Favorite 6" dial caliper?

Redmech

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I own a Starrett Vernier 122 6" caliper, a few digital cheap import 6" calipers, I'm interested in treating myself to a nice pair of dial calipers. I'd like them in inch, not metric. Through research it seems the Starrett ones are not USA made anymore, then watched a YouTube video that ranked dial calipers and the Starrett were ranked 7th. Are they that bad? Don't really know how valid that video was. I'm not interested in a cheap pair that will get me by, I already have that. Please recommend something that is in current production.

In your opinion, who makes the nicest dial calipers.

I had searched the forum and couldn't find a thread where people posted their favorite calipers.

Thank you for your time and thoughts,

Ross,
 
I would buy a Tesa. They are identical to the Brown & Sharpe or Etalon calipers but they have a thumb wheel and this makes all the difference. Long Island agrees - this is the Cadillac of calipers.

I just bought one to supplement the four others I already have - don't ask - and it is, by far, the best of the lot. It reads in 0.001" increments but has dots in between the tic marks to read 0.0005". I checked mine with gage blocks and it is balls on accurate. Hardened jaws, smooth as silk, repeats every time.

If you have the money, a Tesa depth base is nice to have.
 
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I fondled a Brown and Sharpe 6" dual caliper today at the Grizzly showroom in Springfield Missouri today. Very nice, felt great. From reccomendations here and today's experience with them, I'll be ordering a pair. Also fondled quite a few mills I need.

Thanks fellas
 
The old Starrett calipers are nice and the Mititoyo but I haven't any experience with most of those spoken of.
Do you mean dial calipers or digital calipers. The digitals are nice but I prefer the dials as I like to read between the lines.
Not meaning to start a conversation of the accuracy of instruments and hope nobody is offended by my heathen practice.
 
The old Starrett calipers are nice and the Mititoyo but I haven't any experience with most of those spoken of.
Do you mean dial calipers or digital calipers. The digitals are nice but I prefer the dials as I like to read between the lines.
Not meaning to start a conversation of the accuracy of instruments and hope nobody is offended by my heathen practice.

I am with you on preferring the dials. My take on the digitals is they are just another item that requires battery changes. I hate changing them and they can leak.
 
I have an old 6” Starrett dial caliper and also a new one. As said, I believe the new one I have is an import. When I compare the two. The surface finish on the newer one is not a good, but I’m splitting hairs. The stand out difference is I can feel the rack and pinion gearing a lot more when I translate the movable jaw on the newer one. Both calipers are accurate so I use them and don’t worry about where they came from…Dave.
 
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I also have other calipers, brown and sharp, mitutoyo, starrett, fowler they all work well but I like the etalon most. the story behind this: my dads woodworking shop was next to a shop in Stanton ca calles micro masters. I went over to visit and the owner was throwing away 1000's of pins he just made. I asked what was wrong and he said they were .025" short, why I asked and he showed me his calipers that were .025 off. he taught me how some calipers can skip a tooth. but he has found that the etalon didn't skip. I was just an apprentice at the time and he was running his own machine shop making all kinds of parts. so I believed him. now this was 40 years ago and I never questioned it. for what its worth bill
 
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