01-03-2022, 04:40 PM
I keep a cheap ($9) Harbor Freight 6in. digital caliper on my desk for quick / rough measurements. I'm finally tired of having to pull the battery in and out every time I want to measure something thanks to the battery drain these economy calipers are known for. 
Decided to put the gift card to use that my MIL gave me for Christmas and replace the HF tool with a little 4in. Mitutoyo so I don't have to deal with the battery problem any more, and to also save a little space on my desk. Didn't work out the way I thought it would. The calipers work great of course but I discovered two issues.
1) I wound up bleeding the first time I opened them in my hand. The end of the bar at the depth gage has an absolutely beautiful grind on it that is dead square with 90° corners on every axis. But... it is also dead sharp as well! I had to de-fang the edges with a diamond lapping stick since the short bar digs into my palm when I'm holding it in one hand. Same issue with the depth gage rod when I open the jaws with one hand. Goes straight into my palm.
2) "Save some space" says I??? Not when they ship the things in a 6in. case!
Bottom line is they are an excellent tool just like any other Mitutoyo gear. I just have to remember to use two hands to operate them to keep from bleeding to death.
Decided to put the gift card to use that my MIL gave me for Christmas and replace the HF tool with a little 4in. Mitutoyo so I don't have to deal with the battery problem any more, and to also save a little space on my desk. Didn't work out the way I thought it would. The calipers work great of course but I discovered two issues.
1) I wound up bleeding the first time I opened them in my hand. The end of the bar at the depth gage has an absolutely beautiful grind on it that is dead square with 90° corners on every axis. But... it is also dead sharp as well! I had to de-fang the edges with a diamond lapping stick since the short bar digs into my palm when I'm holding it in one hand. Same issue with the depth gage rod when I open the jaws with one hand. Goes straight into my palm.
2) "Save some space" says I??? Not when they ship the things in a 6in. case!
Bottom line is they are an excellent tool just like any other Mitutoyo gear. I just have to remember to use two hands to operate them to keep from bleeding to death.
Willie