6" Digital Calipers for cheap

I bought a couple of the following from HF when they went on sale (for $9 IIRC). They've worked fine for my needs for a couple of years. The first set of batteries didn't last long, but the replacements have been fine. They don't feel as smotth as my Mitutoyo calipers, but at fifteen dollars, one can just throw them away if they die, and I don't feel guilty if they get banged around.

Peter

There are several tool distributors that sell the 6" digital calipers for slightly below, or about $10, but sometimes only when they're on sale.

I like having the 4" size in the shop and at my desk for convenience. Some models don't have the thumbwheel adjustment though.

WB metalworking projects

I bought a set of these cheapies from Harbor Freight. When I opened the box had all of the display elements lit up like you mentioned. When I read the instructions it suggested that this can be cured by removing the battery and replacing it. That worked just fine.

profit at $15 a throw?

I watched a show on the Discovery Channel recently that was about life in modern China. They featured people who worked at an electronics factory.

Workers (mostly women) were paid 350 yuan per month for a 48 hours per week schedule. That works out to about 22 cents an hour.

So yes, the distributor can make a profit at that price.

Gary

[ ... ]

That looks like mine from a hamfest (my upstairs calipers). Does yours have a table of Whitworth information on the back?

Enjoy, DoN,

I almost bought a digital caliper like this to make into a readout on my lathe saddle. that was until I turned it on and realised that I needed one more decimal place. the one I saw was useless, tenths of a millimeter and hundredths of an inch. Stealth Pilot

Yes, two tables one for metric threads and one for Whitworth.

snap-closed

Yes, that would be pretty useless, but the $15 caliper I bought is the more usual type reading to half a mil and 1/100 of a mm.

According to Chuck Olson :

[ ... ]

Yep -- the same ones, then.

All in all, they seem to work pretty well -- though they don't have the feel of the Starrett or Mitutoyo ones which I have in the shop.

I forget just what the price was at the hamfest, but it was inexpensive enough so I could not resist. And they work well on the SR-357 cells, which are my preference.

Enjoy, DoN.

Around Christmas time, Harbor Freight had these little keychain led lights :

On sale for around 99 cents each. We bought a bunch for a woodturning project we were doing, and only really needed the led and lense. I discovered that inside are three (3) button cells that fit my digital calipers perfectly. Lots cheaper than paying 2 plus dollars for a battery.

Jack

Ah, yes, the old button cell trick. One popular button cell is the 357 silver cell, but quite often you will find the identical-looking 357A alkaline cell, with a lot less life expectancy, both in shelf life and in service life. They used to sell the 357A at the flea market - - believe it or not - - a card of ten cells for $3. I haven't seen them lately, so maybe there was a law passed or maybe nobody would buy the cheap cells any more. Name brand (Eveready or Duracell) 357 silver cells are at least $1 each, and most times a lot more. I tried the alkaline type, elated as you are to find such a great buy. But it became clear how much of a buy I had when the "flashing display" mode arrived a lot sooner than I had seen before. But you might be lucky, Jack, if someone made a mistake and put silver cells in those lights - - sorry, not too likely.