VINCA IP54 Grade Digital Caliper, DCLA-0605 6 Inch/150mm, Inch/Millimeter/Fraction Conversion, Stainless Steel, Large LCD Screen

I have been using this a lot for close to a year now, and in all that time I have not found a single drawback with it. I mean SERIOUSLY - I even thought of the color of the plastic case, but it is a nice bright red, with substantial hinges and they work well. The well for the tool is even lined with foam inside. The batteries? Well there are two inside the box and one in the caliper when it came. As long as you remember to turn it off, or let the auto off do it's job, then I have not had to change the original battery in almost a year now. The caliper itself is a stainless steel, but it did become slightly magnetic when measuring the dimensions of an N52 super magnet. Even that magnet failed to interfere with the electronics and it behaved perfectly, keeping accurate readings throughout. I know some reviews say that it needs to keep being zeroed a lot. I was afraid of that, but I have had no such problems at all with mine. Even viciously sliding the scale in and out many times, it went back to 0.0000 inch perfectly. I did occasionally get an offset of perhaps 0.0005", but that proved to be a speck of dirt on the measuring faces every time. Perhaps that was the cause of the problems some were having? Just wipe the measuring surfaces with a clean, soft cloth and the problem was solved for me. Even so, we are talking about 0.0005" (1/2000"). It is "only" rated for an accuracy of +/- 0.001" (1/1000"), so that last digit might show a 0 or a 5 and still be well within it's rated accuracy. This is seriously good for a digital caliper. For me what was a real suprise was just how useful being able to measure in fractions of an inch really is. It reads out in 1/128", but automatically cancels down to the lowest common denominator. So it would not say 2/128", but 1/64" instead. This is astonishingly useful for quick "go" / "no go" measurements, and also it does away with the need for tables to know if that drill with the size missing, is 7/64" or not? Anything with a fractional inch measurement can be read directly, instead of looking up the decimal/fractional tables. It uses an LR44 (alkaline 1.5V) battery, which are also commonly sold as AG13, L1154. LR1154, or 157 batteries. The slightly more expensive Silver Oxide versions though might be better in the long run, as their voltage is more stable during the lifetime of the battery. Silver oxide equivalents are SR44, SR44SW, 303 and 357. Reading the reviews for this was disappointing. Certainly Vinca seem to read all the comments and replace faulty ones, but they also listen and update the design. Mine having an auto off feature is a good example, as earlier ones apparently did not have this. My auto off seems to put it into very deep suspended animation, as moving the scale does not wake it up, and even though I have left it in auto off for months, there is no sign of the original battery that was in it having run down. There seems to be a lot of confusion in the reviews about what digital calipers are, and what they do. That seems to be why a lot of people have only given four stars or less. I think a lot of mentions of them being "sharp", might be that they do not know that the beaks of the jaws need to be that sharp in order to measure accurately in confined spaces - such as the minor diameter of a thread. Also to reduce the parallax errors with some types of measurements. The points are sharp, so that they can be used to scribe a mark onto things at the precise distance you have set them to. Them not feeling "very good quality" might be as occasional reviewers have noticed, that the wheel is "wobbly". This is intentional, as it is meant to better control how tight you clamp them onto the workpiece - Much like the friction clutch you get on micrometers. Engineers know that with measurements this accurate, how tight you make it on the workpiece, can affect the reading. So the whole point of using the "wobbly wheel" is to try to standardise the amount of force that is used to close the jaws and so improve accuracy that way. Digital calipers of this quality ARE accurate scientific tools. Trying to check their accuracy with rulers as some have claimed to do, is not logical - The calipers would be telling you your ruler was inaccurate. Also, I doubt few people could judge by eye that the edge of the beak was in the middle of a rulers' marking to 1/2000". There should be NO free play in the depth gauge, or anywhere for that matter. When held to the light, the edges of the jaws should appear to meet perfectly with no light. The same should be true for the beak on the other side, used for measuring internal diameters. Mine were perfect out of the box in these respects. In fact, mine are broadly equivalent to my $200 6" Mitutoyo digital calipers - Which don't have fractional inches, as they are older. They are not quite as smooth as the Mitutoyo, but after the use they have had, they are not far off being that smooth now. Where there might be a difference is in (fairly esoteric things for most users) things like the co-efficient of expansion for the stainless steel they are made from? In warmer weather, the metal expands and affects their accuracy. This is why micrometers are held in the crook of one finger, to minimise heat transfer, as these are typically an order of magnitude more accurate than calipers. Most micrometers measure to 1/10,000", but only for a 2" diameter. I find it incredible that digital calipers can maintain 1/10 of that accuracy, but to much greater widths. Now I do know that temperature co-eff for my Mitutoyo, but I could not find one for the Vinca (only that the accuracy was taken at the standard 20 degrees centigrade.) I wonder if Vinca could respond with an actual figure, or is it not known / varies from batch to batch?

TLDR: Really sleek and sturdy with 2 ADDITIONAL batteries and a . VERY happy with the product. If the data capture function is your MAIN intended use (mine was not), then you may have to consider a different product as the specific data-transfer-only USB cable they say is required is nowhere to be found. It is not included in this product, and I was unable to find it on Amazon or their storefront. (NOTE: the cable NOT being included is explicitly stated multiple times, so I wasn't expecting to receive it...but it would be nice to have it available to buy separately SOMEWHERE). Great digital caliper. If it JUST worked as intended, I'd just rate it 3 or 4 stars; however, they get a 5-star rating because of the "extras." The sturdy plastic case is great and includes padding. Also, what I really love is that not only is there a battery included, but there were also two extra batteries included. It's not a pain to buy extra batteries, but it's the "little things," like including extras that make me want to continue to buy from a seller. The adjustment knob/wheel is smooth as butter. After zeroing, I measured out to random distances and then back to zero to ensure that it wouldn't be "off," including switching between the measurement units and it always zeroed back correctly. Also love how sharp the points are on this. I originally got this to match up a jeweler's scribe for marking my gold, silver, and platinum sheets with marking fluid, but I am pleasantly surprised that I'll be able to forego the marking scribe and just use this instead, as it makes a clean, even line! I haven't tried out the data transfer functions of this product as I have a regular microUSB cable that I use for charging other devices as opposed to a sole data transfer USB cable (whatever the specifications of that type of cable would be). I guess if I had to find something "wrong" with the product, it would be the fact that I wasn't able to find the cable specifications required outside of "buy our super special USB cable." Upon trying to look it up (they list requiring the "VINCA DTCR-03 cable"), I was unable to even find it on Amazon. Separately, as a "tinker-er" and "hobbyist," I already have so many cords and cables that I hate the thought of having to buy ANOTHER cable that might be a duplicate of one I already have, but I really don't want to risk accidentally frying/messing up my digital caliper just because I wanted to save a few bucks. But that aside, if they require a specific cable, then it WOULD be nice to actually have that cable AVAILABLE on Amazon. Maybe I didn't look that hard, but I didn't find it as a standalone item in Amazon's search nor in the seller's storefront, so that's disappointing. I DID find it from other seller's on Amazon, but all of the listings were "Currently Unavailable," leading me to believe that the main company is not able to meet the demand AND/OR they are no longer making the cable, which is disappointing. Still rating this as 5 stars though, because the data capture feature itself isn't my MAIN intended use. If I want to track a bunch of measurements for my jewelry CAD modeling, I'll just have to go the good ole fashioned "measure and punch in the data myself" route.

I just got this today to replace the beater HF one that I've been tossing around in the shop for years and finally lost this past month. I've been making due with a plastic caliper and an oversized caliper that I bought for bigger stuff, but I really needed something this size that's accurate to a thou or so and so decided to get something off of Amazon with good reviews. As soon as I opened the package, I could tell the difference in quality between the HF one and this. Much nicer. I like that it has position memory (wherever you zero it, it keeps that zero, and remembers its position when it shuts off then comes back on at some point). It also comes back on automatically when you start running the slide back or forth, which is pretty convenient. Most importantly, it reads the exact same every time I close the jaws. No half thou variations with this one, just dead on every time. And it's really easy to get it to make fine adjustments. No jerkiness. Not quite as smooth as a Mitutoyo or Starrett ones I've held, but others have said they free up as you use them, and for the price, you can't expect the moon. We'll see how it holds up, but considering that I used the super cheapo one for 5 or so years without issue, I think this one will last just as long. Long story short, haven't used it much yet, but so far seems absolutely fantastic for the price. Can't go wrong, especially for the home shop.

Well made, good case and the serial direct output to a PC is great. Only problem is the battery life. Middle grade calipers like this don't really turn off, it's more like they hibernate. If you aren't using it, you need to take the battery out and the tiny screw secured battery cover doesn't make it any easier. Of course you could avoid it with a precision Mitoyo for $500 or so extra. At least Vinca 1; provides an extra battery with a location for it in the case. 2; Vinca also provides the screwdriver and space for it in the case. 3; At least they warn you about it and what to expect as the battery runs down and the caliper starts acting like it is defective. I have a Mitoyo that is over 30 years old, but it doesn't have the serial output, and I don't use it for daily shop work. That's why I have 3 of the Vincia and I'm not afraid to travel with them and do research in the field.

This is a good tool and works as described. I do not write reviews, so when I do, you should pay attention. The tool is fine...but the vendor supporting the product is excellent. Most product vendors in this age are bottom line oriented and not out to support their customers. The company backing this product provided service to me for free nearly five years after my purchase. There is a very tiny plastic door that covers the battery compartment on this tool. Without this tiny piece, the tool will not power on and is rendered useless. I lost the little part....and it is very easy to do. I asked the national vendor if I could buy a replacement part and complained about the design of the part. They sent replacements for free! This is a rare company in today's world, and you should support them if they have a product you need.

The caliper functions great. It’s my second Vinca caliper, I needed a longer measurement length at times. I had an issue that support resolved for me. Great product and fantastic customer support. I highly recommend Vinca and Clockwise.

For my day-job, I inspect mechanical equipment with high-end Mitutoyo and Starrette calipers. I wanted to get something lower-cost, but good enough to use at home (where accuracy to 1/32" is more than I really need). I read several reviews on different calipers. If you're just starting this process looking for a good set of calipers for home/hobby/general machinist use - I'll be blunt and save you time. Stop reading and just buy these. You can pay several hundred more dollars to get the high-end models for near-perfection, but you will barely notice the difference if you don't need accuracy down to the mil. I'm a tool snob and I would have no shame putting this in my work bag for day use even without the name. I bought the 8 inch model (cause...its more than 6). These calipers are *excellent* value with really good build quality. I cleaned my new unit with a light oil (WD-40) and worked the slide a few times to break-in. After a few minutes, the vernier mechanism is surprisingly smooth and feels comparable to my Mit/Starrettes. The resolution is half mil or 1/128 of an inch, which is much more than I'll ever really need at home. The mechanism feels smooth returns to the zero point each time and appears to give consistent readings. The faces look parallel and clean, but I haven't checked their accuracy (don't think I need that kind of assurance for home/hobby use). The only thing two minor things I notice different about the VINCA 8" vs my work Mit/Stars. The first is that the metal faces of the metal calipers aren't polished on the measurement faces. The second minor difference is there is an ever-so-slight 'twist' or lateral offset that the sliding face can make relative to the stationary face normal to the direction of travel (out-of-plane direction). Its not in the direction that really affects accuracy for what I need, and if you don't push the faces in that direction, you will never notice it. For the cost savings - I'll take it! Display is large and in general easy to read. Note the number display uses two different size 'fonts': (1) Up to 3 large (full-size) digits on the left, and (2) Up to 3 small (half-size) digits on the right side (needed to fit the fraction display). The fractions and mm decimal outputs are easy to read. The 'fractional' measurements on these two settings are all the small size digits I have to be careful with inch decimal readings - the large font size for the inch decimal readings are whole number and tenths of an inch. The 3 smaller numbers with the inch-decimal output are actually hundreds of an inch down to half-mil precision. It would be a nice feature if the caliper display could adjust the precision so that the 3 smaller digits are all mils or fractions could round to a nearest 1/64th or 1/32nd (I will never need 1/128 precision). Minor preference note in an otherwise solid tool.

First off, I like the bright red case. So many products today go for the "cool" look of black. But try finding a black case in a dark drawer or toolbox. Next, I noticed this caliper came with two batteries; but wait, there's more! The caliper has a battery installed, so those were two spare batteries. That's a nice touch. Next - This caliper is built sturdily. I noticed as soon as I lifted it from the case, as it's pretty hefty. All the main parts are thick stainless steel. The edges of each piece are crisp, and there's no light coming from between the jaws when closed. This tool is accurately machined and feels good in the hand. I can find no problems with accuracy at all. I don't have any precision standards to measure against, though, so I can't verify. But I do know that if I zero the caliper when the jaws are shut, opening and closing the jaws multiple times, the readout always returns to 0.000 when closed. I wanted a fractional readout because I will be primarily using this for hobby blacksmithing and woodworking. As such, I don't need the 1/128" precision. It would be nice if I could have an option to reduce that all the way to 1/32 or even 1/16. But I can't knock this caliper for that. I can easily get to the desired precision in my head. One last thing - The first caliper I received developed a problem in two days. The LCD readout went very dim and the zero and mm/in/fraction buttons were intermittent. I tried one of the spare batteries, but that didn't help. So I contacted the seller on a Friday and received the replacement tool the following Monday. This new one has been working for four days now. Their customer support is extremely responsive and supportive. I won't knock down any stars for what is likely a rare problem (based on other reviews).