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

I used the Mitutoyo 500-196-30 150mm caliper for years as a student machine shop hand in undergrad, and now I bought my own set. Its as good as I remember. They are a small piece of perfection in your hands. It came with a Certificate of Inspection that is specific to my caliper (the certificate has the serial number matching my caliper). It shows measurement errors at 0, 50, 100, 150, and 200mm lengths, as well as 0, 2, 4 and 6 lengths. It is NIST traceable via No.683/283699-13. It is also NMIJ/AIST and PTB traceable. I dont know if this is the same as the certificate of calibration that is optional on mcmastercarr, but it is a convincing document. As noted by others, it does not have an auto-off feature. The batteries last a long time, so I dont think this is an issue. One small disappointment: I bought the Mitutoyo 050083-10 75mm depth gauge attachment (

This caliper works better than any I currently use.

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.

For years now, Ive used some cheaper name brand calipers to do my reloading projects at home and though I get a few years of pretty good use out of them, they always become inaccurate and gritty feeling, so this time, I elected to put in some extra coin and go with quality name brand calipers, and I wish I would have just gone this route before. Ive used Mitutoyo products in my profession for many years and they always hold up for long periods of time. The slide, readout, and accuracy of these are unparalleled when it comes to comparing them with pretty much anyones cheaper calipers. I can always trust Mitutoyo to be what Im looking for. Great price too!

I own multiple brands of calipers and in my opinion the Mitutoyo is the best I have ever purchased !!

Works well.

This is far superior to my generic one which was constantly turning off and rezeroing itself and also giving me inconsistent readings every time I measured. If you make jewelry or another craft where you need precise measurements this one is worth it. The only thing I needed to get used to was that it doesnt turn off by itself so sometimes I forget and am probably wasting battery life. However, in most cases that is a feature not a bug (meaning its not always turning itself off in between measurements). In addition, if the jaws are left open and you turn it off, when you turn it on it still gives you a measurement of where you left off, it doesnt just zero off from that spot. You can press the TAR button for that giving you much more control and saving time. Once in a while it gets unzeroed by a 1/2mm and you can just take the battery out, close the jaws all the way, replace battery and hold the zeroing button to reset. Otherwise very stable and consistent readings.

Great craftsmanship, solid in the hands and when you need to be exact this is exactly what you need.

Just a perfect caliper in every way. Can’t go wrong with it and it’s the go to caliper in the precision machine shop I’m in.

The calipers are fairly good. The case they come in is fairly poor. THE CASE It may seem superficial but once you remove the papers from the box, there is too much room for the calipers to move inside the case. There is no soft foam or rubber padding to protect the tool from shocks if it is knocked around a bit. You can hear it move too much inside there when grabbing the case. I think Mitutoyo should supply a proper 2-piece case with a proper hinge and some basic padding for the tool, not a one-piece plastic box with no padding and a hinge that will come apart eventually. I actually like the case I got with my fifteen-dollar calipers better, even though that too is made of one piece of plastic with a cheap hinge. I dont feel confident moving the case around with the calipers in there; they jiggle around too much and basically have very little shock protection. If you arent going to be doing anything but storing them on a shelf for when they are needed, then its fine. A better solution is to keep the paperwork inside the case. The case has far less wiggle room this way and its what Im doing now. UNBOXING The unit comes inside the case with a sealed clear plastic that is not easy to open with your hands. It gives you a good indication that you are getting a new unit. The instructions are the big fold-out type with various languages. The SR44 battery packet was stapled to the paperwork in the box. The paperwork talks about the battery: The supplied batteries are used only for the purposes of checking the functions and performance of the caliper, therefore it may not satisfy the specified battery life. Im not sure if this statement is true or false but I know that only one battery was supplied and not batteries like they state. The paperwork suggests wiping off the thin coat of oil that the unit comes with. The oil is barely noticeable and there is a very good feeling of quality when inspecting the tool. There are no overprowering or unpleasant smells either. After installing the SR44 battery & setting the ORIGIN on the calipers and playing around for a few minutes, the unit would eventually return to 0.01 and not 0.00. Had to set the origin again. Mitutoyo makes mention of holding down the ORIGIN switch for more than one second. I guess its splitting hairs but its actually a button, not a switch. You may need a little narrow thing to press it if your fingers cant. The ON/OFF and other buttons are easier to press, for obvious reasons. Anyway, the unit feels good over-all and seems to be working within spec. CONCLUSION I felt that Mitutoyo supplied a cheap case essentially no different to the cheap caliper makers. It felt pretty crude to me and didnt feel like a deserving home for (relatively) expensive calipers. With the battery statement in the instructions, I am reminded of what the printer manufacturers do with new printers (supply less ink or toner with the bundled ink tanks). Im not sure if MItutoyo are supplying a cheaper battery or if the manufacturer simply wants to protect itself in case of returned units with shorter battery life, possibly from units sitting on the shelf too long with shortened battery life. Bottom-line? I like the unit but the cheap supplied case needs some basic padding and a proper hinge. We are paying over 100 dollars for calipers and getting cases basically the same as fifteen-dollar calipers. Mitutoyo should be doing better here. Despite this, I feel confident in the quality of the unit but still look forward to a day I can stop using disposable batteries.