I would like to get my husband some digital vernier callipers for his birthday, my son has 'borrowed' his old set. I thought they would make a good practical present that I could borrow occasionally to check back to backs.
After looking on the internet and on eBay I'm now completely confused :doh: by the sheer range in prices anything from £2 up to £800!
What should I be looking out for and what would be a reasonable price to pay for them? My husband is a mountain biker and occasional fixer of our car.
Thanks in anticipation.
I bought mine in Lidl many years ago, it's a useful bit of kit. Obviously didn't pay much for it - less than £10 - and it's been fine.
I think I saw them in the "middle of Lidl" very recently :D
Aldi have had them in recent weeks as well
Unless they are needed for a machine shop were they will see heavy everyday use the low price ones from Aldi & Lidl do work well
I got a set from Eileens Emporium at a show for special £15.00..........
https://eileensemporium.com/index.php?option=com_hikashop&ctrl=product&task=show&cid=2218&name=digital-vernier-calipers-steel&Itemid=189&category_pathway=1139
Regarding battery life, always lock the sliding jaw closed after use before turning off. Any slight movement of the jaw switches the calipers on. I use a pair from Aldi and find they are accurate enough for what I need.
Geoff
Anything under £10 is not going to be that good in quality if accuracy is paramount.
However I must confess I do possess a digital vernier purchased from Aldi which is only used for measuring bits an pieces in my office, one thing I have noticed comparing the Aldi one to the Starrett I use in my workshop is that the Aldi one loves batterys even though I always make sure its switched off after use.
If your looking to buy hubby something value for money Then then this Digital Vernier Caliper (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Preciva-Electronic-Extraordinary-Micrometer-Conversion/dp/B073S69SQ1/ref=pd_rhf_dp_s_pd_crcbs_0_2/260-4523037-1862360?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B073S69SQ1&pd_rd_r=525e73a4-ac0a-496c-aabe-9e2e53160fe8&pd_rd_w=VkWAp&pd_rd_wg=Nc8u0&pf_rd_p=b0bd07ed-36c9-478e-96aa-bde31626d65f&pf_rd_r=4MQVCZP5ST8HZC2FXJ31&psc=1&refRID=4MQVCZP5ST8HZC2FXJ31) would'nt be a bad choice for the price, Its hardened stainless and has a nice big N Gauger user friendly display!
Quote from: geoffc on August 16, 2019, 09:07:46 AM
Regarding battery life, always lock the sliding jaw closed after use before turning off. Any slight movement of the jaw switches the calipers on. I use a pair from Aldi and find they are accurate enough for what I need.
Geoff
How can that happen Geoff if they are placed correctly in the foam inset of the case :confused1: For the benefit of doubt I've just shook the case quite violently to test your claim and they didn't switch back on!
Quote from: Mr Sprue on August 16, 2019, 09:19:49 AM
Quote from: geoffc on August 16, 2019, 09:07:46 AM
Regarding battery life, always lock the sliding jaw closed after use before turning off. Any slight movement of the jaw switches the calipers on. I use a pair from Aldi and find they are accurate enough for what I need.
Geoff
How can that happen Geoff if they are placed correctly in the foam inset of the case :confused1: For the benefit of doubt I've just shook the case quite violently to test your claim and they didn't switch back on!
When the jaw is moved on the model I have it automatically switches the caliper on. I do not have a foam insert in my case it is a hard insert, when the calipers are in the recess they can move, if not locked they switch on.
It would appear that you have a different model/ case to me.
Geoff
Mine don't get so much use so I remove the batteries between uses. :)
Maybe we need a set of calipers to measure the packaging and sort this out ;)
My case DOES have a foam insert and if you shake the box sometimes the caliper WILL switch on. It all depends on how you shake it. :D
Like Nobby, I take the battery out when not in use.
My cheapo set has an on/off button, no problems with it auto-switching on. I just turn it on with the jaws closed and press reset/zero before using it.
Mine is also a cheapo set and also has an on/off button but it will still switch on automatically ;)
Quote from: swisstrains on August 16, 2019, 11:14:17 AM
My case DOES have a foam insert and if you shake the box sometimes the caliper WILL switch on. It all depends on how you shake it. :D
Like Nobby, I take the battery out when not in use.
I've got an idea, don't shake it :D
Aw well as they say you only get what you pay for! :D
Quote from: Mr Sprue on August 16, 2019, 02:51:51 PM
Aw well as they say you only get what you pay for! :D
Which, I'm pleased to say, wasn't very much :D :D
Quote from: swisstrains on August 16, 2019, 04:06:48 PM
Quote from: Mr Sprue on August 16, 2019, 02:51:51 PM
Aw well as they say you only get what you pay for! :D
Which, I'm pleased to say, wasn't very much :D :D
LOL
And for those who don't want to keep taking their batteries out, there is of course an alternative.........One of
These! (https://image.dhgate.com/0x0/f2/albu/g6/M01/7D/43/rBVaR1pxTs6AeGoqAADPR5NA7-k695.jpg) :D
Quote from: Mr Sprue on August 16, 2019, 06:46:29 PM
Quote from: swisstrains on August 16, 2019, 04:06:48 PM
Quote from: Mr Sprue on August 16, 2019, 02:51:51 PM
Aw well as they say you only get what you pay for! :D
Which, I'm pleased to say, wasn't very much :D :D
LOL
And for those who don't want to keep taking their batteries out, there is of course an alternative.........One of These! (https://image.dhgate.com/0x0/f2/albu/g6/M01/7D/43/rBVaR1pxTs6AeGoqAADPR5NA7-k695.jpg) :D
I'm not sure why you find taking the battery out so amusing. You said yourself that the Aldi vernier loves batteries. Perhaps you should try taking yours out. It's very easy.
Quote from: Mr Sprue on August 16, 2019, 06:46:29 PM
Quote from: swisstrains on August 16, 2019, 04:06:48 PM
Quote from: Mr Sprue on August 16, 2019, 02:51:51 PM
Aw well as they say you only get what you pay for! :D
Which, I'm pleased to say, wasn't very much :D :D
LOL
And for those who don't want to keep taking their batteries out, there is of course an alternative.........One of These! (https://image.dhgate.com/0x0/f2/albu/g6/M01/7D/43/rBVaR1pxTs6AeGoqAADPR5NA7-k695.jpg) :D
Ah, but the OP asked about
digital calipers. What's digital about those in your link? Do you wind them up with your fingers? :laugh: :P
Quote from: swisstrains on August 16, 2019, 09:11:10 PM
Quote from: Mr Sprue on August 16, 2019, 06:46:29 PM
Quote from: swisstrains on August 16, 2019, 04:06:48 PM
Quote from: Mr Sprue on August 16, 2019, 02:51:51 PM
Aw well as they say you only get what you pay for! :D
Which, I'm pleased to say, wasn't very much :D :D
LOL
And for those who don't want to keep taking their batteries out, there is of course an alternative.........One of These! (https://image.dhgate.com/0x0/f2/albu/g6/M01/7D/43/rBVaR1pxTs6AeGoqAADPR5NA7-k695.jpg) :D
I'm not sure why you find taking the battery out so amusing. You said yourself that the Aldi vernier loves batteries. Perhaps you should try taking yours out. It's very easy.
Do you disconnect the battery on your car every time you park it up?
As I have already mentioned you only get what you pay for! Its no big deal as my cheap an cheerful battery scoffer is only used for measuring objects that have to be approximately dead accurate. Anything more than that I get out a mic and measure it properly!
Quote from: Newportnobby on August 16, 2019, 09:23:49 PM
Quote from: Mr Sprue on August 16, 2019, 06:46:29 PM
Quote from: swisstrains on August 16, 2019, 04:06:48 PM
Quote from: Mr Sprue on August 16, 2019, 02:51:51 PM
Aw well as they say you only get what you pay for! :D
Which, I'm pleased to say, wasn't very much :D :D
LOL
And for those who don't want to keep taking their batteries out, there is of course an alternative.........One of These! (https://image.dhgate.com/0x0/f2/albu/g6/M01/7D/43/rBVaR1pxTs6AeGoqAADPR5NA7-k695.jpg) :D
Ah, but the OP asked about digital calipers. What's digital about those in your link? Do you wind them up with your fingers? :laugh: :P
LOL... put your specs back on Mick and read Reply #5 ! :D :D :D :D
Quote from: Mr Sprue on August 16, 2019, 02:51:51 PM
Aw well as they say you only get what you pay for! :D
If only this was true!
I have often got less than I had paid for.
And sometimes got more than I have paid for. I particularly hate those times when items come with bonus extra problems which I didn't bargin on.
Quote from: NinOz on August 17, 2019, 01:52:37 AM
Quote from: Mr Sprue on August 16, 2019, 02:51:51 PM
Aw well as they say you only get what you pay for! :D
If only this was true!
I have often got less than I had paid for.
And sometimes got more than I have paid for. I particularly hate those times when items come with bonus extra problems which I didn't bargin on.
Yes I can add to that criteria also.
Its a sickening feeling when you realise you've paid good money for something that is of inferior quality, the penny drops a few days later when its listed in a sale with 60% off! :worried:
Amazon's (other sellers are available) cheapo 'carbon fiber composite' ones are now about £3.50 inc p&p. They were somewhat cheaper when I bought one about a year ago and I was sufficiently impressed to buy another. Quite a solid piece of kit and more than good enough for modelling. Bigger and better than the blue £12-ish ones I picked up in Hobbycraft a few years ago and which did seem to eat batteries. Still on the original battery. The second one is still in its wrapping as I've so far failed to break or misplace the first one!
Cheers
Bought one of these about 8 years ago.
https://hobbyking.com/en_us/hobbykingtm-digital-vernier-calipers-150mm.html
Nice unit still going ok.
Quote from: Mr Sprue on August 16, 2019, 09:47:24 PM
Quote from: Newportnobby on August 16, 2019, 09:23:49 PM
Quote from: Mr Sprue on August 16, 2019, 06:46:29 PM
Quote from: swisstrains on August 16, 2019, 04:06:48 PM
Quote from: Mr Sprue on August 16, 2019, 02:51:51 PM
Aw well as they say you only get what you pay for! :D
Which, I'm pleased to say, wasn't very much :D :D
LOL
And for those who don't want to keep taking their batteries out, there is of course an alternative.........One of These! (https://image.dhgate.com/0x0/f2/albu/g6/M01/7D/43/rBVaR1pxTs6AeGoqAADPR5NA7-k695.jpg) :D
Ah, but the OP asked about digital calipers. What's digital about those in your link? Do you wind them up with your fingers? :laugh: :P
LOL... put your specs back on Mick and read Reply #5 ! :D :D :D :D
For sure the ones in reply #5 are digital but the ones you referred to in reply #16 ain't :D
I used to have trouble with my "DV" always using batteries fairly quickly, until I found that sponge packing in the lid of the case was such a good fit, when picking up the box, the slight thumb pressure on the lid was just enough to squeeze the case and activate the DV's on switch. Solved that by just cuttting a 5P sized circle of sponge out of the lid sponge right where it would hit the switch.
Quote from: Newportnobby on August 17, 2019, 12:54:45 PM
Quote from: Mr Sprue on August 16, 2019, 09:47:24 PM
Quote from: Newportnobby on August 16, 2019, 09:23:49 PM
Quote from: Mr Sprue on August 16, 2019, 06:46:29 PM
Quote from: swisstrains on August 16, 2019, 04:06:48 PM
Quote from: Mr Sprue on August 16, 2019, 02:51:51 PM
Aw well as they say you only get what you pay for! :D
Which, I'm pleased to say, wasn't very much :D :D
LOL
And for those who don't want to keep taking their batteries out, there is of course an alternative.........One of These! (https://image.dhgate.com/0x0/f2/albu/g6/M01/7D/43/rBVaR1pxTs6AeGoqAADPR5NA7-k695.jpg) :D
Ah, but the OP asked about digital calipers. What's digital about those in your link? Do you wind them up with your fingers? :laugh: :P
LOL... put your specs back on Mick and read Reply #5 ! :D :D :D :D
For sure the ones in reply #5 are digital but the ones you referred to in reply #16 ain't :D
Ah but had you been wearing your specs Mick reply #16 was an alternative option if you didn't want to use batteries! :P :D
Quote from: TrevL on August 18, 2019, 08:14:55 AM
I used to have trouble with my "DV" always using batteries fairly quickly, until I found that sponge packing in the lid of the case was such a good fit, when picking up the box, the slight thumb pressure on the lid was just enough to squeeze the case and activate the DV's on switch. Solved that by just cuttting a 5P sized circle of sponge out of the lid sponge right where it would hit the switch.
Thanks for that Trev although unfortunately it doesn't appear to be the cause of my battery drain. You really need to press very hard to get the tool to switch on although it does appear to be the cause of it switching on when you shake the box violently and not the auto switch-on feature as I first thought.
As I use this otherwise, excellent, value for money device so infrequently I will continue to amuse certain members of this forum by removing the battery when not in use.
Quote from: silly moo on August 15, 2019, 06:17:59 PM
I would like to get my husband some digital vernier callipers for his birthday, my son has 'borrowed' his old set. I thought they would make a good practical present that I could borrow occasionally to check back to backs.
After looking on the internet and on eBay I'm now completely confused :doh: by the sheer range in prices anything from £2 up to £800!
What should I be looking out for and what would be a reasonable price to pay for them? My husband is a mountain biker and occasional fixer of our car.
Thanks in anticipation.
Hi "silly moo"
Firstly can I apologise for my part in occasionally leading this thread astray.
As is usually the case when people ask for product advice on a forum you have received a number of recommendations mostly based on member's experiences. All the suggestions are priced at less than £20 and personally I don't think there is likely to be much difference in overall quality between any of them. It is the price range that I would aim for bearing in mind that I don't use them very often and don't require a very high degree of accuracy but would something in this price range be good enough for your husband? As I'm sure you know us men can be fussy devils and if you present him with a set of calipers that aren't as good as his old ones then he is likely to be disappointed. Can I suggest that you try and determine the quality/price range of the ones that your son has "borrowed" and at least try to match that.
Quote from: swisstrains on August 18, 2019, 02:15:30 PM
Quote from: silly moo on August 15, 2019, 06:17:59 PM
I would like to get my husband some digital vernier callipers for his birthday, my son has 'borrowed' his old set. I thought they would make a good practical present that I could borrow occasionally to check back to backs.
After looking on the internet and on eBay I'm now completely confused :doh: by the sheer range in prices anything from £2 up to £800!
What should I be looking out for and what would be a reasonable price to pay for them? My husband is a mountain biker and occasional fixer of our car.
Thanks in anticipation.
Hi "silly moo"
Firstly can I apologise for my part in occasionally leading this thread astray.
As is usually the case when people ask for product advice on a forum you have received a number of recommendations mostly based on member's experiences. All the suggestions are priced at less than £20 and personally I don't think there is likely to be much difference in overall quality between any of them. It is the price range that I would aim for bearing in mind that I don't use them very often and don't require a very high degree of accuracy but would something in this price range be good enough for your husband? As I'm sure you know us men can be fussy devils and if you present him with a set of callipers that aren't as good as his old ones then he is likely to be disappointed. Can I suggest that you try and determine the quality/price range of the ones that your son has "borrowed" and at least try to match that.
Apologies also if my light hearted post's about battery usage went off on another tangent, but they were on my part based on fact.
For what its worth if your looking to buy Digital Verniers of reasonable quality anything between £20- £40 should be more than enough. Unless that is of course you are looking to buy a top end quality DV then Mitutoyo are one of the best.
Hope that helps
Dave
Totally agree with John and Dave, go with your prefered price point, however, if you want the best, Mitutoyo is the brand to go for, but you have to pay for that quality. Cheapest I can find a 150mm (6") one, is £115 on Amazon. I used my Mitutoyo professionally on a daily basis, in the Aerospace industry, for over 15 years, with annual calibration checks it never failed, until I accidently destroyed it with a heavy object :'(
Quote from: TrevL on August 18, 2019, 03:13:26 PM
I used my Mitutoyo professionally on a daily basis, in the Aerospace industry, for over 15 years, with annual calibration checks it never failed, until I accidently destroyed it with a heavy object :'(
They aren't made for sitting on :P
Thank you very much for the very helpful replies. My son suggested some callipers which were quite expensive but in the end I decided that the ones from Amazon that Mr Sprue mentioned seemed like a good bet. They have lots of positive 5 star reviews.
Yesterday we went out in the vicinity of Lidl and my husband said "Let's go to Lidl, so I can get some callipers" so I had to confess and tell him that a set were on their way. So now he knows what one of his birthday presents is but at least I will have got him something useful.
He is like me, we both have our hobbies which we can spend quite a bit of money on but buying presents for us is tricky as we have very specific requirements and lots of swag already.