iGaging 100-164 Fractional & Decimal Inch Combination Dial Caliper, 6"

Nice bit of kit, but as already stated not as accurate as advertised…really useful for basic measurements…shame the dial isn’t bigger for easier reading….sturdy and well made…Also as already mentioned, it has a really annoying box…it has three clip points, which you don’t find out until you manage to prise it open…as well as the centre clip there is one either side.For the price and the fact there aren’t many fractional dial callipers available it’s quite good…Read all the reviews before you decide…

The product description specifically states a +/- 0.001" accuracy, which lead to my decision to purchase, however the packaging on the product explicitly states +/- 0.01" accuracy which is a 10x lower accuracy and significant.It feels solid, dial is easily calibrated. It returns to 0 repeatedly on 20 firm returns. There is a tiny bit of stick when you first move it, but after about 50 movements that smoothed out.The gauge faces and teeth meet with no visible gaps and appear to make consistent contact with a piece of paper, so I have faith in the flatness.The case is fine inside, very difficult to open though. Will loosen with usage as all such cases do.Overall, the false statement of accuracy that lead me to purchase this over a $10 equivalent is very upsetting. The product listing will be reported as such. Considering returning for this reason. It is a better constructed product than most +/- 0.01" or +/- 0.005" cheap calipers, but +/- 0.01" is not particularly useful to me and it's not what was advertised.

I am rating this caliper 3-star to bring attention to the plastic case that holds the caliper. Otherwise, I would have given 5-stars. While the case is sturdy the clips locking the lid in place are significantly frustrating, particularly before the first opening. Only the center catch is marked, this with an arrow pointing downward. Actually, there is no slider. It is meant to be pressed here. But wait, there are two other unmarked locations with catches, one which must be pressed from the bottom portion of the case and the other from the top portion of the case. All three must be pressed simultaneously; tough with only two hands! (Not to mention that the case, being sturdy, is hard to depress the plastic.).I originally started out to buy a Starrett caliper for $110 until I read reviews that this iconic company was sourcing this type of caliper from China. Given that piece of information, it was an easy decision to buy this highly rated caliper, also made in China, from iGaging for a third of the price. It is just such a shame that the company would make such a boneheaded mistake in providing such a poorly made case. I may just cut off two of the outer tabs to make things better. (I’ve marked the tab locations with yellow dots in the attached photo.)

These are 0.01" calipers: if 1/100th of an inch sounds like more precision than you'd ever need, you probably don't really need calipers. On the other hand, if you really need calipers, these are useless to you, since they only give you 10mil. They are the ultimate in guess-o-meter technology.I imagine they are somewhat useful as a quick 1/64ths readout when planing down lumber, but otherwise they're kind of pointless. And I think most people who are doing that could use normal calipers for the job just as well. I'm not sure how any calipers would cope with the sawdust from that operation, though, so this seems like a weird use case.At least they don't require batteries, which is more than I can say for my cheaper digital calipers.The build quality feels pretty solid, and they came properly locked for shipping. I did find that my dial was a tiny bit off, but that was easy to zero out with the thumb screw. The company that makes these clearly knows how to make calipers, and overall quality is quite good.That said, all the non-working surfaces have excessively sharp edges, and need to be knocked down when you receive the calipers. I'll be the first to admit that I have soft hands (these were purchased to be desk calipers), but it seems like you could actually cut yourself on the outside edges of the jaws, which is silly. That kind of compromise on finishing work is a hallmark of well-made but cheap tools, so I'm not actually dinging any stars off for it.But, due to the weird resolution, I would not recommend these at all. Shars has both metric and imperial calipers at about the same price point, but with the 1mil/0.02mm resolution you'd expect from calipers. Same sort of build quality, same "wow that's sharp" problem, and same price: just a different dial mechanism.

I bought the iGaging 6" Fractional & Decimal Inch Combination Dial Caliper as a backup to my 35+ year old plastic calipers to use for reloading ammo, woodworking, and general home repair measuring tasks. The storage case is well designed to keep it clean and prevent damage for storage and when carrying in your tool box or bag. I've actually retired the old calipers (even though they still work just fine). The iGaging calipers are my go-to tool now.Pro's: these calipers are very well designed, rugged, easy to read, very easy to operate, a good value, and they look awesome in stainless steel. The dial part of the caliper is easy to read and easy to "zero" for accurate measurements. The dial remains in place as does the slide lock; no movement or free-play to give false readings. I did use my other calipers as a benchmark for determining accuracy of these new calipers, and they were right on the money. I find it really handy to read both the fractional and decimal conversions without wasting time doing the conversions either in my head or with paper and pencil. This helps prevent "Mr. Murphy" mistakes and is a real time saver.Con's: noneThese calipers are perfect for all my needs and are well worth the money I spent.