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Posted: 6/11/2018 4:39:45 PM EDT
[#1]
Harbor freight $10
Mine just failed the other day. Went and bought another yesterday. Lasted 3 years. I'll take that deal. |
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Posted: 6/11/2018 5:40:30 PM EDT
[#2]
I just replaced mine..killed the old one rummaging g thru an overhead cabinet and accidentally dropped a die set..which just happened too kill my old one..
I bought this...buy once cry once..but in reloading I demand quality accurate measurements....  Attached Filehttps://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JPHK2NO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 |
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Posted: 6/11/2018 7:26:24 PM EDT
[#3]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I just replaced mine..killed the old one rummaging g thru an overhead cabinet and accidentally dropped a die set..which just happened too kill my old one.. I bought this...buy once cry once..but in reloading I demand quality accurate measurements.... https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/404934/IMG_1929-572685.JPG https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JPHK2NO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I have many for work, but for a cheaper at home one, I use a Fowler. They're not too bad and if you take care of them will last awhile. Digital is easy to read, but dial caliper is just as easy once you're used to it. And there are no batteries to deal with or failing electronics. |
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Posted: 6/11/2018 7:33:21 PM EDT
[#4]
I use a dial caliper that I got about 15 years ago! Never had a problem with it. No batteries, no plastic!
 My powder scale (Redding #2) is similar - no batteries, no plastic and I am VERY happy with it as well!!! 
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Posted: 6/11/2018 7:50:19 PM EDT
[#5]
Quoted:
Any recommendations for a accurate replacement, and does not need to be digital. For a lot of measurements, I find it just as easy to use a micrometer. You can get decent 3 micrometer sets (0-1 inch, 1-2 inch and 2-3 inch) for about $60. I wouldn't use them to make machine parts, but they're more than good enough for reloading and my set has lasted 25 years. |
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Posted: 6/11/2018 7:53:45 PM EDT
[#6]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
That's a good digital caliper. I have many for work, but for a cheaper at home one, I use a Fowler. They're not too bad and if you take care of them will last awhile. Digital is easy to read, but dial caliper is just as easy once you're used to it. And there are no batteries to deal with or failing electronics. 
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Posted: 6/11/2018 8:20:55 PM EDT
[#7]
I inherited my Fathers' Brown and Sharpe dial calipers, which he might have got from my grandfather. I expect that the calipers got some use making torpedoes for USN during WW II. Given good care, they will likely be passed-on, and still as accurate as the day they were made.
They test themselves, and are adjustable: Close the jaws (gently), and adjust the dial if it varies from zero. Haven't had to do that in the decades I've owned them. I admit I'm lucky. I inherited a lot of precision measuring tools, so I don't need to buy any. As against that, I was taught how to use such delicate tools so that they would be continuously useful, and to NOT damage them. That said, I have nothing against plastic measuring tools, even batt powered display tools, as long as the user buys some calibrating implements with which to gauge the readout vs. reality. The calibrating implements are probably more expensive than the plastic tool, by far. Most reloaders do not need to buy extremely expensive measuring tools. OTOH, they ought to test their measuring tools against objective standards before each reloading session, particularly in the case of battery powered instruments. |
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Posted: 6/11/2018 8:30:36 PM EDT
[#8]
I've been extremely happy with my Mitutoya digital calipers. Best digital caliper I've used and supposed to be the best selling? Have had no luck with cheap digital calipers that eat batteries. I've used dial calipers for decades but they are prone to get dirt or chips in the gears or skip a gear tooth if dropped. I have read from others posts that there are Chinese copies of Mitutoya digital calipers often found on Amazon?? This site is good to go and now a sale. They often have a sale on this caliper.
[url=https://www.msi-viking.com/Mitutoyo_500-196-30_6-Inch_Absolute_Digital_Caliper?gclid=Cj0KCQjwu_jYBRD8ARIsAC3EGCIpQf0si_Ct1BIdNFOuIMwt5ddNlJNkyyKcxRbUhui33QEs8g9DO_MaAk_lEALw_wcB]https://www.msi-viking.com/Mitutoyo_500-196-30_6-Inch_Absolute_Digital_Caliper?gclid=Cj0KCQjwu_jYBRD8ARIsAC3EGCIpQf0si_Ct1BIdNFOuIMwt5ddNlJNkyyKcxRbUhui33QEs8g9DO_MaAk_lEALw_wcB[/urlhttps://www.msi-viking.com/Mitutoyo_500-196-30_6-Inch_Absolute_Digital_Caliper?gclid=Cj0KCQjwu_jYBRD8ARIsAC3EGCIpQf0si_Ct1BIdNFOuIMwt5ddNlJNkyyKcxRbUhui33QEs8g9DO_MaAk_lEALw_wcB |
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Posted: 6/11/2018 9:57:10 PM EDT
[#9]
I don't trust digital calipers unless you spend upwards of $100 for them.
Good old fashioned analog calipers will serve you well for decades or until you drop them on concrete, whichever comes first. Mitutoyo and Starett make the very best. |
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Posted: 6/11/2018 10:37:08 PM EDT
[#10]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I don't trust digital calipers unless you spend upwards of $100 for them. Good old fashioned analog calipers will serve you well for decades or until you drop them on concrete, whichever comes first. Mitutoyo and Starett make the very best. My old Lyman dial caliper didn't exhibit those slight fluctuations. Like bp suggested, I think you gotta spend some bucks on a digital to get solid, precise reliability. A good dial caliper in $35-$50 range seems to offer very consistent performance. |
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Posted: 6/11/2018 10:38:13 PM EDT
[#11]
Starret and Mitutoyo.
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Posted: 6/12/2018 12:55:22 AM EDT
[#12]
A $20 dial caliper will serve you better than any digital under $100.
I have a nice Mituttoyo at work, but my $15 Midway Dial is just fine for reloading. |
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Posted: 6/12/2018 5:37:43 AM EDT
[#13]
If your looking for a very good digital caliper that will not break the bank, then here.
https://www.amazon.com/iGaging-ABSOLUTE-Digital-Electronic-Caliper/dp/B00INL0BTS/ref=sr_1_4?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1528795675&sr=1-4&keywords=igaging+caliper As for dail calipers, I can work over most dial type caliper in the $40 dollar range to get them to work fine for most work like reloading, but they are not going to be as good/ as accurate as a Mitutoyo, or Starrett isntead (you can only tighten and polish a turd so much).. Primer on pulling down a dial caliper, hence getting the gears to mesh correctly to begin with is a huge step, then you still have polishing and squaring of surfaces as well. Also comes in handy if your dail caliper is skipping all over the place, since the mesh between the rack gear and dial gear has gained too much slop to allow the dial gear to skip a rack gear. Hence at 22:04 take your time to get the gears as close to each other as possible, but not binding of the gears as well (will take a few tries to get the ideal mesh of the gears as your tightening the face screws to the scale). [youtube]https://youtu.be/xaUEy99RyHs[/youtube] |
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Posted: 6/12/2018 4:33:45 PM EDT
[#14]
Educate yourself from this long standing repair company of test instruments.
http://www.longislandindicator.com/p11.html |
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Posted: 6/12/2018 5:32:49 PM EDT
[#15]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Educate yourself from this long standing repair company of test instruments. http://www.longislandindicator.com/p11.html Something I started noticing on my digitals was a discrepancy when doing several measurements on the same item at the same exact location that I wouldn't get with my dial version. If digitals don't have a rack, then I'm starting to think that they don't have as consistent a locating system to repeat exact measurements. While gears, teeth, etc. will eventually wear out, they also provide what appears to me to be a fairly reliable position maintenance. I don't know...I don't claim to be a caliper engineer for sure. I'm also curious why they referenced calipers that are for sale through Amazon in their pics. Just wondering if there is a commercial interest on their part. And no...not an Amazon hater here. My account activity would prove that...LOL! |
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Posted: 6/12/2018 7:06:47 PM EDT
[#16]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Very interesting article. I have one question on their comment about the digital versions not having a rack. What do they use instead to maintain exact location? How is the data "read" by the readout? Something I started noticing on my digitals was a discrepancy when doing several measurements on the same item at the same exact location that I wouldn't get with my dial version. If digitals don't have a rack, then I'm starting to think that they don't have as consistent a locating system to repeat exact measurements. While gears, teeth, etc. will eventually wear out, they also provide what appears to me to be a fairly reliable position maintenance. I don't know...I don't claim to be a caliper engineer for sure. I'm also curious why they referenced calipers that are for sale through Amazon in their pics. Just wondering if there is a commercial interest on their part. And no...not an Amazon hater here. My account activity would prove that...LOL!
As an example, a tape player can read the tiny and weak magnetic field variations in a piece of tape with incredible spacial resolution. For a moving tape, distance = time. For a caliper, each little pulse = distance. Mirrors!
You can also encode distance via an optical signal. For example, that's how an optical mouse works, position encoders on a rotating shaft also work that way. |
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Posted: 6/12/2018 7:11:58 PM EDT
[#17]
I would also recommend at least a pair of the inexpensive, stainless steel calipers ($20 class). If you want to spend more, go for it. I did, and it was from Long Island Indicator Service.
Honestly, the prospects of dropping it on the floor is so great, it mostly sits in my tool chest to be used when I want to "calibrate" my cheapies (which are always correct, even after being dropped). |
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Posted: 6/12/2018 7:17:56 PM EDT
[#18]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I don't trust digital calipers unless you spend upwards of $100 for them. Good old fashioned analog calipers will serve you well for decades or until you drop them on concrete, whichever comes first. Mitutoyo and Starett make the very best. My original set is a dial mitotoyo. It’s been dropped a few times too many. I took it apart and it works again. It jumped a tooth. I don’t trust it for precision work but down to two thousandths I think it is accurate across the full Six inches. I picked up a no name set from Grizzly during a sale. 6” and one inch. Good enough for the reloading bench. |
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Posted: 6/12/2018 10:19:13 PM EDT
[#19]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Starret and Mitutoyo. I'll admit, I'm a starrett fanboy. But, I think the quality isn't what it used to be. My 12in has dual racks and didn't come with a depth rod. It's still great, just don't like how I feel the step when it moves to the 2nd rack. |
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Posted: 6/13/2018 11:39:36 AM EDT
[#20]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I don't trust digital calipers unless you spend upwards of $100 for them. Good old fashioned analog calipers will serve you well for decades or until you drop them on concrete, whichever comes first. Mitutoyo and Starett make the very best. The Chinese metrology tools are just like their optics: they look similar but couldn't be farther apart in quality. I would also put the calipers produced by the Hexagon group. I love my jet dial B&S calipers. You can't beat mitutoyo for the price. Just watch MSC and Grainger and you can get a good pair for ~$150 delivered. Don't waste your time with anything less. |
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Posted: 6/13/2018 11:56:39 AM EDT
[#21]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Nothing wrong with brown&Sharpe either. I'll admit, I'm a starrett fanboy. But, I think the quality isn't what it used to be. My 12in has dual racks and didn't come with a depth rod. It's still great, just don't like how I feel the step when it moves to the 2nd rack. |
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Posted: 6/13/2018 11:57:32 AM EDT
[#22]
Quote HistoryQuoted: OP should just get a Mitutoyo from MSC and be done with it. The Chinese metrology tools are just like their optics: they look similar but couldn't be farther apart in quality. I would also put the calipers produced by the Hexagon group. I love my jet dial B&S calipers. You can't beat mitutoyo for the price. Just watch MSC and Grainger and you can get a good pair for ~$150 delivered. Don't waste your time with anything less. https://www.msi-viking.com/Mitutoyo_500-196-30_6-Inch_Absolute_Digital_Caliper |
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Posted: 6/13/2018 1:15:29 PM EDT
[#23]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
You're paying about 50% too much if you buy from those places. $156 is full retail. https://www.msi-viking.com/Mitutoyo_500-196-30_6-Inch_Absolute_Digital_Caliper Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted: OP should just get a Mitutoyo from MSC and be done with it. The Chinese metrology tools are just like their optics: they look similar but couldn't be farther apart in quality. I would also put the calipers produced by the Hexagon group. I love my jet dial B&S calipers. You can't beat mitutoyo for the price. Just watch MSC and Grainger and you can get a good pair for ~$150 delivered. Don't waste your time with anything less. https://www.msi-viking.com/Mitutoyo_500-196-30_6-Inch_Absolute_Digital_Caliper Mitutoyo is a 45 minute drive away, but, hasn't even sent a rep. Hexagon gave us some calipers with the last CMM and I won't go back to Mitutoyo, but, it's Swiss prices. IIf the OP is a Colt pony fan he should invest in Ethalon |
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Posted: 6/13/2018 2:54:14 PM EDT
[#24]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Magnets!
As an example, a tape player can read the tiny and weak magnetic field variations in a piece of tape with incredible spacial resolution. For a moving tape, distance = time. For a caliper, each little pulse = distance. Mirrors!
You can also encode distance via an optical signal. For example, that's how an optical mouse works, position encoders on a rotating shaft also work that way. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted: Very interesting article. I have one question on their comment about the digital versions not having a rack. What do they use instead to maintain exact location? How is the data "read" by the readout? Something I started noticing on my digitals was a discrepancy when doing several measurements on the same item at the same exact location that I wouldn't get with my dial version. If digitals don't have a rack, then I'm starting to think that they don't have as consistent a locating system to repeat exact measurements. While gears, teeth, etc. will eventually wear out, they also provide what appears to me to be a fairly reliable position maintenance. I don't know...I don't claim to be a caliper engineer for sure. I'm also curious why they referenced calipers that are for sale through Amazon in their pics. Just wondering if there is a commercial interest on their part. And no...not an Amazon hater here. My account activity would prove that...LOL!
As an example, a tape player can read the tiny and weak magnetic field variations in a piece of tape with incredible spacial resolution. For a moving tape, distance = time. For a caliper, each little pulse = distance. Mirrors!
You can also encode distance via an optical signal. For example, that's how an optical mouse works, position encoders on a rotating shaft also work that way. There is a very precise pattern in copper inside the body. It varies over the length and encodes the location at that spot. A capacitance detector on the slider measures the capacitance and the position determined. They can be made useful down to a resolution of 10 µm with an accuracy of 30 to 40 µm 10 µm is ~0.0003980 in 0.0004 usually is fine. Electronics is fun. The sensor and pattern use very fine copper lines and an 'absolute' encoding pattern. |
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Posted: 6/13/2018 3:07:09 PM EDT
[#25]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Electric fields and capacitance. There is a very precise pattern in copper inside the body. It varies over the length and encodes the location at that spot. A capacitance detector on the slider measures the capacitance and the position determined. They can be made useful down to a resolution of 10 µm with an accuracy of 30 to 40 µm 10 µm is ~0.0003980 in 0.0004 usually is fine. Electronics is fun. The sensor and pattern use very fine copper lines and an 'absolute' encoding pattern. LOL!...JK, of course. I wasn't aware of the elements present in the digital units...always wondered. Thanks for the revelations. I still see a little fluctuation occasionally with my digital units compared to the rack/dial version. But then, it could be the higher sensitivity in the digital that's reacting to my hand manipulation of the gauge while measuring...you know, where you're sort of moving the gauge and item measured to get what appears to be a consistent reading. |
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Posted: 6/13/2018 3:09:30 PM EDT
[#26]
Quoted:
what calipers is everyone using? i was using the Hornady Digital calipers and just noticed I'm getting mixed measurements. Any recommendations for a accurate replacement, and does not need to be digital. As for calipers, even the best comes down to knowing how to use them correctly/the correct amount of thumb pressure. Hence you can change the measurement on the scale by using too much thumb pressure even on the best to end up with false readings. So if your really looking to get down to the .001" range accuracy, then break out a mic instead; and know how to use the end spring loaded knob for final tightening so you are getting the correct reading to begin with. To bottom line it with calipers, the only time I use a digital caliper, and if I'm looking for a differential reading between work pieces. This allows me to zero on one piece that I'm coping, then take readings for say rough lathing to see how much I still have to turn before getting down before making final cuts using a mic instead. In a mill, I use flood or mist so I don't end up with work piece heat expansion, and can trust the DRO instead. |
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Posted: 6/13/2018 3:28:07 PM EDT
[#27]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Sure that's all fine and dandy with the electronics and such, but what about those fluorescent lights and flux capacitor interferences? LOL!...JK, of course. I wasn't aware of the elements present in the digital units...always wondered. Thanks for the revelations. I still see a little fluctuation occasionally with my digital units compared to the rack/dial version. But then, it could be the higher sensitivity in the digital that's reacting to my hand manipulation of the gauge while measuring...you know, where you're sort of moving the gauge and item measured to get what appears to be a consistent reading. This field is what allows the arc in the tube to strike 120 times a second as the voltage cycles at 60 Hz. The arc strikes again on each half of the 60 Hz AC waveform. Looking at a rotating object under only florescent lighting can create the 'ghost' of the object moving slowly. Same idea as a timing light to read fine engine position. That is one of the reasons we still had incandescent lighting on the carriage of every lathe. Often not as important on new stuff that shuts down if you open the 'safety shield' on the carriage. |
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Posted: 6/14/2018 11:13:46 AM EDT
[#28]
I have 2 sets, one from Horrible Fraud, and a set of iGaging's that picked up from Amazon. The HF's work fine, but eat batteries. The iGagings work very well for the price, and I have had them checked by a machinist friend against his Starret's, and they are just as accurate for a fraction of the price.
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Posted: 6/14/2018 7:16:41 PM EDT
[#29]
I use a Starrett dial caliper. I liked it. Got it for Christmas years ago.
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Posted: 6/14/2018 7:41:49 PM EDT
[#30]
The ones that Northern Tool carries are far superior to Harbor freight.
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Posted: 6/14/2018 8:10:52 PM EDT
[#31]
Mitutoyo digital and Starrett Dial.
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Posted: 6/14/2018 8:50:51 PM EDT
[#32]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I just replaced mine..killed the old one rummaging g thru an overhead cabinet and accidentally dropped a die set..which just happened too kill my old one.. I bought this...buy once cry once..but in reloading I demand quality accurate measurements.... https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/404934/IMG_1929-572685.JPG https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JPHK2NO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 |
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Posted: 6/18/2018 8:06:40 PM EDT
[#33]
I prefer dial; gotta use your mind, no substitute, no batteries, no EMP interference,
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