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

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 love these calipers. These are accurate and come in a solid case for storage. Ive made the mistake of buying cheap calipers in the past and finally I did the right thing and bought a pair of these Mitutoyos. Japanese quality!

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.

Works a sdesigned and well constructed. Silky smooth operation and smooth operating wheel for nominal adjustment.

For years now, Ive used some cheaper name brand calipers to do my reloading projects at home and though I get a few years of pretty good use out of them, they always become inaccurate and gritty feeling, so this time, I elected to put in some extra coin and go with quality name brand calipers, and I wish I would have just gone this route before. Ive used Mitutoyo products in my profession for many years and they always hold up for long periods of time. The slide, readout, and accuracy of these are unparalleled when it comes to comparing them with pretty much anyones cheaper calipers. I can always trust Mitutoyo to be what Im looking for. Great price too!

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.

I have been using cheap Chinese calipers for years. The difference between the Mitutoyo and the cheap Chinese calipers is night and day. The machine work of the Mitutoyo calipers is of a very high standard. Granted the price difference is huge, but after using the Mitutoyo calipers I can say the price difference is worth it in my case. I should have bought these years ago. Highly recommend Mitutoyo over anything else.

I was a little leery to buy an expensive caliper with all the other less expensive ones but my neighbor had one and I liked the way it worked. This is easy to use and seems accurate to me. The thumb scroll is easy to use and can do small increments as well as moving faster for larger ones. You can lock it in on a measurement and then compare it to anther item. You can also take measurement, zero it out, take another one that’s thinner or wider and get a difference. I didn’t think that would be useful but I used it the first day. It’s sturdy and well built. Uses a common battery which is easy to change. Overall it’s been a great addition to the measurement line of my tools. I recommend it. Spend the extra money for accuracy and durability.

I purchased this for my own home use. The caliper appears to be genuine. There is a small bit of marring on the back of the bar. The fixed jaw has some minor finishing issues as well. The sliding motion is not entirely smooth with noticeable oscillatory variations in resistance when moved at more than a snails pace. The overall quality and attention to detail of this model does not live up to that of my ~60 year old Mitutoyo dial caliper, or the ~20 year old Mitutoyo digital caliper i use at work. Mitutoyo is still really the only brand to consider for high-end, buy once, use forever type calipers. Compared to the older models this caliper is something of a disappointment. Given the market Mitutoyo calipers appeal to it is a shame that the quality/QC has been seemingly compromised to lower the cost or increase profit. Even if getting a new caliper that lived up to the older models cost twice as much as this one did it would be more than worth it.

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.