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

No comparison to the cheap calipers.

accurate but battery cap comes off too easy

Before my review on the operation and accuracy of the Mitutoyo caliper, I wanted to share some key things to look for to verify you have purchased an authentic Mitutoyo Caliper and not a fake one. If youve done some research on the these calipers you probably found some reviews on eBay and Amazon about fake Mitutoyo calipers from China. So first thing, if you find Mitutoyo 500-196-30 calipers listed between $30-$60 they are fake (a good price will usually be between $100-$125). Now that said the one I purchased on Amazon was listed at $95.02 (this was best price I found on the internet, and per the info on the internet and to the best of my knowledge they are legit). So here are the top things I found on the internet to help ensure authenticity: - Mitutoyo is a Japanese company so stay away from sellers from China, and the case should say made in Japan not China - The serial number on the back of the caliper should match the Certificate of Inspection - Mitutoyo calipers are shipped in a sealed plastic packet and are wrapped in an anti-corrosive paper - Mitutoyo calipers include a stainless steel battery (SR44) in a separate package, and it should not be installed - Mitutoyo calipers should include a yellow (3) step set up procedure attached to the lock screw at the top of the caliper - Mitutoyo calipers will always have the same size numerical digits and the inch symbol will be to the right of the digits Now for my review...simply awesome! I recently got into reloading match grade ammo for my precision rifle, and +/- .005 can make a huge difference on your group size and hitting a target at 1000+ yards out. When I first started reloading I was using my old $20 Harbor Freight calipers, which is ok for basic reloading. However I wasnt getting consistent measurements and the Harbor Frieght calipers would always lose the zero position, so Id need to recalibrate after every measurement. In some cases on (3) separate measurements of the same bullet it would vary .005 - .015 and thats not going to cut it for reloading precision ammo, in the pictures below I was able to consistently get the same measurement on all (5) bullets I loaded at (3) different lengths. The Absolute zero function works flawlessly and is a must for me since I use a special adapter to measure the bullet length. So end result very pleased with these calipers and highly recommend.

What can I say, I LOVE THESE CALIPERS!!! Ive had around 12 sets from various makers over the past few years and every set has had a week point whether it be jumpy, inaccurate, constant need to rezero, rough sliding mechanism, extremely sensitive to pressure, you name it. Not with these! I primarily use them in my reloading and occasionally to get a rough measurement on parts I make on my lathe. If you are thinking about getting them just go ahead and do it, and save yourself some time and aggitation. If I had bought these to begin with I wouldve even saved a few bucks overall.

I bought this for my silver jewelry making. This one is so much nicer than my old one the only thing missing from this one is the fraction function that I have on my old one has but that’s minor in comparison. I will never use any other caliper, I also payed the extra money for the piece of mind and got the calipers with the certificate of calibration.

Dont really know how accurate these are but they did read the same on the same piece measured, so usable for what I need them for.

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.

Unsolicited feedback: With all of the fraudulent copy/knock-offs being sold online these days... I wanted to share with any potential customers that these Mitutoyo calipers are indeed genuine. These were purchased through the Amazon Mitutoyo Store and fulfilled by MSI Viking. Thank you!

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) . . .

This calipers is accurate and simple to use.