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 things amazing! Need a precision measurement tool? Want to buy something made in Japan with love by people who care about making a nice thing actually really really nice! ‽ This is the thing for you! Sure it’s a bit more expensive than the cheapy trash ones but you will definitely have this for a long time and know that you are measuring with confidence!!! 100/10 recommend.

For what I received, this was the Real Mitutoyo 500-196-30 and not a Chinese knock-off. For the battery, I used a 357 but not the SR44 which came with the caliper. The trick was removing the battery from the compartment since the 357 is a touch larger than the SR44. For this, I used a small piece of duck tape to pull the battery out of the compartment. For the caliper, I only use this when needed. Most of the time, it remains in storage. As such, I do not want to leave the battery inside when not being used for a while.

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.

This device is easy to use and understand which is just what I needed as I am learning the machining trade.

accurate but battery cap comes off too easy

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.

These are nice tight calipers

Between these and Sterrett brand you cant go wrong. These are legit and not clones or copies. I got them for the ease of measuring Imperial and Metric. They are super accurate and work great.

Every guy wants a caliper but thinks they cant justify a good one, so instead starts with one of the cheap ones. If youre smart, youll only do that once. If youre really smart, just buy the good one in the first place. This is one of those tools you just need to pay up for. That said, this one is very nice but I dont love it. Pros: - Highly accurate - Automatically reads exact position every time! Love it! Never loses zero!! - Doesnt run down battery when not on (like all the cheap ones do) - High build quality Cons: - No detail markings. You have to use the digital display. OK, sure, thats fine 98% of the time. But if its ever out of battery, its useless. - Read that last one again - seriously bad design. This is a really nice caliper, and I love the auto-zero, but Id buy any other model that had detail markings. - Buttons are TINY and still hard to press even when you get a fingernail on it. - Doesnt auto shut off quickly (or possibly at all). Recommended. Its worth the purchase price for sure. I just wish theyd fix the minor annoyances.

Just what I needed. Arrived in excellent condition.