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

This was a gift for my daughter for her Graduation from Engineering School, and Im sure shell be using it her entire life, like Im using still my grandfathers vernier Mitutoyo that he brought home from WW2.

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.

I was hesitant to buy these because there are so many fakes out there. But after a lot of research (well 30 minutes and 3 sites worth) these are the real deal. Sold and shipped by Amazon is also a certified retailer of authentic mitutoyo calipers. They should come with an sr44 battery and the battery itself should say sr44 not just the packaging. The fakes reportedly have lr44. It should have yellow tag around the know and come in a sealed plastic bag. All around these fill flawless. Originally I thought spending 140 on calipers was absurd especially since my need for them doesnt require .0000 accuracy. But the over all quality of these is unmatchable. Prior to these I was using the igaging calipers. Wont go back

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.

I bought my first Mitutoyo calliper 50 years ago and its still in good condition except the edges for inside measure gets little round. Now its much easier to read in mm and inches (not guessing), i like it (Ok its all depends how you care for the tools) . . .

I’ve used these calipers and many other mics and tools offered by Mitutoyo in my career. They never failed me. Tough. They take the oily, dirty jobs you are work on.

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

It’s been over a year since I purchased my calipers and they’ve held up greatly. Within half a thousandth accuracy repeatedly just making sure I’m straight and not canted is the difference and used micrometers to double check and usually within .0001” to .00005” and held up to the coolant droplets and shavings of metal that I constantly wipe off to measure.

Made in Japan, you know wont go wrong; it does cost a lot more than China copies, but all the controls are smooth and easy to use, no lag on anything. Although Im sure a $20 China made one can do the job too, but if you have a choice will you pick made in China? lol

No comparison to the cheap calipers.