Digital Vs Dial Calipers???

J

JVHome869

New member
Hello Forum Family,

New to reloading on my press and wanted to see what your thoughts were on digital vs dial calipers? Please give me the pros and cons.

Jay
 
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Originally Posted By: JVHome869Hello Forum Family,

New to reloading on my press and wanted to see what your thoughts were on digital vs dial calipers? Please give me the pros and cons.

Jay

I have had two digital calipers - one was good and one was badd - worst part was it didn't just die, so I knew that it was DEAD - it developed small errors, and I used it for months, until I measured a BlitzKing bullet one day and it came out 0.219"
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My dial caliper (from Lyman) is dead bones accurate - never needed to be re-calibrated from the day I first calibrated it - and I have had it for over 20 years -cost $24.95

My feelings about the digital tools is, get a top of the line, or pass on them. If you get a low end digital, then check it on a known object pretty often.

 
I also use the Lyman dial calipers. No issues with them. I don't see the digital as any easier to read as I find the dial just plain easy. No batteries to die. No calibration.

Get the Lyman dials and be done.
 
Dials work all the time, as long as you keep them clean and the pinion doesn't skip a tooth they are great. Digitals are easy to read but as mentioned above the batteries can let you down. Accuracy is the same for both, they will both work good.
 
Originally Posted By: Dixiedog1Dials work all the time, as long as you keep them clean and the pinion doesn't skip a tooth they are great. Digitals are easy to read but as mentioned above the batteries can let you down. Accuracy is the same for both, they will both work good.

"... they will both work good. "

I got a digital that I would LOOOOOOVE to sell you.
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Call me old fashioned. I don't trust anything that takes batteries when reloading. Some day they will die, and as noted, probably when you need them most. I still use a dial caliper and a balance beam scale. Gears and gravity tell no lies, or so I keep telling myself.
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Originally Posted By: ARCOREYCall me old fashioned. I don't trust anything that takes batteries when reloading. Some day they will die, and as noted, probably when you need them most. I still use a dial caliper and a balance beam scale. Gears and gravity tell no lies, or so I keep telling myself.
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I feel the same way. I have a Dillon "Exterminator" scale.

It drifts no matter how long I have had it on. Not enough to be dangerous, but enough that I cannot know for sure what the load is.

So I use my 9,000 year old Ohaus M-5 scale to weigh powder or check the powder meaasure.

I use the Dillon scale for sorting cases by weight.

Same with the "good" pair of digital calipers that I have - I use them for sorting cases by head space or OAL - so with either one, I set it for zero ("Tare" it) on one case, and then sort the cases by + or -.
 
I`m surprised at the good reviews of the cheaper digital calipers. I still prefer a dial caliper but my partner (for three more days anyway
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..quitting) likes his Starrett digitals, they are nice but IIRC over $200.00
Fowler makes a decent dial caliper for about $70.. The only cheap calipers($30) I ever had in the shop were General brand, and they didn`t stay around long..`spose they would work for reloading.

ETA- I must say electronics have come a long way in the last decade...my $30 battery powered scale...works PDG.
 
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Bought my first Mitutoyo`s in 1993, they are as good today as the day I bought them. The quality of todays Mitutoyo is not as good, and I miss the ability to reset zero if (someone..not me..ok maybe once) a chip gets in the rack and zero is no longer at 12 o`clock...bugs me out..throw `em away! (they can be fixed..Starrets anyhow).
 
As long as my verneer calipers works, i'll stick with it, providing i can read the dial. In most machine shops everyting is digital. I have a digital i was given, but as the above mentioned it only worked when new batteries were needed.
 
I have an old Helios Vernier Caliper that I bought back in the late 50s. My eyes are getting a bit old and it's hard to read so I picked up a Harbor Freight digital a few years ago. I seldom use either for reloading and most reloading use of calipers is not really critical. When I do have a critical measurement to make, I use a micrometer.
 
I have a 35 year old mititoyu dial that is as accurate as the day I purchased it. I believe they are around $100 now. For a tool that will last a lifetime, the price is small.........
 
Tools, you get what you pay for. Can't afford "high quality" then save some money till you can, if you go cheap, in the end you will pay more by buying more than once to replace something that failed. Not saying high dollar tools don't fail, just usually not as often or easily. I know that doesn't help between digital or dial, but will say dial won't leave you hanging with dead batteries.
 
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