Engineered to Fail: Comparing Starrett 1202 Calipers to Mitutoyo Digital Coolant Resistant Calipers

It's actually pretty hard to find some decent calipers when you're shopping around through suppliers. Even the most trusted brands over the years can let you down, or keep their reputation. In this video I'll compare a couple of the most trusted brands in precision measuring, Starrett and Mitutoyo. Although it is a set of Starrett dial calipers vs a set of Mitutoyo digital calipers, there are numerous things you can learn by looking at both brands and versions that can educate you on your big purchase. For things that last, I'll share my insights and experience to help you hopefully make a good decision.

As stated within the video, I have an older model of calipers from Starrett which were the 1202-6 with an all metal enclosure. They have since made a replacement as the Starrett 3202 and these have a plastic enclosure. I'm not sure if the thumb wheel is held by plastic or not. With this in mind, I've included the Starrett 120A which is the upper level full metal enclosure and what I would recommend if you have the money.

Starret 120A-6 Fully Metal Dial Calipers

Mitutoyo Digital Coolant Proof Calipers 500-752-20

[woodersonandmelbatoast]

My old man passed away 3 years ago and I got a lot of his tools and such. I have all my own stuff already since it’s what I do for a living but I still took it because using his tool box and tools remind me of when I was younger. I was finally going through and getting rid of stuff (junk and broken stuff) when I stumbled upon a box that said on it Mitutoyo and I remember this box from when I was a kid but never opened it. I opened it and saw very well kept calipers inside but I already have a set of digital calipers and honestly I’m no engineer so I don’t really know caliper brands. I just put them in storage after debating to either toss em or sell em for like 20$ (don’t judge me I had no idea 😂) my Pittsburgh calipers shit the bed finally and I was about to go buy another pair when I remembered that box I put up. I pulled em out and realized all the instructions are in Japanese and they seemed unbelievably well made and these things are atleast 30 years old. I looked em up….I’ve had a pair of $250 calipers that I was thinking about tossing 😑 all because “I already have a digital set why would I use a dial set?” Now I understand why people are so hesitate to get rid of stuff and become hoarders haha

[Mike-ltsj]

I have 6-8 calipers. I bought a starret dial caliper and discovered they are now made in Brazil, and that one broke right away. I use it for scribing sheet metal now. My Mitutoyos have been flawless. Also have some brown and sharpe that are excellent.

[fruitinspector]

I used Mitutoyo dial calipers with the inside and outside measuring faces carbide tipped as my go-to calipers. My main measuring tool was a Brown and Sharp 0-1” micrometer. I used the first one so much that I rubbed the numbers off the thimble. I changed jobs before I wore out the second set.

[ezekielmadia]

Wanted to add- on the Starrett 120A models; they have 4 screws on the face plate, you can remove those and clock the entire needle to point at the 12 o'clock position if they ever get bumped out of alignment. an extremely easy process.

[barbaraadlof]

my brown and sharp dial caliper has served me well for the last 35 years. I use them almost every day.

[mtmdesigns]

I bought a Mitutoyo caliber in 1977 and they have preformed perfectly. As it happens I bought nice Starrett 120 caliber for $20.00 today. No plastic in either.

[dumpsterdave]

Including your own mistake in a review of a precision tool seems insane to me. As a separate anecdote, I have dropped several different sets of Mitutoyo digital calipers (IP67 and standard) and have never had a problem. The speed and flexibility of well-made digital calipers (like Mitutoyo) will always trump analog calipers in the hands of a working machinist. You can do numerous things with them that you either cannot do with dial or would take significantly longer.

[robertlennie]

I’ve used the same set of Mitutoyos for over 15 years. Never dropped them yet… I also have Starrett’s. Both are excellent but the digital ones are far faster to use.

[connorwar]

went through a set of starrett digital calipers in less than 6 months, didnt drop them or soak them they just stopped working right. mitutoyo verniers have been dropped, grabbed by an endmill and thrown (should turn off spindle before measuring!), dropped some more, and are still onsize throughout the range. 6 years going strong, tips of the jaws have been ground down a good 0.250" to get rid of the bent tips from dropping

[sailingyemaya]

I’ve been using my Fowler Sylvac III digital calipers for about 12 years and they are still very accurate. I use them daily as a machinist. They were recommended from our tool and die inspector.

[frednitney]

Being old enough to remember when people had things repaired, but not being a machinist, I wondered whether you could have your Mitutoyo calipers repaired. Rather than just ask here, I did a tiny amount of research and found Mitutoyo's repair website (it's any easy find). Not only do they seem to repair and calibrate their products, but their website form supplies the Absolute series of calipers as a default for one of the imput fields. Perhaps you might want to make an inquiry (and share the results)? Or not.

[martinmcallister]

When I started out just out of trade school my first pair of calipers was a Brown & Sharp vernier caliper. I used them for about ten years or so till the dial type came along and bought another B&S. Eventually needed a 12 inch. I bought a Starrett that time. The vernier was and still is the one I use I like the best because It"s never wrong. And needless to say my vision isn't what it used to be so it now has a magnifier on it. I retired at 62 and still working in my home shop at 75.

[twionzm]

I swear by my mitutoyo calipers, I use the switch between absolute / incremental mode mode all the time which helps me be a lot faster when machining. I would never go back to a dial or vernier caliper for any kind of serious work.
I have dropped my mitutoyo’s on occasion but they haven’t broken so far.
If they were to break I’d buy another pair in a heartbeat. It measures significantly better than any other calipers I’ve ever used, including the swiss TESA brand.
It gives me measurements I can trust which makes my work higher in quality.
If it gets crunchy, then just wipe the rail clean and you’re done. No fragile mechanism to fool around with when it gets dirty.
In my opinion dial calipers are nice to have in an inspection room where they are kept safe from dirt and get dropped less.
Sorry, rant over

[Buddha-offk]

I've used Brown and Sharpe for decades. I like the black face dial calipers. Really all of my tools are Brown and Sharpe. Calipers, indicators, micrometers. Trust them all.

[woodpurposedmechanic]

I bought my first Mitutoyo in 1985. I finally bought a later version of that caliper just last year. Not exactly the planned obsolescence described here. Before that I was buying a dial caliper on average once a year because they got dropped. The hazards of a mechanical shop though I've always done a fair amount of machining on various projects as well as wood working in my retirement. I've tried less expensive digital calipers like iGaging and while a decent caliper I just didn't like the feel. I would never recommend that someone pay the money for the Starrett name over Mitutoyo. Both are quality tools. Like all tools, it all comes down to personal preference and experience. My experience said replace the Mitutoyo with a Mitutoyo. Now I'm going to have to go and compare the old one to the replacement. BTW the old one got replaced because after 35 years the battery cover broke.

[MrTIGERH]

I finally saved up enough money to purchase a Starrett 0-1 digital micrometer.
From day one, it killed the battery every few days, if I left the battery in the instrument. A few months later, I lost one of the segments in the digital display. So I took it back to the local sealer where I bought it, and they sent it in for repair. 6 months later, I finally got word from my local Starrett dealer that this very expensive digital micrometer was not repairable, and they couldn't help me.
The Starrett dealer, suggested that I should purchase a Mitutoyo next time!!!
And so I did!!!
I will never purchase another new Starrett tool again, as the quality control and warranty has gone to Hell!!!
My old Starrett tools are wonderful, as are my Starrett swap meet purchases.
But New Starrett stuff is CRAP!!!

My Mitutoyo 6" digital is still working perfectly 40+ years later!!!

I am rather depressed, that the once most excellent brand, Starrett has become a poor quality shadow of it's former self!!!
Tim

[unmybwj]

Your comparing dial calipers to digital, why? Maybe you should compare mitutoyo dial calipers to your starrett dial calipers. You would think a manufacturing engineer would understand this

[EditioCastigata]

Development engineer here. You're 100% wrt. to use of micrometers instead. At work, I've some (cheap) plastic dial verniers to not scratch carbon. Good enough for 0.03mm, rather light. And some Vogel (made in Germany) for larger parts, though MechEng is not my field.

[ronblack]

i ruined several dial calipers when a chip gets in the rack and goes through the mechanism so i switched to the coolant proof absolute mitutoyo. had them for about 5 years nothing broke till one of my employees drove over it with a forklift when it dropped off my golf cart. ( my shop is 200, 000 ft) . plus with digital it's super easy to to get actual center to center of 2 holes. you set zero anywhere you want.

[lohikarhu]

That plastic bit would have had some JB Weld on it inside the day... Strange that the design had such a weak point...