Digital Vernier Caliper, Preciva 150mm Electronic Precision Calipers Measuring Tool with LCD Screen, Micrometer Stainless Steel with Mm/Inch Conversion, Splash Resistant, Silver and Black

I haven't reviewed anything for a long time, but this calliper is such a good buy, I have to say something! I'm starting to care about the accuracy with which I do metalwork. Callipers are one of the first measuring devices a machinist will need and so I did a lot of research. Mitutoyo is often regarded as the gold standard and their version of this calliper; their cheapest digital calliper in the UK, is 112 GBP; it costs seven times more than this Preciva calliper. For the DIY-er or hobbyist machinist, I reckon the Preciva calliper is every bit as good. Accuracy: I have two 'reference blocks': steel 'cuboids' with highly accurate dimensions and precise right angles. They are one of the best ways to check the accuracy of many things, including measuring instruments. This Preciva calliper measured my blocks to .02 of a millimetre, anywhere on the block. That's a guaranteed accuracy of two hundredths of a millimetre in your measurements, equivalent to the thinnest human hair. I don't need more than that! So it's accurate: good. And ... - Its 'frame' is made of stainless steel; this adds mass and dimensional stability. It also feels like a proper tool because it's heavier than plastic callipers: 'tool feel' is a thing! - The features built into it are pro-level and actually useful - The sliding gauge and digital readout can be moved up and down using the knurled part of the black plastic body, BUT using the small metal wheel allows you to move the scale much more accurately, even .01 mm at a time if you're gentle with it. - Then you can hold the slide in place by tightening the screw on the top of the slide. This is useful in ways you will discover as you use it. - using the often-rubbish 'inside diameter' jaws, I was able to measure the diameter of a 3mm hole I drilled with a cheap drill in my drill press. The diameter measured from 2.97 to 2.99 mm. Not only is that accurate, but I could measure such a small diameter with a reassuringly firm grip of the calliper on the hole. I suggest you buy this calliper. It has to be the best value for money calliper available on Amazon UK. PS: I hate Jeff Bezos!

Bought these to replace an old analogue set of vernier calipers that were worn and becoming difficult to read. First impressions: these digital ones are great! It makes it so easy to read measurements - internal, external and depth measurements, as well as length of 'steps'. Really easy to use. These ones come in a nice box with a spare battery, a small screwdriver and fairly decent instructions. You can turn them on/off at a touch of a button or just move the thumb wheel and they will come on. The battery cover just slides off using your thumb. What I do like is that you can zero the calipers on the current size at the touch of a button. So if you have a number of things that should be the same size, zero it on one and then when you measure the others you get a direct comparison without having to do the subtraction. They can also be locked in place at one reading using the top locking screw. I have checked them against my old calipers and they certainly seem accurate enough. Officially they are accurate to 0.02mm although, realistically, accuracy of 0.5mm will be good enough for me for most things. They can also be easily switched between inches and mm. I do like tools that just make the job that bit easier and these do that. While analogue scales are not difficult to read it can be easy to make silly mistakes and the very clear digital readout of these removes that possibility. These feel solid and well made. Very happy with them!

Decent ... bit flimsy but to be expected at this price point ... seems fairly accurate

I don’t usually leave reviews, but I’ve been using this caliper for a few projects now and it’s good enough that I felt it was worth saying something. I bought it because I wanted to be more accurate with my 3D printing work, but I didn’t want to spend serious money. A Mitutoyo digital caliper which is top of the pile is around £110–£120 in the UK. This cost a fraction of that, so expectations were sensible. First impression was good. It’s stainless steel, has a bit of weight to it, and doesn’t feel like a toy. The slide is smooth and the little thumb wheel is actually really useful for creeping up on a measurement instead of overshooting it. Once you lock it, it stays put. Accuracy-wise, it’s been spot on for what I need. I checked it against a couple of known sizes and kept getting the same readings back, usually within about 0.02 mm. I honestly wouldn’t gain much by spending ten times more. The screen is clear, zeroes properly, and doesn’t jump around while you’re measuring. Inside, outside and depth measurements all work as expected, even on small holes where cheap calipers can be a bit sketchy. Is it as silky smooth or as refined as a top-end Mitutoyo? No. But it also doesn’t cost Mitutoyo money. For normal workshop use it does exactly what it should without getting in the way. If you’re a hobbyist, DIYer, or just want a reliable digital caliper without paying professional prices, this is a really solid buy. I’d happily buy it again.

Excellent piece of kit. I use this when sizing objects in order to model and 3D print them. Very accurate, and have a weighty solid feel to them. I've never had callipers before but these were easy to use and come in a nice case.

Machining is really impressive here, there is zero gap on the jaws when closed. The there is a button to zero the gauges if they end up out when closed but I've rarely had to do that, they zero up nicely when closed up. They measure up accurately each time to a test piece I have to make sure it's calibrated. For the money you can't go wrong.

It is nicely engineered and feels right in the hand. Slightly ‘left hand’ heavy but acceptably so. OUTSIDE MEASURING JAWS: On holding it up the light, I can see that the machining is perfect. The gap, when virtually closed is absolutely even. INSIDE MEASURING JAWS: This is always more difficult to check because you need to look through the gap at a slight angle. It does however appear that the gap is not perfectly even. It is less than a thousandth of an inch out, by my eye-ball, and perfectly acceptable for my needs. There is a very slight roughness to the measuring surface which probably accounts for this. The 'error' will soon be nullified by normal wear and tear, so it really is not of significance. STEP MEASURING SURFACES: The calliper stands on end absolutely square - so the step surfaces are precisely made. DEPTH MEASUREMENT: Absolutely flush with the jaws held closed - just as they should be. The slider is slightly wobbly in the body but that does not affect the accuracy. Better that way that stiff. IN USE: The jaws can be held in place firmly with the thumb on the bulge under the display. Ergonomically, it is just right. The fine adjustment wheel is indeed a proper working wheel and not just a dummy plonked on there to make it look good. The locking screw works easily without having to apply too much pressure. Full marks then to Preciva for the design and engineering. THE LCD DISPLAY: It’s big and clear but it does not work well in cold weather. Anyone expecting to regularly work in the cold would be better off with a Vernier calliper or a Dial calliper. The manual says 5°C to 40°C operating temperature and it was less than that when it was delivered so, fair enough, it didn’t work properly. Whether you turn it off manually of leave it to turn itself off, it turns itself on again as soon as you move the jaws - which makes the on/off switch almost redundant. If you are travelling with one of these it may be a good idea to lock it with the top screw to stop it turning itself on all the time and flattening the battery. Remember not to close it right up though or you risk straining something. CR2032 batteries are pretty cheap and they give you a spare battery as well as the one fitted when it arrives. With a bit of care, battery life should not be an issue. MY FIRST ONE WAS FAULTY: I noticed that when pressing the 'ZERO' button, the display always said '7.77' or ‘0.01’ instead of '0.00'. Measurements sometimes worked normally but in some lighting conditions it was all too easy to see the parts of the LCD that you should not be seeing - which makes reading it a bit worrying. Having realised that problem, I gradually opened up the jaws beyond my normal range and I noticed that there were a great number of random readings appearing. Far too many to be acceptable, so my first one had to go back. Fortunately, the replacement is a brilliant tool at a bargain price. ACCURACY: To test the Preciva, I measured three drill-bits (5.00 mm, 2.50 mm, 1.20 mm) with 5 different devices. I measured each shaft three times with each of the 5 instruments - i.e. 15 measurements of each object. The table below shows the average result in millimetres. (The table may not survive re-formatting by Amazon so read carefully). NOMINAL SIZE: 5.00 2.50 1.20 Vernier Micrometer: 4.957 2.508 1.200 These readings did not vary. Vernier calliper: 5.02 2.54 1.26 These readings did not vary. Plastic calliper: 4.70 2.30 1.10 Varied by 0.20 over three readings. Faulty Preciva calliper: 4.94 2.49 1.18 Varied by 0.10 over three readings. Second Preciva calliper: 4.96 2.50 1.19 Varied by 0.02 over three readings. The micrometer readings and the Vernier calliper readings were absolutely consistent. The Faulty Preciva and the £5 plastic digital calliper varied with each reading but the Replacement Preciva varied only very slightly… On the ‘5.0’ mm object it varied 0.02 mm On the ‘2.5’ mm object it varied 0.01 mm. On the ‘1.2’ mm object it varied 0.00 mm. The measurement ‘error’, if error it really is (probably is), is a maximum of 0.01 mm. All of those results are pretty damn good for a budget calliper! My Vernier micrometer reads '0.00' when closed right up, using the torque limiter. I would guess therefore that it is reliably accurate at these small measurements. On that assumption, the Preciva calliper is more accurate than the Vernier calliper(!) and it is of course much quicker to read than the Vernier calliper. Very rarely will I need anything more accurate than the Preciva and if I did, I would be using a micrometer anyway – so the Preciva is a bargain! CONCLUSION: It is a shame about the faulty LCD on the first Perciva but the replacement one is a gem. Highly recommended and well worth 5 stars at that price. The £5 plastic calliper result was interesting. It is the least accurate, as should be expected, but for most purposes, it is good enough. How often do you REALLY need to measure closer than 0.3 mm? PLEASE NOTE THAT THE PICTURES ARE OF THE FAULTY ONE. THE REPLACEMENT IS 'PERFECT'.

Difficult to fault this Vernier Caliper for the price - but beware of one potential problem! This caliper is certainly of sound enough quality of construction for hobbyist (and potentially light professional) use. It is accurate to 0.01mm and the large digits of the LCD display make it very easy to see measurements made. I like the fact that the caliper is supplied in a sturdy (rigid) form fitted plastic box, complete with spare button cell battery and user instructions. My only complaint, (and this applies to many similar digital readout vernier calipers in this sort of price bracket), is that when the caliper is "switched off" by its on/off button, it is not actually fully off! - This is easily verified by moving the adjustable jaw (as though opening it to measure something), after switching the caliper off. - The display readout immediately springs to life, measuring the distance, thus proving that the unit was not actually fully switched off but rather, in a "standby mode". Thus, there is no inbuilt way to fully and completely switch the caliper off, and over time, being in standby mode will drain the battery. I would therefore suggest that anyone purchasing this caliper should retain the "pull out" plastic battery isolation tab, which is normally discarded after initially turning on the device. The plastic tab can be quickly and easily reinserted into the slim, open slot on top of the display casing from which it was removed, and doing so whenever the caliper will be stored for any length of time, will once again completely isolate the battery, meaning that the caliper is fully and completely in the "off" state.