What digital 1" micrometer to buy

J

John Soniat

Guest
Just hunting for recommendations on the purchase of a 1" digital mike capable to 4 decmal places

Thanks for any help:cool:
 
Do you mean mechanical digital or electronic? Mitutoyo or Brown and Sharp are good. Although they cost more, it doesn't pay in the long run to get cheap measuring tools.
 
Don't buy a digital. Buy the traditional thimble type and learn to read it.
Digitals will give you a false sense of measurement (like "as seen on TV").
Digitals batteries usually go dead just when you need them most.
Digitals servo feedback system is only as accurate as you pay for (buy a cheap one and it has a cheap servo)
 
JerrySharrett said:
Don't buy a digital. Buy the traditional thimble type and learn to read it.
Digitals will give you a false sense of measurement (like "as seen on TV").
Digitals batteries usually go dead just when you need them most.
Digitals servo feedback system is only as accurate as you pay for (buy a cheap one and it has a cheap servo)
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This is sound advice. I work for the Guvmint and we have a bunch of Hi-Dollar electronic Intramics (small hole mics) and they are accurate if calibrated before every use but they take longer to use and can lose calibration at the drop of a pin. Absolutely nothing gained by paying extra for electronic micrometers. One exception would be digital calipers where the pushbutton zero feature is handy to measure case datum length with whatever adapter / comparator / gizzie you prefer to use.

Scott
 
In my post I was trying to differentiate between mechanical digital and electronic digital. You still see the mechanical digital in catalogs. I have a micrometer, depth gauge and height gauge that are all mechanical digital as well as vernier and electronic digital gauges. Jerry and Scott do you have anything to say about the mechanical digital gauges? Just curious.
 
Check out the website on Long Island Indicator....they have serviced instruments for decades and offer their opinions.
 
+1 on what Jerry said. I have an electronic digital with a dead battery in the drawer. Reading a thimble type is really no big deal, once you get the hang of it. I feel the same way about digital calipers.
 
+2 on what Jerry said. Digital are big a bulky. I call on machine shops everyday and I can't remember the last time a saw a good machinist use a digital mic.
 
I will disagree with some here. I have the standard vernier micrometers (Brown & Sharp are the only brand I use) and a few years ago I bought a Mitutoyo digital mike. It resolves to .00005". There are some things that I measure where this has real merit. I keep a few extra 357 batteries around and it is not a big deal. They do last about a year or so. I have a couple of very accurate calibration standards that I check it with. I just checked it with the .5" gage and it read .50000. It is very useful when doing comparative measurements.Remember when using these standards that you shouldn't touch them with your finger and make sure both the gage and the instrument are normalized in a 70-75 degree environment.

Having played with a lot of them, my personal opinion is that if you want a standard vernier mike, B&S, Etalon or Tesa are very good but there are others that are completely fine. If you are going digital, don't consider anything but Mitutoyo ( I have never used a Swiss digital so can't comment on them).

I really like my digital but rarely use it as it is quite bulky compared my B&S.

As for the digital calipers, I have never found one that I like yet.
 
Boyd Allen said:
+1 on what Jerry said. I have an electronic digital with a dead battery in the drawer. Reading a thimble type is really no big deal, once you get the hang of it. I feel the same way about digital calipers.
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It seems that I have to use a magnifier to read the vernier scales anymore!
 
it all depends on what he is doing...if he is at .001 plus or minus what ever then anything should work is quality vernier digital or electronic.
if less than .001 then vernier or digital unless you go very high dollar with electronic.
i have mitutoyo digital, and several 6" calipers in electronic for general work...like bullet or case length...
and yes learn to read a vernier...
mike in co
 
This discussion has prompted me to peruse the MSC on-line catalog to view the different micrometers. I,too, am partial to Brown and Sharpe products. There was a pair of "Convertible Thimble Outside Micrometers" where the only difference appears to be "straight-line" vs "slant-line" I'm guessing this refers to how the divisions and numbers are engraved on the thimble. Would one of you more knowledgeable guys expound on this?
 
adamsgt said:
. Jerry and Scott do you have anything to say about the mechanical digital gauges? Just curious.
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All the mechanical digitals I've seen have too many moving parts to be 1) reliable and 2) accurate.

Your question about slant vs straight graduations, if you mean what I think you mean, your opinion is correct. Are both features offered by B&S??

BTW, I've never seen too many full time journeyman machinists or Tool and Die folks use B&S. Most used Starrett. Mitutoyo, or Lufkin.

Nowdays I guess it probably doesn't matter since they are all probably made in ChiCom slave labor tents.....note that many of these ChiCom shops are just that-tents!!
 
JerrySharrett said:
All the mechanical digitals I've seen have too many moving parts to be 1) reliable and 2) accurate.

Your question about slant vs straight graduations, if you mean what I think you mean, your opinion is correct. Are both features offered by B&S??

BTW, I've never seen too many full time journeyman machinists or Tool and Die folks use B&S. Most used Starrett. Mitutoyo, or Lufkin.

Nowdays I guess it probably doesn't matter since they are all probably made in ChiCom slave labor tents.....note that many of these ChiCom shops are just that-tents!!
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Have you seen the newer Starrett stuff?? It is pretty junky. My old Craftsman is better that the new Starrett mikes. I know several journeymen machinists that use B&S, they are the ones that got me started on them. We have a bunch of Mitutoyos, Starretts, and some chicoms at work. I hate them all!

Some day I will find a digital caliper that is worth buying but not yet.
 
hmmmm
my mitutoyo metric 0-25 is .001mm(0.00039") digital....have used it for nearly 20 years with no issues...
mike in co
JerrySharrett said:
All the mechanical digitals I've seen have too many moving parts to be 1) reliable and 2) accurate.
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We had this discussion several years ago. Jim Borden uses digital mics and calipers.

Nuff said

al
 
I read somewhere that most of the Starrett stuff is now made across the pond. Unless it is engraved on the tool, it most likely is made somewhere else.

And yes B@S does make a slanted line mic, I have one on my case trimmer that I bought used. Not much difference reading it or the straight line ones.

I do also agree about the digital ones quitting at the wrong time. I bought a very nice Mitutoyo mic and had it quit after about 1 year. But boy it sure worked nice when it did.

Joe
 
A day doesn't pass for me w/o using a Starrett Multi Anvil mic.
My other mics are Brown & Sharpe friction sleeve type.

The only electronic instrument occasionally used is a 6" Brown & Sharpe caliper.
 
I would have to think a digital depth mic would be a plus. I dont have one, and it has been a learning curve to read my standard starrett depth mic. For some reason those things read backwards. LOL!! Lee
 
skeetlee said:
I would have to think a digital depth mic would be a plus. I dont have one, and it has been a learning curve to read my standard starrett depth mic. For some reason those things read backwards. LOL!! Lee
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Remember, Skeet, it is a DEPTH micrometer. If it were a HEIGHT micrometer it would read the other way!!

(I just couldn't pass that one up!!)
 
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