Buyers Guide - Calipers

Buyers Guide - Vernier Calipers

The Vernier Caliper is one of the essential instruments used in metrology and has many uses in the workshop or inspection department.

They are avalible as the traditional Vernier or Dial type, and more recently as a digital version, which has become very popular in recent years due to their ease of use and clarity of display.

The vernier caliper comes in many sizes from the popular 150mm, upto 2.5m. With resolutions down to 1µm they offer both versatility and accuracy.

There are verions with modified jaws for special applications and some are avalible with Carbide jaws for greater longevity.

Choosing the right caliper from the vast range of options and manufacturers can be daunting, so we have put together a guide to help you make the right choice.

Making the right choice

In this guide, we strive to assist you in selecting the optimal Vernier Caliper for your needs.

What type of display?

Digital or Vernier or Dial

The digital display is now the most popular due to its ease of use. Quick and easy to read and available in both metric and Imperial reading. Some engineers still prefer the traditional vernier scale or dial Caliper, but these take skill to use. If you have never read a vernier scale we suggest you select a digital display Caliper.

Measuring length and resolution?

150mm is the most popular today, but consider the 200mm option as they offer greater range for only a small increase in price, offering better value for money. We would recommend the 0.01mm resolution, which is suitable for most applications and offers the widest range of choice. There are higher resolutions available, but are advice is for greater accuracy consider a micrometer for external measurement.

Level of Protection?

Depending on the environment you intend to use your Caliper in will determine the level of protection required. For most quality enviroments a standard None IP rated Caliper is sufficient. However, if you intened to use the Caliper on the shopfloor or in a harsh environment we would suggest a coolant proof Caliper. All instruments have an IP (Ingress Protection) rating, IP67 being the highest for calipers. This is generally only applicable to digital calipers, where the electronics needs protection.

Your Jaws?

Along with some special application jaws, some calipers are made with Tungsten Carbide inserted jaws, offering greater resistance to ware. These can be more expensive than the equivilant steel jaws version, but will last a lot longer. Something to consider if you intend to use your new caliper in the workshop daily.

Other Considerations.

Data output is avalible on some models, either via a cable connection, or Bluetooth.

Depth rods generally come as a flat bar or round rod. Some of the larger Caliper do not have a depth rod.

Fine adjustment or thumb wheels are available on some models. The thumb wheel gives greater control when setting the Caliper to an exact size.

A final though then considering your next Caliper purchase. All the Calipers we offer are genuine products from the leading manufacturers. We see today a lot of poor quality copies on the market and they are a false econemy as they are generally not accurate and will fail a UKAS calibration.

Here are our top 5 recommendations for calipers avaliable at MQS-Shop.