budget digital vernier callipers ....

[Mr Moofo]

My Lidl ones have gone tits up. Sometimes they work - sometimes they don't.
I think they cost 7.99 ...
I can get some from eBay for about a fiver
I don't want to spend 50 quid - but any recommendations from from the shed-bothers on here?
Much appreciated

[Count Steer]

I found some on Amazon. Can't remember the price but they wouldn't have been expensive. They even came with a spare battery.

[Skub]

I've had a cheapo ebay vernier for about 8-10 years,it works ok for my needs,but eats the battery if I leave it in,so I have to remember to take it out each time.

You could always buy proper old school non digital calipers and have fun reading the lines.

[MrLongbeard]

Get a pair of decent ones second hand; https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/133849160281 ... SwOrlhGPDm
They should go for no more than £45 I reckon, they look right unlike the knock off versions on fleabay and will last your lifetime and longer, cheaper in the long run.

[Nidge]

Isn’t it the law that some smart arse has to say vernier calipers aren’t digital….?

[crust]

Isn’t it the law that some smart arse has to say vernier calipers aren’t digital….?

Yup, along with 'very nears' why would you bother?

[KungFooBob]

The cheap ones eat batteries because the power button doesn't turn them off, it just disables the display.

[David]

I always take the battery out of my set.

[Count Steer]

Just checked, the ones I bought are actually £37 but they have them from £7.99

[Mr Moofo]

Oddly was going to bid in the one Mr Longbeard suggested . But forgot …

[DefTrap]

I bought some cheapy digital ones, terrible, binned them.
Went back to my ancient analogue ones, I don't need mm measurements to 3dp anyway.

[Horse]

Went back to my ancient analogue ones, I don't need mm measurements to 3dp anyway.

I was a trainee draughtsman when the company converted from imperial to metric, so some drawings needed updating.

"Easy" thought some people. Out with the calculator, bash the buttons = metric dimensions. But without realising and understanding, they were creating drawings requiring items manufactured to 3dp (and so measured to 4dp - tenthousandths of a millimetre!).

[iansoady]

When I was a technical apprentice in the Central Electricity Generating Board in the late 1960s, an edict went out that everything had to be using metric units. So one morning shortly after this I went to the stores to get some 1/2" Whit bolts only to be told "They're 12.7mm Whit now". All the bins had been relabelled. At the time I didn't realise how absolutely daft that was.

Re digital calipers: I've had a couple and when checked against a M&W micrometer show exactly the same dimensions - in the ranges I use anyway up to 1" or so. These are the cheap <£10 versions and TBH I now tend to use them rather than the mics.

[Mr. Dazzle]

I was a trainee draughtsman when the company converted from imperial to metric, so some drawings needed updating.

"Easy" thought some people. Out with the calculator, bash the buttons = metric dimensions. But without realising and understanding, they were creating drawings requiring items manufactured to 3dp (and so measured to 4dp - tenthousandths of a millimetre!).

I had a similar problem ad recently as about 2010. Making a whole "ship set" (basically the complete kit for something) of carbon driveshafts, UJs etc. for a civil airliner.

Drawings were all from California and in "English Units" as the yanks call 'em. You would not believe the shenanigans we had converting to metric so European subcontractors would work with them. Turning a 3DP imperial drawing into a metric drawing results in 4DPs if you convert it exactly but of course no bugger will sign up to making stuff to 4DP. Arguing that being a micron (one millionth of a metre) bigger/smaller than the original drawing due to rounding takes way more effort than you'd appreciate, such is the pedantry of aerospace.

As for the OP though.....every company I've ever worked for, and pretty much every supplier I've visited, has used Mitutoyo digital callipers. They may cost more, but you get what you pay for. They survive constant daily use in industry, so they should last a homer forever.

[Count Steer]

As for the OP though.....every company I've ever worked for, and pretty much every supplier I've visited, has used Mitutoyo digital callipers. They may cost more, but you get what you pay for. They survive constant daily use in industry, so they should last a homer forever.

In one job I had, m/c shop and QA used Mitutoyo but they were putting many £k of stuff through every week. Prices seem to start at £160 and you can spend £600+ for slightly esoteric ones. The OP is looking to replace some that cost £7.99.
For a bit of home engineering £30ish or less will do the job for a long time if you don't abuse them. £7.99 will survive a couple of times a year use (if you take the battery out between times).

[Mr. Dazzle]

Sabout fifty quid for the basic ones, you don't need USB etc at home As someone else has already said, second hand would do.

I know the OP said cheap...but well, buy twice and all that.

[Count Steer]

Sabout fifty quid for the basic ones, you don't need USB etc at home As someone else has already said, second hand would do.

I know the OP said cheap...but well, buy twice and all that.

Cheapest Mitutoyo digital I found is about £85 (reduced from £136) vernier only ones are from about £35.

Buy right, buy once is OK but when the equation is buy 10 times....

[Skub]

£34 new on the bay?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/174901528928 ... %3A2334524

[Mr. Dazzle]

Ah.....never looked at the price to the general public

[Count Steer]

£34 new on the bay?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/174901528928 ... %3A2334524

Interesting. That's the same model that's reduced from £137 to £88 on Amazon. There are others that have been reduced but not that much.