Hi everyone. I have a Brown & Sharp dial caliper that I use right now. I am wanting to get a good digital caliper. Which digital caliper would you recommend and why?
I looked at the RCBS last night at Academy Sports. It looked good but it was not as smooth as the Brown & Sharp. I prefer to have 4 places to the right of the decimal point.
I plan on going by Grainger's in Baton Rouge, this Friday and see what they have in their store. I might pay a little more, but I am thinking about the Starrette 798 or a Mitoroyo.
Granger also has a Westward brand for around $131 dollars. This Westward was labeled as a "Grainger's Choice". Thanks Ken

To this day I still use my Mitutoyo 6" dial caliper purchased new for $70.00 in 1972. A digital from Mitutoyo is top shelf quality. Avoid anything marked Westward, it is mostly import garbage.

Bob Mc Alice wrote:To this day I still use my Mitutoyo 6" dial caliper purchased new for $70.00 in 1972. A digital from Mitutoyo is top shelf quality. Avoid anything marked Westward, it is mostly import garbage.

Agreed... pretty much anything from Starrett or Mitutoyo is a lifetime investment. Especially in dial calipers, micrometers, etc.
And, like all things with a digital readout... Just because it READS to 3 or 4 decimal places, does not mean that it is ACCURATE to even a tenth. I've been gifted digital versions of calipers, scales, etc and inevitably/eventually wind up going back to the dial/analog versions. Primarily out of reliability/repeatability...

Lastly, it always seems like the digital version of anything I get needs a $5+ battery replaced every time I go to use it! Haven't had that issue with a dial caliper yet.

-Tim

Pretty much anything short of a Starrett or Mitutoy (I have no experience with Westward) is just a cheap digital caliper made in the same factory as the super cheap Harbor Freight calipers with some other company's brand on it. The one that I'm using currently has MidwayUSA on it, but it's not really any better than one that can be gotten for <$20 with different colors for the plastic parts and a different brand. My next caliper will be a Mitutoyo digital caliper.

I've had and used the same Starrett dial caliper since I was in high school machine shop. Hasn't missed a beat in 40+ years.

Bought a couple of Harbor Freight models - mistake for sure. Had a Dillon Precision branded for the last 13 years and they are still perfect. But a good unit and be happy.

Check Penn Tools in NJ. Good deals on top quality brands. I buy all my tools from them. Stay away from "other name" brands its all junk. RCBS is about $100 you can by B&S, Etalon or Interapid for that kind of money.

Thanks for your advice. I will be leaving the Westward along. I know you get what you pay for. Buy once and cry once, just like buying scopes. I will be looking at either Starrett or Mitutoyo.

AD9: Thanks for telling me about Penn Tools in NJ. But for the price of the digital caliper, I want it in my hands to check it out and see what it feels like. Plus I will be doing some measurments with it before I buy it.

How can I spot a fake Chinese Mitutoyo from the real Mitutoyo that is actually made in Japan?

Digital calipers are not for me. I have been using the same Mitutoyo dial caliper since the late 1980's. I have the insulated standards in 1, 2 and 3 inch. The accuracy of that caliper has not changed in all those years. I like seeing the needle on the dial.