Mitutoyo 500-196-30 Advanced Onsite Sensor (AOS) Absolute Scale Digital Caliper, 0 to 6/0 to 150mm Measuring Range, 0.0005/0.01mm Resolution, LCD

Every time I close it, it reads -0.01mm If I move it in mid air it goes back to zero. Or if I slightly tap it against something. Sometimes it goes to zero all by itself... This makes me cringe, will it go back? Will it stay?? Randomness.... It is exactly the opposite of what I want. Is it significant? No But it feels anoying There is no way around it. I have zeroed it many times. By doing a long press to zero to absolute. Everything else works and feels quality.

Please note that this product review is for both: the digital caliper and the company producing them (Mitutoyo). In my opinion, a good review should take into account both facets when determining a products overall price/performance. With that said: SUMMARY In summation, this digital caliper from Mitutoyo works great as advertised BUT the shortcomings in the calipers functionality and the companys performance leads me to rate this product just three-stars. As a discerning customer who is spending $$$, I EXPECT a little more from a well-established company like Mitutoyo. Here is why: PRODUCT REVIEW The caliper (Mitutoyo 500-196-30 Advanced Onsite Sensor Absolute Scale Digital Caliper, 0-6 Range) is a wonderful device that works great. Ive used it to measure the dimensions of various KNOWN objects and I found it to be fairly accurate. For example, comparing the known dimensions of an iPhone 5 against the calipers readings, I found the measurements to be pretty exact; my measurements varied only slightly (+/- .01-.02mm), as expected. To achieve consistent readings, I had to ensure I applied the SAME continuous force for both: taking measurements and when setting the origin. Using the same amount of force I was able to achieve fairly consistent and accurate results as mentioned above. However, there IS a significant shortcoming or two from my experience. The first has to do with the lack of an auto-off feature; this digital caliper from Mitutoyo has none. Once you turn on this digital caliper, you MUST remember to turn it off or else the battery will continuously drain until you do so. In addition (but not as important) the caliper requires a battery, an (SR44SW), that is not commonly available locally in most areas. If Mitutoyos engineers decided on a more common battery like a (2023) ,the overall design would have been superior. Due to these shortcoming, the calipers rating was reduced one star lower. Overall, the caliper is great at taking consistent accurate measurements but you should already expect that given the price $$$ you are paying for this device; its not exactly inexpensive. COMPANY REVIEW In my opinion, the only technical reason for excluding such a BASIC feature as auto-off in this day-and-age is purely a Marketing technique to create product differentiation. This type of practice allows companies to create additional versions of the same exact product by varying features across their product line. This practice attempts to sway more customers towards EVEN more expensive versions of their product line and this is type of general practice is one I dont agree with. Why cant Mitutoyo just make a SINGLE highly accurate version of their caliper (one digital and one analog) that works for ALL their discerning customers (designers, engineers, hobbyist, students, etc)? Mitutoyo lists 27 different calipers on their corporate website.

does what it is designed for with absolute precision...

Leaps and bounds better than the SPI, fowler, husky, cheapies Iv used in the past I have the 12” dial and the 6” digital and they have been awesome.

Product functions as intended. Has been very solid for the few things Ive measured so far. I plan on putting this to use for better fitment in future projects!

I purchased this for my own home use. The caliper appears to be genuine. There is a small bit of marring on the back of the bar. The fixed jaw has some minor finishing issues as well. The sliding motion is not entirely smooth with noticeable oscillatory variations in resistance when moved at more than a snails pace. The overall quality and attention to detail of this model does not live up to that of my ~60 year old Mitutoyo dial caliper, or the ~20 year old Mitutoyo digital caliper i use at work. Mitutoyo is still really the only brand to consider for high-end, buy once, use forever type calipers. Compared to the older models this caliper is something of a disappointment. Given the market Mitutoyo calipers appeal to it is a shame that the quality/QC has been seemingly compromised to lower the cost or increase profit. Even if getting a new caliper that lived up to the older models cost twice as much as this one did it would be more than worth it.

Works well.

This caliper is well worth the money. I had some other brands, but they never last. You can not go wrong with Mitutoyo.

According to the online counterfeit guides, everything indicates that these are genuine Mitutoyo Calipers. The quality is superb. I am happy with the peace of mind of having a reputable name-brand product so that I dont have to wonder if they are accurate. I have had them every day for weeks now, and I have not had to recalibrate them once. If they dont indicate 0 when I close them I can be sure wiping the tips is the solution. They continue to reflect proper dimensions even with the display off, so if I turn them on while they are open I still get an accurate reading. According to the enclosed certificate, the accuracy is +/- 0.02mm or less for the entire length of travel. Movement is smooth and controlled. For over $100 they werent cheap, but I feel like they are a great value. If there are better ones out there, I dont want to know what they cost.

Ive used these for 20 years at work so Im very used to them. Now I have a set of my own! Smooth action, big readout, bigger than the older style, that resolves 0.0005 inch in five full-sized digits. Simple to flip to mm. Does not turn itself off (a good thing!). Super stable---maybe due to the submicron internal resolution? Great finish and fit. Thumbwheel feels good. Batteries, per catalog, state 3 to 5 years but I suspect longer based on past experience---and I have left them on over many a weekend! This is not not a review of a counterfeit. This purchase was fulfilled by Amazon and their inventory control is impeccable. These calipers came in a sealed bag with a piece of Ferobrite VCI paper. That was placed in the one-piece molded case. On top of that, stapled all together, was the Ferobrite warning notice, a notice of the launch of Mitutoyos Smart Factory solutions website, a fold-out manual with 11 languages, a small notice to wipe excess oil from the calipers, a China RoHS compliance certificate (helping them to Import into China), a reminder to recycle batteries for the EU (in 7 languages) ---and--- an SR44SW battery made by Saizaiken, Japan. Batteries last a very long time in a real Mitutoyo and, just to be sure this is not a counterfeit, I made some measurements: Current when on was pulsing 2 to 6 μA and when off dropped to a stable 0.5 μA: very good. When a Mitutoyo wants a fresh battery a B is seen in the upper-right corner of the display. I measured this threshold at about 1.40 Volts. If you dont heed that warning, a Mitutoyo will not give bad or unstable readings but will instead simply turn off. I measured this cutoff threshold at 1.3 Volts and the readings were dead-stable up the that point. Other things that tend to indicate this is authentic is a CE mark with compliant dimensions, surface finish marks that are parallel with the tool, ABSOLUTE molded into the battery cover and gold plated battery contacts.