Fowler/Sylvac Ultra-Cal Mark III Electronic Caliper
The Swiss certainly know precision and this is certainly evident in the Fowler/Sylvac Ultra-Cal Mark III Electronic Caliper. Designed and built by Sylvac of Switzerland, this gage uses the company’s patented technology to bring a totally new, high accuracy capacitive sensor to the market. This is a digital caliper that comes with all of the required features that you would need to perform exact measurements as well as the ability to freeze, hold and download the results for later analysis.
Features of the Ultra-Cal Mark III
- Inside, outside, depth and step measuring.
- Three measuring ranges 0-6"/150mm, 0-8"/200mm and 0-12 "/300mm.
- Full scale accuracy: 0.001” / 0.02 mm.
- Conversion from inch to metric
- Hold feature to freeze the display for later viewing
- LCD screen with 0.25” / 6mm digit display.
- High efficiency lithium battery that lasts around 2 years.
This is a high efficiency caliper that has the interfaces available to be connected to a computer for readout download. The connection kit to do this comes separate from the actual caliper. This kit comes with a connection cable, software support disk and an instruction manual.
This particular model of electronic caliper has not been manufactured with IP protection so the moisture protection system is not in place, the Fowler/Sylvac Ultra-Cal Mark IV Electronic Caliper has been released with an IP-65 rating and is more able to cope with coolant sprays and other moisture hazards.
Starrett 799 Electronic Caliper
The Starrett 799 series Electronic Caliper have been manufactured with comfort and ease of use as the primary objectives. To this end they have been constructed of lightweight materials with an ergonomic design. They have a slim profile that will fit easily in the hand and will make taking exact measurements a task that is not at all onerous.
The 799 Series from Starrett is the company’s lower cost alternative in the electronic digital caliper market as there is no option to send data output via a wireless connection (as the 797 Series do).
Features include:
An LCD screen that is .32” high
Inch / millimeter conversion button
A reset to zero function that can be set at any position
The last measuring position is retained after the caliper has been shut off
Auto shut-off after 5 minutes of non-use
Hardened stainless steel body
Fine adjustment thumb wheel
Lock to hold the jaws in position
Resolution is .0005” (0.01mm)
Ranges available:
0-6” (150mm)
0-8” (200mm)
0-12” (300mm)
The extended range set of 799 series calipers have a few different features to the standard sized models:
Minimum and maximum limits set
LCD characters are .50” high
The auto shut-off activates after 30 minutes of non-use
The ranges of the extended range models are:
0-24” (600mm)
0-40” (1000mm)
It should also be noted that the Starrett 799 Series Digital Caliper has not been designed with IP protection which means that there is no specialized water or dust protection applied to the electronics of the device. If this is a concern you should take a look at the Starrett 797 Series Electronic Caliper.
Mitutoyo Absolute Digimatic Caliper Series 500
One of the largest, if not the largest, manufacturer of digital calipers is Mitutoyo and the range that is available is simply staggering. The company utilizes its new Absolute Encode Technology on its calipers that make them even more functional.
The Mitutoyo Absolute Digimatic Caliper Series 500
Other features of the caliper include a thumb roller on most models, an optional Data Hold Unit, a fitted plastic case except for the largest model which comes in a wooden case. The Mitutoyo Absolute Digimatic Caliper Series 500 models are available either in inch/metric format or in metric only. If you need a caliper that offers inches make sure that you have chosen a model that states this.
Models of the Mitutoyo Series 500 are available in sizes that range from 0-4in 0-100mm, 0-6in 0-150mm, 0-8in 0-200mm, 0-12in 0-300mm, 0-18in 0-450mm, 0-24in 0-600mm and finally the massive 0-40in 0-1000mm.
The number of digital calipers available in the series 500 range is truly impressive and a good proportion of the models come with carbide tipped jaws for added strength and accuracy.
The battery required for the series 500 caliper is an SR44, 938882 and according to the company’s specifications sheet this battery would have an expected life in this type of caliper of around 3.5 years under normal use.
A Mitutoyo digital caliper is a tool that will give you reliable service over a long period of time. This is a tool that has been precision made with a lot of thought gone into the features that any craftsman might want in a tool.
Neiko Pro-Quality 6-Inch Digital Caliper
Dimensions: 9.5 x 3.8 x 1 inch; 11.2 ounces
Materials: stainless steel
Range: 0-155mm
The Neiko digital caliper
Whereas some other digital calipers are only available in one unit or the other, the Neiko Pro-Quality gives readings in either metric or inches, depending on your preference. It simply takes the push of a button to change from one mode to the other.
Another nice feature is that there is a spare battery supplied with the product. Some people have experienced the annoying let down of finding their digital caliper does not work when taken out of the box because the battery was dead. Should this occur with the Neiko Pro-Quality you will have a backup battery right there in your hand.
There have been reports that there has been some noticeable movement in the rails of the caliper which could throw the precision of the instrument out. This should be taken into consideration when trying to decide whether to buy it or not. However it's a good quality caliper that represents great value for money, particularly when you can get it at a greatly reduced price that brings it down to below $20.00.
Consumer Reviews
This product was well built and worked as advertised. I have no way to check its accuracy, however. For my applications I am not concerned with super accuracy. The inch and mm selection is useful for me. The unit came with a dead battery in the caliper but there was a spare battery in the case.
This looked well-made at first glance only. The main rail had about 5mm of total curvature, the inner rail had about 1mm of play, and the end-stop was crooked. The motion is also rough and drifts unless you lock it down. I would only trust it to a few hundredths, getting worse as you approach the terminal length, because of the bowed rail.
If this is typical assembly quality, the carrying case is (relatively) the best thing about this product. They should downgrade the rated accuracy for slack in the rails. It's probably based on the read-head's potential on a much better frame.
Titan 23175 Electronic Digital Caliper
Product Specifications
Dimensions: 12 x 9 x 7 inches; 12.9 ounces
Material: stainless steel
Range: 0-150mm
(more details
The Titan 23175 Electronic Digital Caliper
This caliper gives you an easy to read LCD screen as well an adjust wheel and a lock knob. As well as being able to reset the display back to zero, it is possible to reset the caliper in order to give you a differential measurement.
The price you can expect to find this digital caliper for is around the $20.00 mark
As with many products in which the electronic part is powered by a battery, make sure that you also buy yourself a spare battery. In many cases the product will have been sitting on the shelves for quite a long time and the chances are that the battery will have been worn down before you have bought it.
