Every machinist starting the trade is faced with the question of purchasing mechanical or digital measuring tools. Faced with the sheer amount of measuring tools available is already a daunting task for any newcomer; some decisions should be easy. Let’s take a closer look at the differences and break down what it means.
The older style of tools work entirely by the design and care in the construction of each tool. There is nothing difficult to comprehend when you hold an older tool in your hand. It might seem insurmountable to grasp in the first moment, but remembering it is all just tiny pieces of metal interacting with each other. Gears, springs, and clutches all contained within a housing; something akin to a beautifully crafted watch. The amount of skill and precision every piece undergoes to create the final tool is amazing. One of the underrated abilities of a mechanical tool is using the speed of a spinning dial to foresee when to stop or start a cut. A game we played is to set a lathe autofeed with a travel indicator mounted and see who can stop it at 0. This is the game which allows me to autofeed a manual machine and stop it exactly where it must stop. try reading a digital screen with pieces of numbers flicking because movement is faster than it is able to show. My point is that a mechanical tool can sit on a table or in a box for a hundred years and will still be completely functional the day it is picked up to use. It will not matter if fusion is heating our homes and cities are built underwater; that tool will still do exactly what it was designed to do.
Mechanical tools may seem like they are the best choice to use, but digital tools have a lot to offer. At first glance a digital tool might look like the older style of tools, but they will all have a screen to display the measurements. Depending on the generation of digital tool, they will all be lighter than their mechanical counterparts. The exception to this is the older digital variation of tools which were more of a hybrid; trying to retain the same look and function while replacing only 1 part with a digital circuit. Digital tools have a useful ability to switch between American standard measurements and metric with a simple button push. no math needed to convert, and no separate tool just for a different measurement standard. Digital tools can also set a zero at any position and read a value as you move away; a very handy feature to avoid mistakes. They do have some downfalls though. The electronics and screen are weak points susceptible to aging, common machine shop chemicals, pressure, and the need for batteries. Huge strides have been made to keep them liquid-proof, but it is still a possibility. Breaking a screen is also quite possible, but also becoming more difficult with each generation. The need for batteries and replacements to be on hand is in my opinion, the biggest downfall.
Digital measuring tools are cheaper and just as accurate as the older mechanical tools. The question each person needs to ask themselves, is this a job or a career. The cost of batteries over a career can sway a person from digital to mechanical. Machining is my career, and all of my tools are mechanical. All of my measuring tools are also the same tools I purchased the day I decided to make this my career. Digital was not an option for me, but it is for you. If batteries do not sway your opinion, digital is your best bet. If you want something that can last lifetimes, mechanical is your only option.