digital calipers

[Jerrycup]

There is a Harbor Freight Tools store near where I used to work, and at lunch we used to go in and look around every week or so. I have quite a few items on my bench from there.

Harbor Freight used to be a catalog operation, they now have hundreds of retail outlets. A couple of years ago, I saw a pair of 6" digital calipers on sale for something like $15 (they publish a sales circular about every two weeks, and send out coupons via email for other discounts). At the time it seemed like a stunning bargain, so I bought a set. They worked fine, and are a knockoff of a Mitutoyo. A few years back, the Japanese version would have been over a C-note!

Well, a certain relative of mine now has my old pair, but Harbor Freight opened a new store about a mile from my house at the end of July. So last weekend I just about had to buy a new pair.

See:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=95846

Ignore the "wordworking caliper" description (bizarre translation?). These were $18 on sale at the store, and they are 3 1/2 decimal places in inches (0.0005), 0.00 mm, plus they have a fractional inch readout. The display has larger numbers, and there is an automatic off/on function to save batteries. Comes with a nice hard plastic case and a spare watch battery, too.

These are a definite improvement over the earlier version (which is still available for a couple bucks less). They sell 4" variants and larger ones, too.

These are a true bargain. Harbor Freight carries just about all Chinese goods, some of the merchandise pretty low quality, but all cheap. This caliper make me shake my head in amazement at the price.

[johncedarhill]

Those look like the ones I got from HF a while back. They are good and the battery life is pretty good as well.

[daveshoot]

True Fact: Go to harborfreight.com and find the specials there. You will find better "special" prices, including some very nice discounts on bigger ticket items.
Print 'em out and hand 'em over at the counter at your local HF store.
Every HF store will price match the web special price, no questions asked and no hassle. Never failed. I hit 3 different Harbor Freights pretty regularly and have done it at all of them. They are even nice about it.
This saved me quite a bit on a drill press, the infamous dust collector,  and a compressor, as well as other things. Never hurts to look.

And yes, I love my HF digital calipers.

[Jerrycup]

Interesting, Dave. I have ordered catalog items from harborfreight.com in the past, and they have a "hot items" link that is a list of current deals, sometimes apparently "scratch and dent" type, or overstock. The special order items from the catalog seem aggressively priced including lathes and mills, big tool chests, log splitters, etc.

The harborfreightusa.com site is apparently geared towards their retail operations. I had not noticed that's the only one that comes up on my browser, now I have a favorite for both sites.

 I'm on their mailing list, and they send me both catalog brochures about once a month, and smaller flyers with the sale items for the stores. Giving them your email address will result in getting weekly messages with attached coupons that are often pretty attractive, too. As you say, the clerks at the stores always seem ready to work with you on a price, and they have a good service attitude. Seems to me the stores don't carry everything in the catalog, though. The one near me is in a closed K-mart, and it's very large. I will have to restrain myself. But you know, you just can't have too many C-clamps.

[daveshoot]

A very LARGE Harbor Freight? Oh, my...

There is a lot of stuff there to never touch, including most Chicago Electric power tools. I am closer to Chicago than they have ever been and I need all my digits.

But the little shop tools, jeez. I would really like a cement mixer, a mini-lathe, and a little surface grinder. Welding might be fun. All things are possible at HF. It is also the best place for casters and wheels of virtually all types. Caveat emptor but I have lots of stuff I wouldn't own if it wasn't for them. If the gadget is really useful, and dies after a while, I'll buy a good one next time. Sorta like try-and-die software, but I have had pretty good luck within reason.

[Gene_SC]

There is a Harbor Freight near me and those calipers and many other tools are in my collection which I purchased there at a bargain.. :)

Gene

[Jerrycup]

Damn, I bought a Chicago Electric belt sander last Sunday. It worked long enough to sand 70 eight foot 2x4's that make up the deck behind my patio, and that's what I wanted from it. Cost $30 on sale. With 80 grit, it took a layer off the treated pine boards quickly, but I do agree it seemed pretty poorly made. They had three different models, and I chose the cheapest one with the thought that if it made it through the day, it was worth it. I'm going to keep that in mind on future purchases. I think they wanted $6 to extend the warranty coverage for "two full years", but I didn't bite. It seemed to have decent power/speed to do the job.

I just continue to be amazed at how inexpensive this Chinese merchandise is. Part of it is an efficient distribution - I'm sure HF brings this stuff in by container load, and there is no wholesale distributor or representative in the "supply chain". It's not just low cost labor. But the quality of this six inch caliper is a prime example. You'd have paid $150+a few years ago for a Mitutoyo, or even more for a Starrett. Let's see, here...price check.

A 6" dial caliper by Starrett, $140 at Sears online:
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00940165000P?vName=Tools&cName=HandTools,GeneralPurpose&sName=Precision%20Tools&psid=FROOGLE01&sid=IDx20070921x00003a

A Mitutoyo 6" digital caliper is $105
http://www.tooldiscounter.com/ItemDisplay.cfm?lookup=MTY500-196-20&source=froogle&kw=MTY500-196-20

At those prices, I wouldn't have given my brother a pair, or have replaced the one I did. I think I got the first pair with a coupon for $15, and paid $18 on sale for the pair I bought Sunday.
At times I worry about this scenario, but then, I like my BAM rifle, too.

And I strongly agree that there is a big variation in quality. Some of the items I have seem quite well made, others pretty obviously junk. I noticed that on this past trip they are saying that hand tools have a "lifetime guarantee". Typically I think I can tell the difference, and caveat emptor - sort of like deciding you are safe enough buying that B-26 after hearing so many positive comments.

[TCups]

See:  

http://www.gatewaytoairguns.com/airguns/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=9435&posts=12&highlight=digital%20calipers&highlightmode=1#M69793

For $20 bucks, a decent set of calipers is a pretty good tool to have if you are going to work on your own air rifles and need to order sized parts.  For custom metal working, I can't say, but when you are communicating what you have and what you need to a parts supplier or a custom tuner, or just need to measure the depth of a set screw you need to grind down, these calipers do just fine.  Thanks Jerry.  Use them more than I thought I would, even if it's just measuring the CTC distance of my latest groups down to a tenth of an inch.

[daveshoot]

Jerry, that is going into it with the right attitude! And I stand corrected... somewhat.
Things that whirl pointy sharp metal bits really fast, I like to spend a little more on, I don't know. I think a router is about the scariest tool there is and I don't want to save too much on those shanks and chucks. Also, their battery tools are notoriously short-lived.
I love my baby drill press (the prestigious Central Electric brand, though) and have abused it much over the last few years. $39.95 and going strong.

If you make a living with precision machine work, you would probably never set foot in the place. But if all they made were Feinwerkbaus, I probably wouldn't have any air guns at all.

[leadbottom]

Has anyone compared the accuracy of the HF calipers with high priced calipers?  Just wandering...

[airgun/cuz]

Just got a brand new 6"  Mitutoyo   about 20 mins. ago,the best price yet, it cost me $000.00 plus tax, my girlfriend gets them for nothing where she works.They don't charge her for anything!

[Jerrycup]

A former employer had them calibrated and they met standard, meaning they read within 0.0005 inches of actual gage. Of the several I have seen, they are fine. I recommend the newest digital one with fractional inch option for the readout.