# Which Dial Caliper?



## Eddyde (Jan 16, 2022)

Hi All,
Yesterday, My 6" Starrett Dial Caliper bit the dust. The spring & shoe that keeps the dial body tight against the beam slipped out of the body? Not sure why it happened, it wasn't dropped, they just started to come out while I was using it. I bought it new about 27 years ago, it has only seen moderate use. One thing that always bugged me about it; a couple of years after I bought it, the part that retains the depth probe at the end of the beam fell off, as it was only a chintzy snapped on, piece of plastic! I know I could have sent it back but I simply made an improved retainer, a piece of bent wire.
Anyway, I feel it's time to buy a new one and I'm not married to the Starrett brand. I know I can fix the broken one and will, but I want something I can feel is reliable and accurate. I do already have digital calipers/mics and use them for high accuracy jobs but I prefer the analog, relative reference, of the dial for general work. I am currently looking at a Mitutoyo #505-742-53J. I would appreciate some feedback on it and other possible contenders?

Many Thanks,

Eddy


----------



## benmychree (Jan 16, 2022)

I have had several Mitutoyo calipers over about 50 years or so, I think they have been no better than the one Starrett that I have now, same flimsy plastic part, some I replaced with wire as you did.


----------



## mksj (Jan 16, 2022)

I know there are the analogue and digital camps for measuring equipment, but my eyesight is not so good and I use digital these years. I have had my Igaging Absolute caliper for 10+ years, it has been a real work horse with no issues. The Absolute series always remembers the "0.000" reference point when I turn it on, the battery door does not fall off, and batteries last 2-3 years. You can also use it for depths with the a screw on bracket. At $50, they are hard to beat, I have the next size caliper up in a Mitutoyo, they both are equivalent in my use. The Igaging also has fractions, which can be helpful for drill sizes. If analogue dial, I would probably just search eBay for NOS dial type.


			Amazon.com


----------



## MrWhoopee (Jan 16, 2022)

I have a pair of Etalon and 2 pair of Tesa (B&S) 6 in. dial calipers. The Tesas are by far the nicest, smoothest dial calipers I've ever used. Same problem with the depth rod retainer though. Thanks for the wire suggestion, I'd been trying to go in another direction without success. 
I've never been impressed with Starrett dial calipers.


----------



## sdelivery (Jan 16, 2022)

I also have had many brands and I am using them daily.
I prefer a non digital 505 742J.
No batteries 
These are the hardest working tool I own, no matter what I always seem to need them. Second would be my DVOM.


----------



## Watchwatch (Jan 16, 2022)

I have digital and analog Mitutoyo.

The analog pair my dad bought me 25 years ago get way more use. Analog requires less thinking.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## RandyWilson (Jan 16, 2022)

6" digitals from Harbor Freight. Buy several when they are on sale at $10 per. Sprinkle liberally around the shop and house. No tears if they get smashed by a toppling stack of transmission parts.  Usually they still work fine after major mishaps.

The only weak point on these is the battery door has a bit of wanderlust.  A bit of sticky will help it stay rooted.


----------



## Nogoingback (Jan 16, 2022)

I have both dial and digital calipers from Mitutoyo, and use both types.  If you work with metric
as well as imperial measurements the digital has the advantage of converting one to the other at
the touch of a button: very handy.  I've replaced the battery in mine once in about 7-8 years, so 
battery life seems good.  Either type would serve you well.


----------



## Winegrower (Jan 16, 2022)

I have no use or need for a dial caliper.


----------



## mikey (Jan 16, 2022)

I have Helios, Starrett, Mitutoyo and Etalon analog calipers and a Mitutoyo digital caliper. All work well but for analog, the Etalon is by far the best of the bunch. Smooth and very accurate and Long Island Indicator considers it the best of the breed. 

The Mitutoyo 500-752-20 digital is incredibly accurate, smooth, has large digits that I can read with my old eyes and is coolant-proof. I'm on my second year with the same battery; I'm sure the auto-shut off helps.

To assess accuracy, I checked my Etalon and Mitutoyo digital against my Mitutoyo grade 0 Cerastone gauge block set and both read dead on. This gauge block set is in the range of 0-4 microns, which is way beyond what a caliper should be able to register, but both read dead on for every single block in the set. I also wrung the 1" and 3" blocks and both still read dead on.

Tesa, Etalon and Brown & Sharpe calipers are made in the same factory but the Etalon has a thumb wheel, which is important to me so I can recommend it. The Mitutoyo digital I cited is the most accurate, smoothest and easiest to read caliper I own and I can also recommend it. If I could only have one, it would be the Mituotoyo digitial but mostly because I'm an old fart.


----------



## C-Bag (Jan 16, 2022)

For 10yrs I had a cheap HF dial caliper in my field box and it always worked flawlessly. When I started machining at home it was the rough in tool. But when I double checked with my Starrett and Etalon mics it was so close it was hard to believe. It took a really hard spill and got rough so I bought a new Mitutoyo and only had it less than a month when it got knocked off the bench and was toast. I ended up getting one of these two dial inch/mm cheapo’s for $30 and it’s been great. I‘m not wasting my $$ anymore on high $$ everyday calipers that are just rough in. YYMV








						Anytime Tools 6/150mm Dual Reading Dial Caliper for sale online | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Anytime Tools 6/150mm Dual Reading Dial Caliper at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



					www.ebay.com


----------



## mikey (Jan 16, 2022)

Back when I was a youngun and could see better, my favorite caliper was a Mitutoyo vernier with fine adjust. I liked it because when this caliper registers solidly with the fine adjust, you know it; the caliper body is dead-on perpendicular to the work piece and that makes it very accurate. I liked it so much that when I found a similar Helios in mint condition I bought it and gave the Mit to my son. These old calipers only read in the thousandths and are cumbersome to read but they are very, very fine tools. Ask any old hand and they'll tell you the same thing.


----------



## mmcmdl (Jan 16, 2022)

mikey said:


> These old calipers only read in the thousandths and are cumbersome to read but they are very, very fine tools. Ask any old hand and they'll tell you the same thing.


Funny you should ask Mike . These vernier calipers were all upwards of $150 yesterday at the Expo while the digitals and dials were not even close to $100 .


----------



## mikey (Jan 16, 2022)

Yup, not surprised.


----------



## mmcmdl (Jan 16, 2022)

Me either . Nice , heavy , feel good in the hand tools . And they do have a plus . When we mess up , we can just blame it on our worsening eyesight ...........................management can't argue that .


----------



## benmychree (Jan 16, 2022)

I have a Starrett electronic and a Starrett dial caliper, I like the dial best because the figures do not "hunt" back and forth and every time I use the electronic the battery goes dead, I finally took to sliding the battery cover back to disconnect the battery.


----------



## Bi11Hudson (Jan 16, 2022)

As a rule, I consider a caliper, even a dial caliper, as a step below a micrometer for accuracy. They are simply a roughing tool to me. I keep several, the most expensive costing less than $30, used. Were I to set up a working shop and needed measuring tools to start, I probably would make a collective purchase of Mitutoyo or Starrett. As it stands, I have collected bits and pieces over the years as needed. Most of my "serious" measuring tools are Brown & Sharpes just because I like the sound of the name. There are several micrometers, outside and depth. For inside work, I use standards or other "git-bys". The calipers are used for roughing work, falling back to a mic for the finish work. Cheap calipers work fine for that.

.


----------



## Eddyde (Jan 17, 2022)

Thanks everyone for the helpful input. I decided to go with the Mitutoyo 505-742 Best price, believe it or not, is from McMaster Carr, where I bought the Starrett from years ago. I agree that calipers are not for super precise work but they are fine for 80% of what I do.


----------



## Eddyde (Jan 17, 2022)

mmcmdl said:


> These vernier calipers were all upwards of $150 yesterday at the Expo


Really? I have a few of em, I thought they were not worth much these days!


----------



## mmcmdl (Jan 17, 2022)

Eddyde said:


> Really? I have a few of em, I thought they were not worth much these days!


Oh , no . The beam verniers are the hot ticket these days . 12" and up are worth the big bucks !   All the troubles with the dials and batteries and crap are gone . The verniers are always as accurate as the users' eyes .


----------



## Eddyde (Jan 17, 2022)

mikey said:


> I have Helios, Starrett, Mitutoyo and Etalon analog calipers and a Mitutoyo digital caliper. All work well but for analog, the Etalon is by far the best of the bunch. Smooth and very accurate and Long Island Indicator considers it the best of the breed.
> 
> The Mitutoyo 500-752-20 digital is incredibly accurate, smooth, has large digits that I can read with my old eyes and is coolant-proof. I'm on my second year with the same battery; I'm sure the auto-shut off helps.
> 
> ...


I checked the prices, the Etalon, it is about twice the price of the Mitutoyo so hard to justify, especially since LII says they are all pretty much made from Chinese parts. I Have that same digital Mitutoyo but it dropped a while ago and its not reliable anymore.


----------



## mmcmdl (Jan 17, 2022)

Eddyde said:


> I Have that same digital Mitutoyo but it dropped a while ago and its not reliable anymore.


They're not meant to be dropped !    ( but I realize **** happens )


----------



## Eddyde (Jan 17, 2022)

mmcmdl said:


> They're not meant to be dropped !    ( but I realize **** happens )


Yeah I know but it was one of those Rube Goldberg type accidents where something got inadvertently nudged and that caused a chain reaction culminating in a tray of tools to flip onto the floor. If I only had a video...


----------



## Eddyde (Jan 17, 2022)

...Such is life in the cramped workshop...


----------



## projectnut (Jan 17, 2022)

I started back in the late 70's with Starrett and Mitutoyo dial calipers.  They did the job then mainly because in those days all measurements I needed were imperial.  As time went on, I bought a cheap HF digital model for rough metric translation.  For the last 20 years I've been using Mitutoyo digitals that are not only accurate but will measure in both metric and imperial.

I loved the old dial models but found that too often I needed both metric and imperial values on the same part.  Switching from one dial unit to another was a pain.  It required twice as many tools and they both needed to be within arm's reach at a moment's notice.  My latest acquisition is a Mitutoyo 500-752-20.  Now that I've gone to the dark side, I don't think I'll ever switch back.  The convenience of having the dual measurement scales at the touch of a button far outweighs my attachment to the older dial styles.

As an FYI I do have half a dozen HF digitals I use mainly when on the road.  The Mit's and Staretts had to be watched like a hawk or they could disappear.  No one cares if the HF tools are left in plain sight for days at a time.


----------



## fcs (Jan 18, 2022)

projectnut said:


> Now that I've gone to the dark side, I don't think I'll ever switch back.  The convenience of having the dual measurement scales at the touch of a button far outweighs my attachment to the older dial styles.


I don't see why, in this days of electronics and displays in everything, a digital caliper can't switch to a simulated dial mode.  For those times when relative differences are more important than absolute measurements.  Would save on the mental subtraction. If I wasn't so shiftless I'd make one and patent it.

Edit: Those of you who are paid forum supporters are missing the spectrum of ads lately; today its Come to Jesus vs. Epic Bikini Fails.  We are being rent asunder.


----------



## Boswell (Jan 18, 2022)

fcs said:


> I don't see why, in this days of electronics and displays in everything, a digital caliper can't switch to a simulated dial mode. For those times when relative differences are more important than absolute measurements. Would save on the mental subtraction.


My Mitt digital calipers have a zero button so when I need to make a relative measure I just make the first measurement, hit the zero button and then make the second measure and the difference is displayed. Metric or Imperial.  They are also solar powered so I never need to change a battery.  EZ-PZ.


----------



## Navy Chief (Jan 18, 2022)

Boswell said:


> My Mitt digital calipers have a zero button so when I need to make a relative measure I just make the first measurement, hit the zero button and then make the second measure and the difference is displayed. Metric or Imperial. They are also solar powered so I never need to change a battery. EZ-PZ.


Was going to say the same thing, relative measurements with digitals is dead simple.

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk


----------



## Dabbler (Jan 18, 2022)

I have a stainless MITutoyo vernier (not dial) that I learned on 50 years ago.  I have 2 Igaging non-absolute, which are my normal shop tools, but my preferred calipers for turning are my 6" and 8" Mitytoyo 'Absolute' calipers.  I didn't get the solar ones, because the distributors up here charge 70$ more for them, which prices them out for me.

I trust the Mit calipers to +/- .003 even though they're always better than that,  For more accurate stuff the micrometers come out, but only then.


----------

