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

I have been using a dial caliper for hand loading for years. I recently decided get a digital caliper to make it easier to read measurements directly when using attachments on the jaws of the caliper. The first digital caliper I got was an inexpensive (~$25) instrument from a different manufacturer. That was a mistake. The inexpensive caliper was essentially useless for my purposes. Its consistency in reading was terrible. Frustrated, I decided to just spend the $ and get a good instrument (buy once cry once). I decided on a Mitutoyo 500-196-30 - I was not disappointed. What a caliper! Very accurate. Very consistent. Very easy to use. Very easy to read. Very good battery life AND uses a commonly available inexpensive battery. I cant find anything that I dont like about this caliper! I dont usually write reviews unless the product or customer service is extraordinarily good or extraordinarily bad... This caliper is that good - worth my time and my $ (and yours too!) Buy with confidence!

Mitutoyo quality speaks for itself, so theres not much to say. Ive been using calipers since the mid-1980s when I had summer college work doing QC for a small electronics company and Ive spent many hours holding Starrett, Mitutoyo, and other brands of analog and digital calipers. These feel like the good stuff and Im glad I finally invested in quality. I have several very good Chinese pairs, but the smoothness and confidence these inspire is fantastic. Regarding counterfeits and knock-offs: Several sellers list products on Amazon and you need to pay close attention to the sold and shipped by information. In my case, MSI Viking was listed as the seller and I am confident I received the genuine article. How? Several things to check: - Is the seller a real company? (Yes in my case). Is that company actually listed by Mitutoyo as a legitimate distributor? (Google mitutoyo distributor [company name]. In my case, the company came right up on a mitutoyo.com website with addresses listed.) - When the box arrives, does it come from an address associated with the right company? (Again, in my case, yes. The FedEx origin label listed the exact street address that was on the Mitutoyo website.) - Does the company provide information in the box? (Yes. A business card with contact information and reminders about calibration services was included.) - Is the overall quality up to Japanese standards? (I immediately noticed several good signs: the paperwork included was stapled with a battery and every single edge lined up like origami. Every fold was crisp. Even the staple was perfectly straight and centered in the space on the battery card. The back of the staple was perfectly folded. This is Japanese attention to detail on insignificant accessories, not a $5 Chinese knockoff factory. The grinding marks on the steel were perfectly parallel with the caliper. All the edges were broken with no stray marks. The locking screw was captive with a reasonable-sized head, not a giant bulb that can fall out and get lost. The plastic cover lined up PERFECTLY with the screws it covered, and the screws were sealed with sealant to prevent tampering (and red in color). Also, there was no wavyness to the grind on the back, real Mitutoyos ship with no battery inside, and the battery itself was marked Made in Japan.) - The card hanging on the lock screw was plastic, durable, legible, and simple. Pictogram of the first 3 steps to put in the battery and set the origin, not some flimsy paper with lots of writing on it. - The label on the back is laser etched, crisp, and you can feel the relief in the printing. - The ends of the jaws meet perfectly. - On a set of gauge blocks, they measured perfectly, only showing a 0.001 different on a 4 inch block. - They return to 0 every single time you close the jaws with a reassuring snap. Do your homework, and enjoy your investment.

I used the Mitutoyo 500-196-30 150mm caliper for years as a student machine shop hand in undergrad, and now I bought my own set. Its as good as I remember. They are a small piece of perfection in your hands. It came with a Certificate of Inspection that is specific to my caliper (the certificate has the serial number matching my caliper). It shows measurement errors at 0, 50, 100, 150, and 200mm lengths, as well as 0, 2, 4 and 6 lengths. It is NIST traceable via No.683/283699-13. It is also NMIJ/AIST and PTB traceable. I dont know if this is the same as the certificate of calibration that is optional on mcmastercarr, but it is a convincing document. As noted by others, it does not have an auto-off feature. The batteries last a long time, so I dont think this is an issue. One small disappointment: I bought the Mitutoyo 050083-10 75mm depth gauge attachment (

Im a mechanical engineering student. Im using this for various projects and in the machine shop. Despite it costing more than competitors, I think it was worth it. The absolute feature is nice, not having to keep zeroing it every time you turn it on. I think the battery lasts longer in these than the competition; everybody elses calipers are always fritzing out because of low battery, but not mine. Oh, and these were authentic; I did a fair bit of research on how to differentiate from knock-offs. I made sure to buy from Amazon as the seller. I feel like these are the last calipers Ill ever have to buy -- a lifetime tool.

Seems to be a quality set of calipers, only like the Japanese could pull off. Mine came with the battery that is stamped Japan and the writing on the back is white. Watch out for China ones with whiteish lettering on the back and a cheapo battery.

This is what you buy if you need to know the readings will be correct 100% of the time. Great tool.

Just holding it and looking at it you can tell the difference in quality. The fit and finish are amazing. The slide is smooth and doesnt wobble or feel loose. The display is easy to read and its spot on. You dont have to re-calibrate. It knows its exact position wherever it is when you turn it on. Ive had it for a few months now and the battery isnt dead unlike all the other look-a-likes you can find for $25-$30. Made in Japan not China. It does not have an automatic shutoff. some like that, some dont. I kinda like it when you get distracted (wife, kids, buddy with beers in hand) the measurement is still on display when you come back.

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.

I purchased this after reading up for a couple of days about calipers, how and when they should be used, and what to expect from them. I started looking after I came across a Starrett #231 micrometer and compared measurements with my $30 Chinese calipers. I was stunned to find they were 3 thou off at 3/4 inch, but right on at 1 inch! Rude awakening! Into the trash. I was then surprised to find that there are problems with counterfeiters. Look, all I want is a caliper accurate to a thou. Seems to be a tall order. I am slowly learning that it is worth buying quality tools, and the cheap stuff is an illusion. These cost 3x what I would have previously spent, and given the possibility of a counterfeit I was hyper critical when they arrived. These are the genuine article, based on the photos on the web, and from comparisons against the Starrett. The calipers came with paperwork that claimed this unit is good to a half thou across its full travel. They work smoothly, and are very repeatable. I had grown used to fiddling with my calipers - these simply work. Having no other reliable reference over 1 inch, I’ve decided to trust these until proven otherwise. As funds permit I’ll be getting 1-2, and then 2-3 inch micrometers, reputable ones, in the future. Stay away from the cheap stuff! I would recommend these to my friends.

does what it is designed for with absolute precision...