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Digital caliper recommendations for keyboard/pcb/hobby work?

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F eq ma:
Searched the site, but didn’t see many topics on what to look for in a digital caliper.  A lot of “let me grab my caliper” type hits. 

I know that Mitutoyo is one of the top in quality and price.   I am a little nervous on getting one used as I don’t know if they will be bent or out of spec.   I don’t mind spending $150+, but want to make sure that is a one time purchase.

Amazon seems to have the cheap ones that probably would work in a pinch, but without the absolute zero functions and probably not quite as accurate nor longevity.

Any middle of the road brands?   Any features to look for?   Any mistakes that I should avoid?

kurplop:
It depends on your use but I found that I Gaging's IP54 is a good reliable digital caliper for general use and at $30 on Amazon a good value. Some new premium models have very sophisticated abilities but if your asking about options on Geekhack you probably don't need those features.

F eq ma:
Seems to have good reviews and recommendations else where.   Price point is good as well for a first set.   Won’t feel so bad if I accidentally drop them.   Thanks for the direction!

F eq ma:
Dumping a good link on the various types of calipers for future searches.

https://www.cnclathing.com/guide/what-is-a-caliper-measuring-tool-different-types-of-calipers-and-uses-cnclathing

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calipers

Leslieann:
There is several models between $10-$30, all cheap, all come from China, if you see others with a near identical look, it's a white label Chinese model. Pretty much anything in that price range is.
They all work decent enough for design work and even general 3d printing. You start see their limitations in 3d printing only on high end printers and rough milling work and even then you have something to compare them to, otherwise they work fine even then. They are NOT at all good enough for precision machining when you need precise, tight fit, but you don't need that.

Good, name brand, quality ones, are not going to sell for $30, or even $100, they tend to be near $200 or more.
If you want a really good one but not willing to spend $200+, check Ebay for used. I grabbed a last gen Mitutoyo for $80. Just beware, there is a TON of fakes of the latest gen, if it's a Mitutoyo for $30 or $40 or even $80 new, it's fake as hell and you would be just as good spending $20 or 30 on something else because inside it's the same thing.  Mine doesn't have a thumbwheel (bummer) or do fractional inches (meh), only decimal and metric, while my Chinese white label does mm, decimal inch and fractional inch and has a thumbwheel (it also eats batteries at 10x the speed). All that said, my 3d printing quality and precision did go up when I got the Mitutoyo, something I didn't expect, but I wasn't having problems with the Chinese one.

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