avastcosmicarena Posted March 27, 2020 Share Posted March 27, 2020 Have seen reports of people receiving fakes/counterfeits when buying from Amazon. Anyone know of a reliable place to get them from without needing to worry about getting a fake? Perhaps, some sort of machinist tool specialty shop? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rooster Posted March 27, 2020 Share Posted March 27, 2020 About a year ago I took a chance and ordered one on eBay. It came from China in about 4 weeks and was the real deal. I think I paid 50 bucks shipped. I couldn’t believe it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avastcosmicarena Posted March 27, 2020 Author Share Posted March 27, 2020 Just found this site: https://www.msi-viking.com/Digital_Calipers It says they ship directly from Mitutoyo America. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banacek Posted March 27, 2020 Share Posted March 27, 2020 Just found this site: https://www.msi-viking.com/Digital_Calipers It says they ship directly from Mitutoyo America.What is your motivation to get the Mitutoyo calipers?Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avastcosmicarena Posted March 27, 2020 Author Share Posted March 27, 2020 16 minutes ago, Banacek said: What is your motivation to get the Mitutoyo calipers? Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk See this thread: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtuns Posted March 27, 2020 Share Posted March 27, 2020 https://www.westtool.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RudyVey Posted March 27, 2020 Share Posted March 27, 2020 I have both Mitutoyo calipers and also cheap ones from Amazon. Do not see any difference in their accuracy at all. I also own a gauge block set (Mitutoyo, Grade 2, or A+) which I use to check my calipers regularly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usmc1974 Posted March 27, 2020 Share Posted March 27, 2020 (edited) I have been using a Midway caliber with dial indicator the 10 years. Unless you rebuild engines, doing work for NASA Edited March 27, 2020 by usmc1974 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Excursion12 Posted March 28, 2020 Share Posted March 28, 2020 MSC direct will be very reliable. If you watch their flyers, they put various brands on sale. They will not likely be the cheapest unless you catch it on sale one month. But I would have no doubt they sold the real deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DKnoch Posted March 28, 2020 Share Posted March 28, 2020 I bought a used set of Mitutoya calipers for reloading previously. I read about how great they are on the internet, etc, etc. they are unnecessary for reloading as mentioned above. You can get any decent set of calipers and you’ll be fine. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usmc1974 Posted March 28, 2020 Share Posted March 28, 2020 On 3/27/2020 at 5:48 AM, avastcosmicarena said: Have seen reports of people receiving fakes/counterfeits when buying from Amazon. Anyone know of a reliable place to get them from without needing to worry about getting a fake? Perhaps, some sort of machinist tool specialty shop? You can get the genuine article from Grainger but you are going to drop some dollars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianH Posted March 28, 2020 Share Posted March 28, 2020 8 hours ago, Excursion12 said: MSC direct will be very reliable. If you watch their flyers, they put various brands on sale. They will not likely be the cheapest unless you catch it on sale one month. But I would have no doubt they sold the real deal. What he said Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MemphisMechanic Posted March 28, 2020 Share Posted March 28, 2020 (edited) 4 hours ago, DKnoch said: They are unnecessary for reloading as mentioned above. You can get any decent set of calipers and you’ll be fine. This. A $20 set from harbor freight or Amazon is sufficient for every possible reloading need. I have a pair of mitutoyos in a toolbox 30 feet from the reloading bench, along with a couple of US made micrometers. I use harbor freight calipers on the loading bench. They’re more than enough tool for the job and I don’t mind beating them up or tossing them around a bit. Save the machinist’s tools for when you’re doing actual machine work. Edited March 28, 2020 by MemphisMechanic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obsessiveshooter Posted July 3, 2020 Share Posted July 3, 2020 I also use the Harbor Freight steel digital calipers. They have worked perfectly for years and like Memphis Mechanic said, completely sufficient. I prefer the digital to the dial style that I would use for woodworking. With digital you can switch to metric when needed and check sizing on gun parts, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrapin Posted July 3, 2020 Share Posted July 3, 2020 MSC, McMaster Carr, Penn Tool, Grainger.... there are more.The counterfeit Mitutoyo Digimatics are so good, I had difficulty telling them from the real thing visually, but I could certainly feel the difference. I have used the same two pairs of Digimatics dozens (maybe hundreds) of times per day for 20 years.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolerine19D Posted July 4, 2020 Share Posted July 4, 2020 For people reading this and looking for calipers in the future check out the Igaging Absolute Origin caliper they are the best bang for your buck if you want something other then the cheapo $10-20 ones. Last I checked they ran about $30-40 but I picked mine up used on Ebay for a little over $20 and it's so much smoother and nicer then the cheaper sits I have. Don't get me wrong the cheap $10-20 sets have always worked well for me and are accurate but this Igaging one is super smooth and is my top pick along with many others who have done testing on numerous calipers. Igaging also has a cheaper sit for about $25ish that I hear is also good quality but not quite as nice as their Origin one. I almost bought it until I found the used one I bought. I also find it very helpful to have a dial caliper instead of all digital. Sometimes the digital calipers can change readings a little bit depending on how hard you squeeze them and with a dial caliper this doesn't seem to be as big of an issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stick Posted July 5, 2020 Share Posted July 5, 2020 Another vote for the $20 Harbor Freight calipers. I'm reloading bullets, not building rockets for NASA. Save the money and use it toward reloading components. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IHAVEGAS Posted July 5, 2020 Share Posted July 5, 2020 If I decide not to be cremated then my Mitutoyo's are going with me, but for oal I agree they are better than needed. Seems like if you do any fiddling with guns you find yourself occasionally wanting to reliably differentiate between just a hair and a gnat's whisker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Watson Posted July 5, 2020 Share Posted July 5, 2020 Like others, I find the cheap stuff adequate for reloading. I have a RCBS branded but Chinese made dial caliper that is fine. I have a Frankford dial in reserve, I asked them to replace the second dud cheap digital with a dial. I still have my $4 Sears plastic vernier which served for a long time, but it is hard to read a vernier these days. But for fine measurements under an inch, I get out the Starrett micrometer I bought in a pawn shop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George16 Posted July 5, 2020 Share Posted July 5, 2020 I had been using an Igaging caliper with great results. It’s cheap and reliable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amada8 Posted July 12, 2020 Share Posted July 12, 2020 I have been a precision sheet metal mechanic for 40 years. Never used anything but Mitutoyo, though I did have a Starrett at one time. Dials over digital 100% Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenix1977 Posted July 14, 2020 Share Posted July 14, 2020 Mitutoyo’s are the cat’s meow . Love them, don’t want anything else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sleigher Posted July 19, 2020 Share Posted July 19, 2020 I've never had any troubles with the cheap ones for reloading, but I've been working on some hobbyist home gunsmithing projects (hand-built 1911s), and I've found it very aggravating not to be able to rely on this piece of crap to be anymore accurate than maybe 5 or 10 thousandths. I always thought of a thousandth as being way more accuracy than I'd ever possibly need, and for reloading I'll say yeah, it is. For hand-fitting parts in a gun meant to be tight yet smooth, though, a thousandth isn't going to cut it. I'm actually interested in getting some better calipers, and perhaps even a good micrometer, depth gauge, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrapin Posted July 19, 2020 Share Posted July 19, 2020 I've never had any troubles with the cheap ones for reloading, but I've been working on some hobbyist home gunsmithing projects (hand-built 1911s), and I've found it very aggravating not to be able to rely on this piece of crap to be anymore accurate than maybe 5 or 10 thousandths. I always thought of a thousandth as being way more accuracy than I'd ever possibly need, and for reloading I'll say yeah, it is. For hand-fitting parts in a gun meant to be tight yet smooth, though, a thousandth isn't going to cut it. I'm actually interested in getting some better calipers, and perhaps even a good micrometer, depth gauge, etc.Same answer... mitutoyo. I have been using mitutoyo Digimatic micrometers pretty much since they came out. I trust them with my livelihood. If you are using them infrequently and you don’t mind doing math, you can be just as accurate with much less expensive vernier micrometers. I use fairly inexpensive vernier micrometers from Poland for rough work on the shop floor. If you go cheap on micrometers, I would invest in a good set of gage blocks. I calibrate all my measuring equipment with blocks that are traceable to nist standards. This gives me absolute confidence in my measurements. At minimum buy a set of gage pins to calibrate with... not particularly good practice, but you’ll find them very useful around the shop.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odysseycamper Posted Tuesday at 09:43 PM Share Posted Tuesday at 09:43 PM (edited) I work for Mitutoyo and there IS an official Amazon store. We have had repeated problems with forgeries and though it is POSSIBLE to get authentic on Ebay, I'd only consider it if the seller can show that they purchased from an authorized dealer. MSC, MSI-Viking, and Grainger are good bets, as are local tool distributors when they visit your shop. Prices fluctuate but in GENERAL, the Amazon store matches or in many cases beats the distributor prices. So, check both if you can. Also, be sure to use the store because there ARE fakes on Amazon. Mitutoyo has someone working full-time to squash the fakes. If they came from China, they are probably fake as Mitutoyo builds these from start to finish in Japan. That said, they COULD be real. Sometimes a dealer in China will use their price advantage and ship to the US. If you register them with Mitutoyo, you'll know for sure. Edited Wednesday at 10:54 PM by ima45dv8 Links removed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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