Sometimes, you just might get what you pay for. I teardown a set of 150mm "Mitutoyo" calipers. We'll see how they work, what's inside and why they are so incredibly cheap.
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By AvvE

16 thoughts on “Boltr: $33 mitutoyo calipers, too good to be true?”
  1. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Jacob Rzeszewski says:

    These days, those fake Mitos are $45. Even fakes aren't immune to inflation!

  2. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Caspar Geelen says:

    Amazing video, and hella entertaining to watch!

  3. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Kevin Hogan says:

    Had my Mitutoyo calibers since 1979, not Digital old Dial calipers!
    Yes, I still use them.

  4. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars 4R NORTHWEST says:

    There are a couple of videos on here about counterfeit Mitutoyo noizemakers and this one is the best because its the most honest. The other videos are obviously concerned about โ€œoffendingโ€ viewers and losing monetization which is silly. When you buy a fake mitutoyo caliper the proper response is, โ€œwhat the fuck!!!?โ€ Nor, โ€œoh jeepers me, oh well.โ€ ๐Ÿ™„ Now, as for any of you out there that actually payed $35-$70 thinking you got a โ€œgood dealโ€ on a set of Mitutoyo calipers, then youre an idiot, and this video canโ€™t help you, nothing can as you clearly have no critical faculties! there IS no โ€œgood dealโ€ on Mitutoyo calipers! They cost $150 and rightfully so!โ€ฆ cheap bastards.๐Ÿ˜‘

  5. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Bald_Chicken says:

    The caliper knows where it is at all times. It knows this, because it knows where it isnโ€™t.

  6. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Kadano says:

    Thanks for your testing, very helpful. I got curious and measured the current draw of my cheap calipers (one bought from Aldi / Hofer in Austria, one from Tchibo / Eduscho) that I paid 10โ‚ฌ each for.
    Aldi had 8 microamps with display off, 11 with display on. Tchibo had 9 microamps with display off, 10 with display on. Both of these are the type that don't need to be recalibrated after turning on again (since they are actually turned on all the time, the on/off key only turns the display on or off, not the actually measuring system).

    Compared to the ~17 ฮผA you measured on the fake Mitutoyo, the generic calipers are actually more energy efficient, so even less of a reason to risk buying a knockoff Mitutoyo.

    The Tchibo one, bought around 2012, has always felt surprisingly smooth and worked reliably most of the time. However, at some points it got inconsistent when the battery cap was inserted (values would skip randomly sometimes), for some strange reason taking out the cap (so that the battery top was visible) improved that for a while. I suspect that the aluminium battery contacts don't have the best lifespan.

    My next caliper purchase will for sure be a Mitutoyo. Less frustration, less time spent fiddling with cheap calipers and getting them to work somehow is worth the price for me.

  7. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Joe Bass says:

    Found some 6" 500-196 used locally for $20 with a missing battery cover. Found the cover for $1.50 and now I have a working genuine mitutoyo calipers for around the house. Used some calibrated Jo blocks from work and they are spot on. For measuring bolts and nuts and other odds and ends around the house I'm satisfied.

  8. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars irieman442 says:

    Cheap calipers are really good for measuring the temperature in the fire pit.

  9. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Dipling. Pitzler says:

    I wonder why Japanese companies do not drag Flee bay or China into court for peddling and exporting fake crap, it is not only calipers that are pirated it is everything. Maybe they are afraid that the CCP may otherwise conduct some missile tests in retaliation! LOL

  10. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Beregorn88 says:

    Are you shure your "original" one is actually original? The logo on the tail doesn't look correct: the yellow slope should end right above the "o" of "absolute"…

  11. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars drucker says:

    Very interesting, but … get yourself a tripod, please.

  12. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Madcat 456 says:

    You're funny.๐Ÿ˜†

  13. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Leonardo Barbosa says:

    500-196-20 is not a model listed on the Mitutoyo page, but 500-196-30 is a valid model number, in 2022

  14. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars dmc31405 says:

    Its disgusting how many fakes there are being sold on ebay. I almost fell for the trickery. It's really harde to be sure what is fake and what is not. There are some with small 5th digit, but there are some that have all large digits as well. Buyer beware…..

  15. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Yass B says:

    who just made a video on calipers funny and entertaining… and pretty darn learnful at the same time

  16. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Cory Swanson says:

    Lol mitufangpi

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