Wednesday 28 September 2011

Digital Caliper


If you want analog, this is not for you. I've got three calipers including this one. One is metric only. Another is inches only. And then here's this one which does both with very good accuracy.



It has a good solid feel and the digital readoutis handled by three simple button controls. I frequently use it in preference to the more expensive alternates because it's accurate and I sometimes want to do both inch and metric measurements without having to use a second tool.



It does not offer an alternatie analog readout except in the crudest terms. It shouldn't. Neiko Stainless Steel 6-Inch Digital Caliper with Extra-Large LCD Screen - Instant SAE-Metric Conversion

What a bargain? This product allows me to make high resolution measurements in multiple directions. It has a digital readout that switches from US to Metric redouts, and is very durable stainless steel fro an excellent price.

As a machinist by trade, this caliper (along with its 8 inch counterpart which I also own)is not as completely accurate and dependable as I would have hoped, but it does seem to repeat and show true at least within a thousandth or two, which for the money I would say is completely reasonable. It's no mitutoyo by any stretch, but as long as you don't need to be any closer than a thousandth or two it will work just fine for you.

I cant imagine unless your machining sophistated parts that those high dollar calipers are worth the money (I am sure there are other uses for high dollar ones as well). This is GREAT to have in a few different sizes so you can keep one in your tool box, one in the job box, and a smaller one in the door pocket or back seat pocket. This thing gets used more than I expected. How can this be so cheap?



So many times before I wished I had one handy. How big is that fence post? Whats the opening of that pipe? How wide is that trim? Sure, tape measures are everywhere but this is just too easy (as are all calipers, so I am not just pumping Neiko in general). I am ordering a smaller one now.



The case is much nicer than I expected. Its not flimsy plastic. Its also not extra heavy duty so dont try running over it in the truck but you can sure have in a tool box and not worry. If it was high dollar of course I would be a bit more careful. Thats the beauty of not so expensive items, you dont have to baby it. REAL nice form fitting foam inside that IS high quality. This even came with a spare battery and a place to store it as well as a place to store yet another battery. I am truly impressed on the value of this puppy. Its MUCH better quality than I expected. VERY nice.



This amazon system should score 1-10 or 1-100. If it did, I would give it about a 92. Why? The case sometimes is a bit hard to open but that also keeps it from opening unexpectedly I guess. And I would like to see the caseing around the actual digital readout to be metal but it IS a high quality plastic. I really cant find anything cheap about this product.



So stop looking and kicking tires and just buy the thing. Might as well order a small one while your at it coz after you buy this one you will end up getting another one and that will just cost you more in frieght. See the buy button? Click on it.

I was surprised to see how well made this tool is. The actual calipers were machined with precision and fits together very well when closed. The moving parts all operate smoothly. The zero at any point is a good feature if you want to measure differences. Also, to have both metric and SAE on the same unit is just gravy. I might had gotten 800 on my SAT back in the day but now I can barely calculate changes at McD...

This is an excellent product. Everything worked as expected. It's very easy to read. The fractional option is seldom used but it's nice to know that it's there. I particularly liked the fact that it turns on and shuts off automatically. (No more dead batteries!) It's an instrument that you just use without any frustrations. I plan to buy another.

I bought these to use for reloading ammunition, where thousandths of an inch count. I compared these against my father's calipers, bought from a big-name hunting retailer specifically for reloading, which cost almost 3X as much (and even those are at the lower end of the price spectrum.) I found these to be just as good if not a little better than the comparison. These are good, solid steel design that can measure several different ways. I only found a few less than perfect things:



1) When the unit is turned off, it takes a second or two for the screen to turn on once you start opening the calipers if you do not press the "on" button. On the higher priced calipers, this was instantaneous



2) When taking a measurement in the thicker, middle section of the calipers, I get different readings if taking the measurement at the top-middle portion vs. the bottom-middle portion- This tells me that the jaws are not sitting perfectly square. My difference in measurement was off by .0005", well within my tolerances for reloading.



Overall, for the price I paid, I am very satisfied.'


Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information