Harbor Freight #93293 6" Composite Digital Caliper - WOOB
 

Harbor Freight Item# 93293: 6" Composite Digital Caliper
Pro: Cheap, accurate, easy to use
Con: What I like to call "Basement Complex"

Ease of Use: 10/10
Quality: 9/10 (-1 for "Basement Complex")
Value: 10/10
Overall: 9.7/10

For $5 on sale, this is one tool that I simply couldn't live without. Since I bought it, it is used daily and consistently delivers results. Accuracy is good enough for the average rotorhead's purposes, measuring in inches and millimeters down to 0.01" and 0.1mm respectively. Makes a handy unit converter too :lol: Just a reminder: The caliper is PLASTIC, so don't try using it 5 seconds after welding something together.

The only flaw I have noticed is that in exceptionally moist environments, it tends to become jumpy and may 'run off' in the manner of counting up on its own, often exceeding the display. Pressing & holding the Zero button for 1-2 seconds corrects this, but is quite annoying. So far, this only happens in the shop space in my basement, hence I call it "Basement Complex". While I cannot fault the manufacturer for this due to the unusual circumstances about my shop space (neighboring house lacks a gutter, water seeps in here), it is noteworthy as it does affect the tool's intended use.

Everywhere else, it behaves properly to the degree that it is my go-to tool for measuring anything precisely. A notable example of this would be from my FD swaybar retrofit as I had to hone out some threaded rod ends to fit our M10 suspension bolts. A careful hand, a dremel and this caliper made it work both the first time and on the subsequent 3 rod ends. The inside measurement jaws made getting each one sized while staying perfectly round a breeze.

Battery life isn't too bad, but could be better. In all fairness, a year of daily use on a single LR44 or SR44 battery is reasonable, I'm just being critical. LR44 batteries are cheap enough too. When the battery is getting weak, the display will blink. If it is REALLY weak, it fades. It is easy to replace the battery, just push the cover (to the right of the screen) to the right and it pops right out. Be sure to zero the caliper after replacing the battery though.

Overall, this is one tool I recommend without reservations. It pays for itself after the first use and keeps paying you back for every subsequent use. After awhile, you'll find uses for it without even thinking :lol:

i think the battery covers on all their calipers could use a little tweaking.

just normally using it the stupid things pop off randomly..

the metal/plastic ones both work fine for quick jobs.

i would give it an 8/10 overall rating simply because of the 3 problems(random measurement jumps, rough sliding and poor access covers). but you can't complain for the price of either versions.

Those issues are all valid points, RotaryEvolution, but I have to point out the flaws in your reasoning. Not saying you're wrong, just giving a reasonable counterpoint with solutions to yield a more informative review.

1. Its display jumpiness is something I have only encountered in a specific location under specific conditions. I don't have a hygrometer or humidity gauge so I can't really tell at what point it goes wacky, but the neighboring house lacking a gutter and water seeping into my basement plays a big part in it. Absolutely everywhere else I have used the tool, it has been dead-on accurate with no fuss. Same goes with my brother whom also has one now, after borrowing mine to build some guitar effects pedals in his basement.

2 & 3. I've not had an issue with rough sliding, perhaps you just got a bad one? For really fine adjustments, try placing your thumb on the opposite side and sliding the moving end into your thumb. This works really well. As for the battery cover, it is a bit annoying but RX7 owners deal with worse issues more often than this. My trick is to put it on about 2-4mm over the battery, press down, then slide it on the rest of the way. If it pops off, you either didn't put it on correctly (I've done that too :lol:) or your thumb is resting on it when you are using it, instead of the protrusion at the bottom where it should be.