Ivy the best and cheapest places to get excellent calipers is in
machine shop tool catalogs. MSC has a famous catalog that is easy to
get and they are about as low priced as they get
starrett,mitutuyo,fowler,brown&sharpe are the top brands in
measuring inst. in the U.S. They all have student grade, and pro
grade so make sure you check out the different models offered, when
looking at each brand
dp
Happy New Year Ivy Almost all of the digital calipers are suited for
our use. A couple of things to look for are, 1, make sure they
measure in both MM and IN. and 2, DON’T get the solar powered
ones. I have found that trying to measure stones under daylight
florescent lighting used for grading is a problem as there is not
enough light to “charge” the unit. A battery powered unit would be
preferred.
One other thing to consider is that the hardened and ground faces of
the measuring surface can damage stones if you are not careful.
This is true of both digital and analog calipers though. Overall, I
much prefer the digital ones as they are more accurate and easier to
read.
Don