Hello everyone. I am curious about buying a digital caliper. Do you get what you pay for in this type of tool or can you get a quality tool for not much money? I see one @ Tmart for under $8 and they go up from their on the usual sites in China. My use for one would be for basic measurements on flashlights, batteries, automotive nuts and bolts, etc. Now for my dad he would be using it for auto work in his garage with engine work, nuts and bolts, carguy stuff. Can you get buy with the $8 version or do you need to spend money on this tool?
I got mine from Amazon for $10, I think it is the same one. Works well.
I just looked there as well and see one for just over $10 and I also get free shipping on that because of Amazon Prime. So a few bucks more but will have it in a few days rather than weeks. My dad has a manual dial model and I think it is time to move up to the 21st Century. LOL :)
For around $10 posted with case ...
there are 2 or 3 variations , but much the same ...
Price can vary greatly , my first cheap ones have lasted several years now with no issue , keep meaning to buy another ..
The cheap O ones are fine for around the house kind of stuff. I have a set of $6.99 Harbor Freight specials that have served me well, measuring bolts ect they should be ok.
If your looking to get accurate measurements they really are junk and cant be considered accurate like a set of machinist calipers.
I'va actually been meaning to get one too.
I bet the manual dial is just as accurate as the digital ones. Maybe just harder to read.
His manual one is from a while back. It is inch only and is a dial type unit. He has a 1961 Ford and rebuilds engines a few times a year so he used the tool quite a lot.
UPDATE:
I just bought that caliper from Amazon for my dad. When I get paid I will get one for myself as it will come in handy with this flashlight hobby. :)
I've got the same one Troop recommended, also bought from Amazon. Works great, English or Metric. You can measure how big stuff is, the inner diameter, or use the stick on the end to see how deep things are. Great for flashlights. Just be careful if you're measuring the length of batteries to put some paper or plastic on one end of the battery so you don't short the battery. I did that and I could feel caliper getting warm! That's how people blow themselves up.
Well that do not call them Trustfire Flames for no reason :)
I like my Mitutoyo Absolute Digimatic it's a nice complement to the Fluke 179.
$800 worth of gear? You sir are funny. Those two items cost more than my entire collection of knives, multitools, Zippo lighters, flashlights, and toolchest. LOL :) Tell me, do you happen to have anything around....say a flashlight that you just have too many of.....my collection is rather small. :)
I bought a couple at harbor freight - they're actually quite nice. Well made, excellent fit and finish, excellent accuracy. I can't remember the company that makes them (HF re-brands as centech), but it's a real company. Unless you get a counterfeit, there's also a computer interface port on the side under a little cover, that you can connect a big display, a computer, etc to, such as for a DRO for a mill/lathe, or when they're sold for quality control jobs.
The one at amazon is similar, but I suspect it's a counterfeit. Note the item photos are of at least two different items - one with a boxy-shaped body, and one rounded. And while the boxy one is very similar to the ones I have, there's some subtle differences - like the missing second cover for the computer port.
Here's the HF version - note there's two removable covers, the big one for the battery, the little one on top for the plug:
(served direct from HF's website, but I figure they won't mind, since this probably gets them sales...)
Now, I'm not sure the version without the second port is inferior, but I always find it very suspicious when a cheaper product is an almost-perfect clone of a more expensive one but with features lacking... Or maybe it's made by the same company but just is a cheaper model.
Be sure to buy extra batteries. A _lot_ of extra batteries. Each one of mine (I have four) goes through one every 4-6 months whether the caliper is used or not, on or off. They turn on as soon as you move them, with an accurate position, so I suspect they're never actually off.
Oh, and never take them apart. They use little gibs (tapered shims) to precisely adjust the ways, like a mill, and they're near-impossible to get back together right.... I have one that's relatively useless, other than as a reminder not to take them apart again.
--Bushytails
I have been a mechanic for over 25 years you should see what's in my tool box, I have some really cool tools otherwise I don't have a pot to piss in. :)
Should I add photos of my tektronix digital oscilloscope (lcd display!), fluke 8-digit multimeter, snap-on air tools, CNC mill,... 
Of course, I bought all of it well-used and broken, because that's all I can afford... I'm currently working on fixing a miller wire feeder that was so badly broken I bought it from the local scrapyard for scrap metal value...
--Bushytails
My cousin is a fleet tech and that poor fool....I mean critter has a $13K toolbox....just a box that does not include the tools. He claims to have $50K in total tools.....or at least that is what he has told the tax man. He has a $200 a week payment to the Snap-On man....I wish I had that kind of money to spend on over priced stuff. LOL :) My dad was a mechanic for the state back in the 60s, then he did autoparts from the 70s until a few months ago when he finally retired. :)
I didn't even notice that cover before, but mine has something similar. You take it off and there is some kind of port there. Mine doesn't have a brand name anywhere on it.
+1 to the Harbor Freight Stainless ones when they are on sale.
Wish I had those skills! When I buy broken stuff it just gets more broken. Unless it's a computer - I'm quite good (if very slow) at fixing those. But that's easy - you just swap out bits till it works again.
The PC fixing guy's mantra:
"Is it black? Is it burned? Is it smoking?
No?
Then it's a software problem.
Call this guy..."
I'd love to have the space (and skills I don't have) to have my own machine shop. When I was last a student I did night classes in welding. Shaky hands do not a good welder make.