Why use Dial Calipers?

[@garthtimmins2852]

A few years ago, my employer gave us each an inexpensive digital caliper. It was nice when it worked, but as you pointed out, whenever I pulled it out to use it the battery would be dead. So I bought an inexpensive dial caliper. It works great, and I never have to worry about a battery. If I need to be extra precise, I use a micrometer which measures to .0001".

[@BetterBiomedChannel]

I like digital because I can instantly do inch to metric on the fly. I do keep an extra battery.. I do love analog measurement devices when I am doing CNC work. I use calipers for finding fastener sizes. The measurement is matched against a size chart to give you the metric / standard fastener - vs finding the Tap and Die set to try and find the size.

[@HTMWorkshop]

yeah I think in general people prefer digital and I am in the minority but I have grown to love the dial more : ) obviously it's personal preference - there is not any major advantage either way. Yeah I have seen those charts but I can't say I have used them much -I would love to get into our 5 axis CNC that we have on campus but can't find the time. Just to many things to learn : )

[@AnthonyFrancisJones]

Excellent - thanks for this! There are many situations when an analogue scale is useful. A rapid glance is often all that is needed to read or re-read it. Change is also very clear to see happen. And, and I know I will get some stick for this, but for not super precise repeated identical measurements you can easily write on the dial with a fine pen!

[@davidu4758]

Don't forget to check accuracy with a standard or gage block if you ever drop the calipers or any measuring instrument. If it is off - send it in for rebuild or recal something may be bent. Hopefully that will never happen in the first place.

[@mikemcguire1160]

What does the "Shockproof" word on the dial really mean? Proof against how much of a shock? I have a couple of dial calipers with "Shockproof" written on the dial that have hit the floor and now won't reliably zero--no obvious external damage.

[@HTMWorkshop]

@@mikemcguire1160 I’m guessing it’s mainly a marketing term unless they have a standard test procedure listed for how they are measuring shock

[@phmiii]

Thank you, I have found that Vernier Calipers work very good in a Oil bath. The dial will not flood with oil on a Vernier Calipers because there is none. As a QA person, I use then all!

[@HTMWorkshop]

That is a really great application of a vernier that I have not thought of, thanks for sharing that!

[@macroevolve]

I bought 12 inch vernier Calipers because I dropped and broke my Dial Calipers at work, and the Vernier is more robust....got tired of the time it took to read, compared to a Dial. Broke down and bought another 12 inch Mitutoyo.

[@OldLadyGamersince1990]

Is it much better if you take samples of the 4th measurement :) Still a nice video. Thanks!

[@meFatuations]

I think he got the situation with vernier calipers backwards. The Starrett vernier caliper is the highest quality caliper they have and it has machined, ground, lapped surfaces. It is a beautiful instrument and is by far the most expensive option. They run upwards of$1000 dollars. With a dial caliper, the only thing that is precisely manufactured is the rack set of teeth and the pinion gear which operates the dial. The rest of the tool does not have critical dimensions. The dial caliper is the cheapest in terms of precision and quality.

[@AndriyHavryliv]

Excellent video! Thank you! 😊

[@HTMWorkshop]

Glad it was helpful!

[@davordamjanovic893]

I would use standard calipers any time instead of digital ones. They get out of calibratio far too often(at least cheap ones), have fragile plastic parts and if you breake plastic part you have no way of measuring parts. I dont have any problem reading measurment from standard ones but I understund why would someone need dial ones for extra precise measurements.

[@mscscambodia]

As a professional machinist and professor of manufacturing for more than 45 years any industry using vernier calipers is out of touch with today's technology, vernier calipers are known as the guessing stick in industry. Digital's are used in Industry 4.0 because it allows for collection of data without pen & paper and limits error, machinist on the shop floor use both dial & digital (not collecting inspection data), but in a metrology lab Digital is always used now days if not you are not ready for Industry 4.0 and yes I know CMM's are better but not all parts need inspection by a CMM.

[@HTMWorkshop]

great thoughts, do you have a recommendations for an industry 4.0 digital caliper that can also be networked?

[@mscscambodia]

@@HTMWorkshop Mitutoyo has several models I use and I also use their MeasurLink software for the data collect but the software works with almost all calipers with a digital serial port.

[@MrHeHim]

1000% everyone needs a dial caliper, but I also have a digital caliper that I tend to use more 😁 just easier. Cheap ones are socking good (if you get a "good" one). Only if the battery is low it starts reading wrong without warning. It's gradual, it'll start by being off by 0.0005 then gets worse and worse till it doesn't return to 0 when closed. WEN makes very good "cheap" ones that don't error as much when low on battery 😅 The quality digital calipers will also stop working or flash to warn you when the battery is too low before it can effect messurements

[@HTMWorkshop]

Good point

[@Iskelderon]

Gotta admit, I'm just lazy and with these I don't have to compare small lines and they don't have batteries that will stop working just when you really need the calipers.

[@wills5482]

Since im forced to deal with american "quality" parts we have to go back and forth between imperial and metric and digital is the only way. Plus, analog calipers suck major ass to read quickly

[@meFatuations]

The statements about digital calipers is silly. Come on! Where does the statement about 99% percent of the time the battery is low. Not sure the rest of the video is worth watching.

[@VaxxedNPC]

WARNING CLICKBAIT GARBAGE 4:23 to get an actual answer to the title but you don't get an answer because he says: "I like dial cus personal preference hur durrr"

[@stx9327]

You don't want to get the cheapo calipers cause they will be off!

[@brandonjohnson1339]

I prefer vernier calipers because of the price, accuracy, and durability

[@Celestialrain23]

Im a professional machinist and wouldn’t ever use my vernier in a shop because it takes way longer to read them and at work speed matters.

[@brandonjohnson1339]

@@Celestialrain23 tbh I don't see much of a speed difference between vernier and dial. Unless it's digital, you still have to manually read the scale/dial

[@Celestialrain23]

@@brandonjohnson1339 for me it’s a difference of about 5 seconds which would really irritate other machinists. Also in my shop we have a double verify system so I couldn’t use a vernier since most can’t read it

[@brandonjohnson1339]

@@Celestialrain23 Every machinist should be able to read a vernier caliper

[@Celestialrain23]

@@brandonjohnson1339 your opinion doesn’t change the reality that most consider it an antiquated technology and that’s why tech schools/apprenticeships no longer teach how to read them. Anyone still using vernier calipers is an outlier in the field. Nobody taught me to use a vernier scale but I just bought one and it was obvious to me how to read it. Even though it’s cool I still wouldn’t use it at my job professionally.

[@HTMWorkshop]

My recommendation for calipers (I try to get at least 8 inch calipers when possible) Mitutoyo Dial Calipers - amzn.to/3Dcn8pl If you want both metric and U.S customary Reading Scale - amzn.to/37oxqVp The Best Solar Caliper but expensive - amzn.to/37qBrIW Digital calipers - amzn.to/375Zg93

[@P46345]

To me, anybody that says "one thou" is "that guy". Don't be that guy.

[@Blobby_Hill]

Everyone in a machine shop says thou. Life must be delightful if that is what bothers you.

[@P46345]

@@Blobby_HillSo you're speaking for "everyone"??? How lucky for them.

[@lilkane6865]

@@P46345 everyone says thou

[@P46345]

@@lilkane6865 Looks like "everybody" is a hack then.

[@lilkane6865]

@P46345 I guess those guys with 40 years experience then