Brown & Sharpe 05.10046 Dial Caliper, Stainless Steel, Yellow Face, 0-300mm Range, +/-100mm Accuracy, 2mm Resolution, Meets DIN 862 Specifications

The media could not be loaded.  TESA is one of the leading Swiss manufacturers of measurement instruments, marketed in the U.S. under the Brown and Sharpe brand. The caliper is made in Switzerland in Renens, Vaud, in the French-speaking region of the country.For some reason the picture above depicts a 200mm unit whose design is slightly different than the 150mm unit sold on this page, so check the TESA Technology website to get all product details.The unit comes with an inspection report which states the measured error of the actual serialized unit in the box.Mine shows an error of 0.0 microns over the first 50mm of range (about 2”) and a maximum error is of 15 microns over the entire measurement range, which is about one half of a thousand-inch maximum error at 150mm.The needle makes one full turn per millimeter (about 0.0394"), and there is one tick mark every 10 microns = 0.01mm, or about 0.000394”. It is thus possible to estimate a difference in the order of 2-3 microns by eye, or approximately one-tenth of a thousand of an inch. Even if the actual reading is not accurate to 2-3 microns in absolute terms as the stated resolution is 0.01mm, it is perfectly repeatable and useful to compare minute differences in precision parts.This is an instrument that requires careful handling. Some reviewers new to that level of quality complained about a lack of smoothness without understanding that an instrument like this will still be perfectly accurate after a hundred years of use, and requires a little time to settle, and its operations will become smoother after a few months of regular use. I got my first TESA instrument in 1980 and it still operates perfectly after more than 40 years, and it probably took 2-3 years of use before it reached its final feel.One of the reviewers said he returned the TESA unit and brought an American made unit that hopefully satisfied his smoothness requirements but comes with an advertised precision of +/- 0.3mm, or 12 thousands of an inch, or 300 microns, compared to a measured maximum of 15 microns for the TESA unit I got, or 20x more accurate. With that much play, I’m willing to believe that other caliper might be smoother out of the box, but it’s not a precision instrument at any rate.Swiss precision is a league on its own and TESA is a good representation of that level of quality, see my video where I compare a 25.000mm reference rod between the TESA caliper and a micrometer!Given my experience and after reading some of the other reviews, my nuanced recommendation is to buy something else if you are after specific ergonomics or look & feel criteria: do not buy a new Ferrari only to complain about the stiff ride after ten miles, and settle for an F-150 which is never going to be in the same league and claim it is better at the Ferrari's role.If measurement accuracy is what you are after in a caliper, this TESA instrument is second to none and will serve you well for decades to come, then it will serve your son or daughter.

I got this because I wanted a dial indicator unit that read to 0.01 mm, my measuring needs are mostly metric. A dual-scale (inch/metric) vernier would have been ideal but my eyes are getting worse, and I didn't like the reviews on the dual-scale dial units. I don't want something with batteries. This one is well made and came with a calibration certificate which I didn't expect. BUT - the picture showed a unit with a thumbwheel, and the one I got didn't have one. It turns out the one in the picture is 210 mm (8") not the 150 mm (6") one I bought. Also the feel wasn't as nice as others I've used. Between the missing thumbwheel and the feel (1 star), I didn't feel it was worth the price even with a cal certificate (+1 star), so I returned it and got a Starrett 120AM-150.I will say that the case is very nice (+1 more star), good foam with cutouts for the caliper, and two slide locks to hold it closed. Much better than the one that Starrett supplies.

For the price and being labeled as a Brown & Sharpe, I actually expected a bit more. While I have no issues with the repeat-ability, I expected the slide action to be a bit smoother. I own another pair of Brown & Sharpe 6" calipers and they slide like butter. These are only marginally better than a few of the $40-50 pairs I have used in the past.Interesting that with TESA's acquisition of Brown & Sharpe, there isn't a single reference or marking on the box or the calipers referring to B&S or where they are actually made. The product photo on here shows the dial face with the markings "swiss-made". The pair I received had no such markings anywhere.

I'd give it 5 star simply because it’s the most beautiful looking dial caliper I’ve had. Most dial calipers available like the mitutoyo and starrett comes with a yellow dial which looks dull IMO. This model has a brilliant gold tone. The readings are very repeatable as you would expect to a good quality dial caliper.I do have few concerns with this product;1.) The dial movement is a little jerky. The gear mechanism may require a little breaking in.2.) As for all dial calipers, they’re inherently flawed and can only give up to +-0.02mm (0.001”) accuracy. I checked mine with gauge blocks and they’re dead zero up to 50mm, but gives a 0.01mm error on a 75mm and 100mm gauge.3.) the inside jaws are not perfectly parallel. I dont know if this design is intentional but the inside jaws are pointing a little bit inside. I do get very accurate results with the inside jaws tho.Overall, I would highly recommend this tesa/brown & sharpe dial caliper. If you’re into dial calipers this is as good as it gets.Update:After a few days of use, the movement is already silky smooth.

I live and work in Russia. And such kind of tools is not available here. But by Amazon service I can get best quality tools from many companies from all the world. I much appreciate Amazon. And I have to say - this tool is perfect. All is fine, and I have a perfect tool. With best regards.