Re: Never Go Digital!
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Fuzzball</div><div class="ubbcode-body">"Most digital calipers produced under $100 are China junk. "
Oh? Care to support that claim?
My low cost digital and dial calipers are indeed Chinese made but so is my computer, modem, router, printer, TV, radio, cell phone, digital camera, most of my newer portable power and hand tools, nuts/bolts/screws, etc,(your's probably are too) and here I was thinking most of it works pretty well! So, if there is a direct connection between junk and anything mad in China we need for you to tell us about it, quick!
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Be happy to support this claim.
I have helped teach a machine shop class in a local vocational school for years. Students often purchase some very basic measurement tools which is the basis I use to make my "claim."
Students are cheep as I was and probably you were. So they buy the $25-75 bargains found from harbor freight, enco, wholesale tool, e-bay, Amazon, etc. Mostly they buy models with electronic readouts because it makes it easier to understand and learn measurements in .000" these models almost exclusively are produced in China as are many electronic components as you so candidly remarked.
When problems start to surface later in finished projects it usually starts with a tolerance problem, which leads to a or rather the two part problem. (1) they are trying to measure to a tolerance with the incorrect device i.e. caliper vs. micrometer (2) The caliper which was chosen for its ease of reading is only repeatable to .010-030"
These calipers are not junk because they contain electronics made in China. At least my findings are as follows:
-poor caliper head to scale fit. The caliper reads different when the thumbroller is used vs. Manually hold the jaws over a part. Some of this can be adjusted out not always
-jaws are not parallel
-inside / outside jaws do not measure the same
- fasteners used back out and do not maintain above measurements.
I have seen the exact same calipers sold by midway as frankford arsenal and come in basic kits sold by hornady and Rcbs. Furthermore, I have seen just as many problems with cheap manual dial calipers as electronic.
The common here is inferior tools not electronics. Hence my all be it shorted post.
I threw $100 out there because unless its used or on sale its rare to find a starrett (USA) or mitutoyo (Japan) for less. These two bands with Brown and Sharpe (USA) make up the backbone of precision measurement worldwide.
I use a mitutoyo digital for reloading. It reads to .0005 however, like any caliper, is really only trustworthy to .003" not because its bad but because of the measurement method.
I check my measurement tools against tool room brown and sharpe equipment that can really measure to .0001" all day long.
Any measurement device is only as good as its standard, just because it reads zero rarely means it is, given whatever tolerance you require.
