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Comment by Steltek | Hacker News Reader

I bought a set of analog ("actual vernier") calipers for daily use. I don't really need more than 0.1mm accuracy anyway.

At the same time, I soldered a tiny power switch into my cheap calipers to stop the battery drain issue.

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Ditto, you can get an analog Mitutoyo for not too much - I think my 530 series was about 40-50 bucks, +-0.05mm. It's nice because it never runs out of batteries, accuracy is fine for everything I need it for (plus it's traceable), and the slide action is very smooth. The warranty is a bit lousy, only up to 3 years.

The problem I have with actual verniers is not accuracy, my vernier is actually more accurate than the cheap plastic digital calipers I use most often. It is that digital calipers are much easier to read, especially in awkward positions.

The built-in metric/imperial/fraction conversion is also nice. I tried dial calipers that do this (they have two dials), but they are even harder to read. It's better to buy one imperial and one metric.

https://www.amazon.com/Imperial-Stainless-Accurate-Shockproo...

They (digital calipers) are also a lot more convenient in mixed-unit environments (e.g. PCB layout, which is why I purchased mine) than analog ones. Granted since I live in the US everything is mixed unit whether I like it or not. :)

Totally OT, but is your username a WC Privateer reference?

It is. I am uncreative and it seemed suitably obscure to be available on most sites.

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