digital calipers that don't require the on button press

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whateg0
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digital calipers that don't require the on button press

Post by whateg0 »

TL;DR - Which brands of digital calipers work without having to press the on/off button?

I have a number of digital calipers that all came from HF over the years. I also have 2 sets of dial calipers which get used as often or more than the digitals. Of the digitals, though, there are some with black bodies that you have to press the on/off button to use and ones with grey bodies that you don't have to. You just move it and it comes to life. I understand this means that the grey ones will go through batteries faster, but that's better IMO than having to press the button. Why is this a big deal? I don't know; it just is. There isn't a lot of info on the web that I have found identifying different brands as behaving one way or another. I'm looking to replace one that just doesn't work anymore and add at least one for the house.

Dave
earlgo
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Re: digital calipers that don't require the on button press

Post by earlgo »

A couple of years ago I bought an 8" digital caliper IP54 #56-016-386 from Travers Tool. It is on the instant one moves the slide. It also keeps the zero setting from where you set it, not from the moment it moves. I really like this one.
I had a Mitutoyo when I was employed and if I remember, it was instant on and kept it's zero too.
--earlgo
Before you do anything, you must do something else first. - Washington's principle.
pete
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Re: digital calipers that don't require the on button press

Post by pete »

My solar powered 6" Mit is instant on and keeps track of it's zero point. But I don't think it's one your interested in knowing about given there or any other Mit digital caliper price. However Mitutoyo figured out there internal circuitry, even there non solar powered battery calipers and other digital equipment are extremely efficient with a very long battery life as well as keeping track of there exact zero. At least 3-5 years on any of my micrometers. Each to there own preferences, but for me that battery life has a much higher priority than having an instant on feature. My other set of far cheaper off shore digital calipers that have an on/off button I use on rougher work seems to average anywhere from around a low of 6 months to maybe 10 if I'm lucky. And I rarely have to ever reset the zero point on the Mits. That off shore set seems to float a bit with a thou or two of variation. Constantly having to re-check the zero is a pita as well. Yes they stay within the average you'd be using caliper measurements for, but they can still vary enough I trust them a lot less. Most of the specs I've seen usually mention somewhere that zero tracking or instant on feature for even the cheaper ones if they have it.
whateg0
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Re: digital calipers that don't require the on button press

Post by whateg0 »

Thanks! I was looking at shars and some of theirs say instant on but others don't. So does that mean it doesn't or that they just left that out of the description. I thought maybe I was just overlooking that on other descriptions but went and did a search and I don't see mention of it either way on most that I find. You are correct that I don't plan on buying a bunch of mit calipers. It would be great to have the funds to have them everywhere in the shop but I don't. Plus, I kind of really don't want to end up with weld spatter on a $100+ set of calipers! I'll check out the Travers set too. I was really hoping that I would go back and see instant on in the description of the shars large readout ones. I might email them and see if they will tell me.
pete
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Re: digital calipers that don't require the on button press

Post by pete »

Yeah the off shore one's have there place and why I have at least one set. Plus if or when you knock them off a bench it hurts a whole lot less. Once with my Mit dial calipers was enough to retrain myself though. A bit hard to say about anyone's sales pitch and how much detail they add verses the price. My large display ones aren't instant on, not that it means much. About the only way to be sure is to do as you have and email any dealer that has something of interest. I did find using SR batteries instead of the easier to find LR's in even the off shore calipers have almost double the battery life.
Ken Schroeder
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Re: digital calipers that don't require the on button press

Post by Ken Schroeder »

I have the Mitutoyo solar powered calipers and I wouldn't think about buying anything else. They are ready to use any time I pick them up.
whateg0
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Re: digital calipers that don't require the on button press

Post by whateg0 »

Ken Schroeder wrote: Fri Aug 27, 2021 9:54 pm I have the Mitutoyo solar powered calipers and I wouldn't think about buying anything else. They are ready to use any time I pick them up.
They look nice. If I had a lot more disposable income I might consider them. Or if I was needing calipers of that caliber. I don't. And I don't. And I sure wouldn't want to use them around my welding bench.
whateg0
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Re: digital calipers that don't require the on button press

Post by whateg0 »

pete wrote: Fri Aug 27, 2021 9:16 pm Yeah the off shore one's have there place and why I have at least one set. Plus if or when you knock them off a bench it hurts a whole lot less. Once with my Mit dial calipers was enough to retrain myself though. A bit hard to say about anyone's sales pitch and how much detail they add verses the price. My large display ones aren't instant on, not that it means much. About the only way to be sure is to do as you have and email any dealer that has something of interest. I did find using SR batteries instead of the easier to find LR's in even the off shore calipers have almost double the battery life.
I read awhile back that the Sr uses silver vs whatever is in the lr, maybe lithium? But that they will last much longer. I had used the Sr batteries for awhile then ordered a 10 pack of what came up in a search one time. They were the lr and I didn't catch it at first. Took me a hot minute to figure out why they didn't last a month!
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liveaboard
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Re: digital calipers that don't require the on button press

Post by liveaboard »

I stopped using electronic calipers;
As an amateur, sometimes I don't use the metal shop at all for weeks. As a chaotic person with 3 work areas, I have several calipers.
So dead batteries became more nuisance than the added usefulness of the digital readout.
Also, the cheapo ones I can afford die way too often. as they die, zero bounces around and can cause error. That's worse than nothing.

If I could squeeze a good one into my budget, I would. As it is, I'm back to good old solid vernier calipers.
earlgo
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Re: digital calipers that don't require the on button press

Post by earlgo »

I also have the KURT 3 pc measuring set that sold for $39 a few years back and it has a dial caliper in it that is always on and very readable. Not sure why digital is better than dial, but we use what is available. That KURT set is/was a bargain with the dial caliper, 1 in micrometer(.0001) and steel scale.
--earlgo
Before you do anything, you must do something else first. - Washington's principle.
rrnut-2
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Re: digital calipers that don't require the on button press

Post by rrnut-2 »

My Mit's are always on and I get 2-3 years of battery life out of them. Now my 24" Fowler, China made, I have to remove the battery after each use because it will go dead in 2 months. About the same amount that I use them. A couple of micrometers that are China made go dead in several months as well.

Jim B
whateg0
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Re: digital calipers that don't require the on button press

Post by whateg0 »

I have two dials and use them often. But when I'm turning a part down, setting a target on a digital and then using that to get down to the finish passes or depending on the part to finished size is far handier than doing the math in my head. And when there are several diameters to hit on multiple parts, setting 3 sets of calipers on the lathe makes for much quicker work. So I'm some situations they are better. Like it or don't. I don't care. Again, I use both
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