When it comes to basically all measurement tools that a hobbyist would need, the top three companies are Starrett, Brown & Sharpe, and Mitutoyo. If you're just starting out or are limited in funds, buy these used from eBay or estate sales. If you need it to last for one project, go to Harbor Freight and buy two (in case the first one is DOA).
Personally, I like dial calipers because they are just as accurate, don't need batteries, and can sometimes tell you things that a digital one can't.
I usually prefer analog-everything but I always found dial calipers to be extremely drop-sensitive. Like a "shock-proof" set from work developed wiggly-needle syndrome after being dropped about 6-8 inches onto a sheet metal desk and could never really be zeroed perfectly again.
By contrast a $30 digital set from Lowes or HD got flung into the concrete by a falling part and was still accurate to a few thousandths at least.
(I did notice the "inside" gauges have slight variance between brand new pairs though, so the manufacturing tolerances probably aren't the best)
Good call on digital. My cheap analog ones are exremely inconvenient compared to digital ones I’ve seen. Typically I do something like measure a bolt, realize I’m just looking at a bunch of unmarked lines, go back to zero and get in the ballpark then slowly open while counting mm lines until I’m just around the object.
Kinda a weird list; in my experience with hanging around lots of shops, it goes Mitutoyo 500-196-30 (non-IP67), Mitutoyo 500-752-20 (IP67), followed by a long tail of everything else.
Most digital calipers use a capacitive stripe to measure distances, which consist of 0.1" grounded stripes on 0.2" centers. Using the same principle as a Vernier caliper, this gets interpolated into resolution down to quite small distances, even in the cheapest harbor freight model. Metric/Imperial scales are done in software.
You can use a vinyl cutter to make a pattern in the same dimensions, and stick it on a conductive back, and make an arbitrary sized caliper, subject to the accuracy of the pattern once applied. You could also just machine it with a 0.1" end mill.
>I really wish someone made a set of micro-vernier calipers that are small enough to fit on a keychain.
I'd really like to know what you mean by that. Obviously the Vernier scale can't shrink, so you're going to be limited to an inch or two of range, and all the sharp edges common to calipers aren't pocket friendly.
Something fold-up, or that has a few pieces to snap together?
Two inches of range would be perfect for sizing bits, fasteners, bolts, screws, etc. I tried carrying a messograf pen for a while but they're wildly overbuilt and heavy. Amazon, eBay etc sell a caliper keychain but the tolerances are too loose for it to be useful and it has no vernier scale.
When I got a 3d printer the very next thing was a digital caliper. Just a cheap $10 to $20 is fine since FDM print resolution is much less accurate. They are a required tool. My next tool will be a profile gauge.
A caliper is not considered an ultimate reference measurement device. (In the scale of 3D printing, it’s perfectly adequate for that non-precision job, but they’re rarely spec’d for anything better than 0.001”.)
Biggest problem I have with digital calipers, torque wrenches, micrometers etc is calibration. you only have to whack or drop them once before you no longer trust them and getting them checked isn't cheap
You can inexpensively (~$10) check if your calipers have been whacked out of calibration as frequently as you want with a gauge block or other calibration standard. If they have, you can also calibrate using the same block.
My problem with calipers is that there are three separate measuring modalities (outer, inner, depth) that can each require different zeroes as they get damaged.
There is a fourth using the back of the main head similarly to the depth probe. It can be less fiddly and less subject to wear if you don't need to get into a small space.
For some of these, like the $80/6" Shars caliper that you can get from Amazon in 24 hours (most of the time), it's not even worth dealing with recalibration. If you no longer trust it, get a new one.
I bought a cheap <$10 Vernier caliper for 3D printing, and it’s such a trip to use. I’m not an industrial design student working all hours, blurry-eyed; I don’t see the need for WYSIWYG digital readout. But I guess if I was professional industrial designer I’d want to impress my colleagues with the caliber of my caliper. Haha. All joking aside. For 3D printing and the amount I use it, I don’t see reason to spend more.
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Personally, I like dial calipers because they are just as accurate, don't need batteries, and can sometimes tell you things that a digital one can't.
Mitutoyo are the best.
When you’ve visited professional shops they use Mitutoyo tools.
When you’ve visited hobbyist shops they are always using substandard (non Mitutoyo) tools.
Did I parse you correctly?
You can use a vinyl cutter to make a pattern in the same dimensions, and stick it on a conductive back, and make an arbitrary sized caliper, subject to the accuracy of the pattern once applied. You could also just machine it with a 0.1" end mill.
I really wish someone made a set of micro-vernier calipers that are small enough to fit on a keychain.
I'd really like to know what you mean by that. Obviously the Vernier scale can't shrink, so you're going to be limited to an inch or two of range, and all the sharp edges common to calipers aren't pocket friendly.
Something fold-up, or that has a few pieces to snap together?
they're famously counterfeited.
- digital caliper. The ultimate reference measurement device.
- feeler gauge. To check bed levelling but also prints.
I hadn't considered a profile gauge but will now look into it. Thanks!
being "new" doesn't automagically mean it is calibrated accurately