so right!
They just cost an arm and a leg.
https://ecatalog.mitutoyo.com/Super-Caliper-Solar-PoweredbrSERIES-500-No-battery-or-origin-reset-needed-for-IP67-Digital-Caliper-C1587.aspx
Peter Rudy
I have a 20 year old Mitutoyo pair that I use almost daily. The only thing in my life that has never let me down. I have thrown away all the cheap crap calipers I bought as backups but never used.
Joe
Many American made calipers… including SnapOn…buy American made products.. support your country.
Stuart
Snap-on digital calipers are made in China.
https://store.snapon.com/Calipers-Blue-Point-174–Caliper-Digital-Electronic-SAE-Metric-0-6-0-150-mm–P647455.aspx
Joe
Always find the one that is ? …most SnapOn calipers are made here.like starrett….. Everything made in America is better then anywhere…look.for whatever you want and buy it here…
Stuart
Which Snap-on digital calipers are made here? Which Starrett digital calipers?
I won’t buy Starrett sight unseen – I had issues with recent purchases, and when I was researching other types of tools, machinists and other users complained about the quality.
From my last search, Starrett digital calipers were made in China. So what’s the advantage over Mitutoyo?
I’m all for buying USA-made tools. But I won’t pay more for a lesser tool just because of the brand name.
fred
I looked at Zoro to see where some modern Starrett calipers were made. I tried posting a table of the 16 items that I found – ranging in price from $3170 down to $140. The 4 priciest ones ($1299 to $3170) are said to have been made in Italy. The 2 lowest priced ones ($140 and $202) are from China. Listed USA-made ones seem to start at $206 and range to $540. There are 2 made in China ones also in that range. I always take Zoro prices with the “grain of salt” knowledge that they often run a 25% off sale.
Regarding Starrett quality – my experience is with non-electronic items bought mostly 30 to 50 years ago. At that time the quality was excellent – as was items I bought back then from Brown & Sharpe. I can not attest to current Starrett consistency and quality – but have read some reviews that make me think they may have had a few slip ups.
Thom
So my German made Stahlwille wrenches are inferior to my Danaher US made Craftsman raised panel wrenches? My Nikon Camera is inferior to my Kodak 110 instamatic?
fred
@Thom and you can go on and on.
The best-in-class has never strictly followed national boundaries. At one time the UK might have dominated the world in quality and quantity of some manufactured goods. It was said the some of the know-how once employed in the woolen and cotton mills of New England was stolen from Britain. I suspect that Sheffield steel was the basis for much – before Pittsburgh and Andrew Carnegie came to the fore.
I get it that there is a new nationalism brewing around the world – some in reaction to the loss of high quality manufacturing jobs in the US and the UK. I don’t know what the answer is . Maybe we’d be better off if we could adopt the model that I’ve seen in Germany – where the buying public may not be as price-driven as it is in the US. But for better or worse – the American consumer seems fixated on getting a bargain and is not willing to pay more for items considered commodities. Its a dilemma – and resultant move of production facilities to places where labor, environmental and other costs are cheaper is nothing new. Cheap labor once fueled American capitalism almost as much as Yankee ingenuity. Some of my ancestors worked for low wages in the garment sweatshops of New York City after arriving from ports like Naples and Bremen.
BTW – on that camera thing – the Instamatic was a great financial success for Kodak – maybe as much as the original “brownie”. The instamatic introduced in 1963, (126 then 110 format) had a rather different audience than the Nikon F. Once quality 35mm cameras started to appear from Germany – the only Kodak competitor (the Ektra) was not competitive. German film cameras (I used a Linhof Technika IV, a Rolleiflex, an old Zeiss Contax II, and a Leica M3) faced competition from folks like Mamiya, Nikon and Canon and much production moved from Germany to Japan.
RKA
I have some good Starrett tools, but the CHINESE made digital calipers are not among them. The mitutoyu’s have smoother movement using the thumbwheel and don’t drain the battery like the Starrett’s. In the $100-150 price range I would take a hard pass on the Starrett’s.
Reed Prince
I tracked Amazon prices on 3Camels for a while and finally bought them a little over a year ago when prices briefly dipped to about $90. To ensure you don’t get a counterfeit, only buy from Amazon.com LLC and confirm the item’s authenticity with the help of the top-rated review on the product page at Amazon.
Mike K
That exact model calipers is the one I keep on my desk. They work great. They are one of those buy once, cry once tools. My only complaint which is very minor is sometimes I wish it had the option to show a fractional display. That would just be handy when doing quick things for other people.
John S
I agree. I would love to have that option. The fractional display option for a Mitutoyo would be a great model and it probably would be the only thing to make me stop using my current Mitutoyo 😉
John S
I love Mitutoyo calipers and the rest of their precision equipment. However they’ve become a victim of their own success because they are now a big target for forgery especially on Amazon. So if you do purchase, purchase from a trustworthy place or at least avoid 3rd party vendors on and be hyper-vigilant on Amazon.
Stuart
Yep – that’s why I made sure to add the Zoro link as well. I haven’t heard of counterfeit issues recently, but if/when there’s a chance, it’s best to order from a specialized supplier.
TonyT
Well, Mitutoyo has done some copying themselves: their first laser micrometers were a direct copy of the original laser micrometer, LaserMike. (We used some LaserMike micrometers in a project, so I met some of LaserMike people. They sued Mitutoyo and won, but given the cost of the lawyers, really didn’t win in the end).
A little more trivia: I’ve also used Keyence laser micrometers, and while I don’t believe Keyence ever did a direct copy, IIRC originally they were the LaserMike distributor in Japan…
But none of that involves calipers, and I still like my Mitutoyo coolant proof calipers.