2025 test16 productsHand Tools
Which Calipers Brand Wins?
We compared 16 calipers options head to head. Starrett came out on top. See the measured results, the runner-up, the budget pick, and a link to the full test video.
Winner
Starrett
Price shown in test: $144
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Runner-up
Fowler and Mitutoyo, tied for second place
Price shown in test: $454 for the calipers-and-micrometer bundle used as the test unit; approximately $250 for the calipers alone
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Budget pick
Werka
Price shown in test: $27
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The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Scroll sideways to see all measurements. Products are listed in the order they finished.
| Product | Claims | Country Of Origin | Weight_g | Smoothness Narrative | Block 123 Test_in | Depth Test_in | Groove Test_in | Brand Resolution | Smoothness Feel Ranking | Jaw Force Variance Test_g | Reliability Issue | Has Absolute Linear Scale | Battery Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Adoric$7 (sold at Harbor Freight) | large LCD screen, auto on/off, claimed accuracy 0.01in, ID/OD/depth/step measurement, 5 minute auto shutdown, extra battery included | China | 54.33, the lightest of all 16 brands | not smooth at all, seems pretty gritty; jaw begins sliding at just over 120g, becomes much stiffer near 300g, then much looser under 100g, then stiffer again, called definitely not a very consistent set | 1in inner reading 1.00, 1in outer edge reading 0.99, 2in reading 1.99, 3in reading 2.99 (true value confirmed by micrometer at 1.00005in for the 1in side) | right on target at 1, 2, and 3in, but excluded from the final depth-test ranking because the Adoric only displays two decimal places versus four for every other brand tested | 0.34 versus a true groove width of 0.303in, an oversize error; under the microscope the outside measuring tips are too wide to fit fully into the groove | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 2Pittsburgh$10 (sold at Harbor Freight) | claimed accuracy 0.01in, ID/OD/depth/step measurement, impact-resistant composite body, throat depth 1 and 9/16in outside jaws, 5/8in inside jaws | China | 57.36 | also pretty rough, just like Adoric; started off loose around 120g, hit a rough spot spiking over 200g, then about a 20g variance for the rest of travel, called a lot better than Adoric overall | 1in inner reading 1.00, 1in outer edge reading 0.99 (same as Adoric), but more accurate than Adoric at right at 2 and 3in | skipped; the narrator states the Pittsburgh is not designed for the depth test | 0.34, the same oversize error as Adoric | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 3Jiavarry$18 | includes a screwdriver for battery changes, ships with one battery installed plus two spares, claimed accuracy 0.001in, 4 measurement modes, first brand in the lineup with a thumb wheel | China | 185.19, by far the heaviest of the brands tested up to that point in the video | not gritty, but definitely not very smooth; started around 320g of force and varied significantly throughout the entire travel range, called not very consistent | 1in readings of 0.9985 and 0.998, 2in reading 1.999, 3in reading described as right at 3in | 1.0025, 2.015, 3.005 | 0.3115, the closest of any brand tested up to that point; outer jaws described as sharper and fitting deeper into the groove; finished second place overall in this test behind Fowler | captioned as Jawery and Jaw We interchangeably throughout; resolved to Jiavarry via the description, the only brand at this price and testing position | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 4Kynup$20 | claimed accuracy 0.001in, stainless steel construction, IP54 splash resistance, ships with one battery installed plus two spares, auto shutdown after 6 minutes of non-use, uses a CR2032 battery | China | 205.19 | the smoothest yet at that point in the video; started around 350g, gradually dropped to around 309g, then gradually increased back over 350g, called definitely the best yet | 1in readings of 0.9995 and 0.999, a perfect 2in reading, 3in reading 5/10000in over (approximately 3.0005), called really good | 1.001, 2.0045, 3.0025, described as a little more accurate than Jiavarry | 0.3135 | captioned as Kinex throughout; resolved to Kynup via the description | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 5Vinca$21 | large LCD screen, fine polished stainless steel, claimed advanced processing depthometer groove for smooth gliding and accuracy, claimed factory calibration, battery cover held by one screw | China | 174.19 | not quite as smooth as Kynup; started around 264g and became very stiff around 450g; not as gritty as Adoric or Pittsburgh but not as smooth as Kynup | 1in readings of 0.9985 and 0.999, 2in reading 1.998, 3in reading 2.9985, described as not quite as close as Jiavarry and Kynup | 1.0005 (a little over), 1.9995 (a little under), 2.9995 (a little under again); tied Johnson Level and Tool for second place overall in this test with a cumulative discrepancy of 0.0015in | 0.3195, not measuring quite as deep as Kynup | captioned as Vinica throughout; resolved to Vinca via the description | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 6Hardell$23 | high quality stainless steel claimed sturdy, waterproof, and abrasion resistant, claimed accuracy 0.001in, ID/OD/depth/step measurement, auto shutoff after 5 minutes, includes a ruler | China | 164.5 | not quite as smooth as some other brands; started around 300g, bounced between 320 and 330g for most of the range, around 335g near fully closed, called pretty good but not quite as good as Kynup | the most accurate result up to that point in the video, landing right on 1in both times and right at 2 and 3in, a perfect score | 1.002, 2.0115, 3.002, described as off by the most of any brand tested up to that point despite the perfect 1-2-3 block result | 0.3135, outside measuring tips described as fitting nicely into the groove | captioned as Hardale throughout; resolved to Hardell via the description | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 7NEIKO$25 | extra large LCD screen, quick-change button for inch/fraction/millimeter modes, claimed resolution 0.0005in | China | 173.93 | seems pretty smooth, by far the most consistent set of calipers up to that point in the video; smooth throughout the entire range with a peak force around 390g, called the smoothest feeling and most consistent yet | perfect at 1in both times and at 2in, 5/10000in over at 3in | 1.001, 2.0005, 3.001, described as quite a bit closer than Hardell | 0.3185, not able to fit into the groove quite as deeply as Kynup or Hardell | not tested | second place in the video's separate subjective grittiness/feel ranking, behind Mitutoyo | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 8Louisware$26 | claimed accuracy 0.001in, ID/OD/depth/step measurement, includes two different battery types | China | 194.08 | definitely has a couple of rough spots; started off loose under 200g, force varied 200 to 260g throughout the working range with a couple of inconsistent areas, called stiff to loose and stiff to loose again, worse than merely gritty | 1in readings right at 1.00 and 0.9995, then a perfect score on both 2 and 3in | 1.005, 2.0045, 3.009, described as trailing Neiko | 0.336, outside measuring tips described as too wide | captioned as Lewis Ware throughout; resolved to Louisware via the description | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 9Werka$27 | claimed precise thumb roller for smooth movement, low battery warning feature, battery cover held by one screw | China | 175.06 | definitely smoother than most; started around 345g, briefly spiked over 370g before smoothing out, then held a narrow 330 to 350g range for most of the travel, called pretty good | highly precise, 1in both times, perfect at 2in, 5/10000in over at 3in | 1.0005, 2.001, 3.001, described as performing well once again | 0.323, off the mark more than some of the other brands | captioned as Workpro at introduction and as Worca throughout the rest of the video; resolved to Werka via the description, the only brand at this price/testing position; the closing scorecard recap phrase 'the worker' (in 'the worker and the Starrett tied for second place at 36 g') is treated as the same brand rather than a separate one, both by elimination and because no other brand fits that slot | not tested | tied for second place at 36g of variance in the dedicated variance test, behind INSIZE's 28g, tied with Starrett | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 10Johnson Level & Tool$36 | claimed accuracy 0.004in, depth gauge resolution 0.0005in, fraction mode reads to 1/64in | China | 166.34 | definitely not as smooth as some other brands; started below 300g, quickly jumped over 340g, gradually decreased to around 305g by midpoint, then gradually increased to around 360g | off by a little at 0.9995 and 0.9985 for the 1in readings, perfect at 2 and 3in | right on target at 1in, very close at 2.0005 and 3.001; tied Vinca for second place overall in this test with a cumulative discrepancy of 0.0015in | 0.3295, off by quite a bit, more than most of the other brands | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 11S&F$40 | designed for claimed accuracy 0.001in, uses a CR2032 battery (unlike most other brands in this lineup), claimed resolution 0.0005in, auto power-down after 5 minutes, described in the transcript as 'a pretty fixed set of calipers' from top to bottom (phrasing kept verbatim, meaning unclear) | China | 206.09 | just isn't very smooth; started around 285g with quite a bit of variance throughout, force during the last 2in of travel increased about 100g to 370g | off by a little at 1in both times and at 2in, perfect at 3in, consistent with the zeroing issue noted just before this test | 1.001, 1.9995, 2.9985 | 0.3125, performed quite a bit better than average, finished third place overall in this test | not tested | not tested | not tested | after cleaning and zeroing, the S&F was not consistently finding zero; the narrator states none of the other 15 calipers in this video had this issue | not tested | not tested |
| 12Quinn$50 (sold at Harbor Freight) | integrated depth rod for cylinder and cubic depth measurement, jaw depth 1.57in on the outside jaw, 0.687in inside | China | 166.57 | pretty smooth but with a couple of rough areas; by far the tightest in the lineup up to that point in the video, starting around 450g and quickly spiking past the 500g limit of the test scale, with a couple of stiff areas throughout | 1.001 and 1.0005 for the two 1in readings, over by just a little at 2 and 3in | 1.0015, 2.0015, 3.001, described as off a little more than some other brands | 0.313, pretty close | not tested | not tested | not tested | not tested | yes, one of only three brands in this video (with Fowler and Mitutoyo) with this feature, which keeps the caliper's zero position through a power cycle | not tested |
| 13INSIZE$72 | claimed resolution 0.0005in, auto power off, uses a CR2032 battery, no screwdriver required to remove the battery cover | China | 173.44 | seems pretty smooth, about as tight as Quinn starting around 450g, but far more consistent than Quinn, holding a narrow 440 to 460g range; called more consistent and smoother than most of the other brands | perfect both times at 1in, off by a little at 2in, perfect again at 3in | perfect at 1, 2, and 3in with no measurement discrepancy at all, finishing first place overall in this test; narrator calls it very impressive | 0.3225, outside jaws described as a little too wide | captioned as iN Size and, in the dedicated variance-test recap, 'the insides'; resolved to INSIZE via the description | not tested | 28, the best (lowest variance) of all 16 brands in the dedicated variance test | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 14Fowler$120 | claimed resolution 0.0005in, hardened stainless steel frame for corrosion resistance, displays inch and metric units | China | right at 167 | seems smoother than most of the other brands; started requiring less force than most, around 290g, varied mostly 240 to 260g throughout | 1.00 and 0.9995 for the two 1in readings, right on target at 2 and 3in | 1.001, 2.001, 3.001, described as not quite as accurate as INSIZE on this specific test | 0.31, the closest of all 16 brands to the true 0.303in groove width, finishing first place overall in this test | not tested | not tested | tied for second place at 36g of variance in the dedicated variance test (per the closing recap's ambiguous 'the worker' phrase, this could plausibly refer to Fowler instead of Werka; resolved to Werka by elimination and phrase similarity, see the Werka entry's brandResolution note, but the possibility that this tie belongs to Fowler instead is flagged here rather than silently ruled out) | not tested | yes, one of only three brands in this video (with Quinn and Mitutoyo) with this feature | not tested |
| 15Starrett$144 | auto shutoff after 30 minutes without slide movement, claimed resolution 0.0005in | Scotland, the only non-China, non-Japan brand in the lineup | right at 166 | a little bit noisy but pretty smooth; jaw moves freely starting around 210g, gradually takes more force as the jaw narrows with a peak force around 245g, called one of the best in the lineup for smoothness | perfect on both 1in measurements, perfect at 2 and 3in | 1.001, 2.001, 3.0015, described as about the same as Fowler | 0.315, performed better than average | not tested | third place in the video's separate subjective grittiness/feel ranking, behind Mitutoyo and Neiko | tied for second place at 36g of variance in the dedicated variance test, behind INSIZE's 28g, tied with Werka (or possibly Fowler, see that entry's flagged ambiguity) | not tested | not tested | not tested |
| 16Mitutoyo$454 for the calipers-and-micrometer bundle used as the test unit; approximately $250 for the calipers alone | absolute linear scale (no need to reset the zero/origin each power-on, eliminates over-speed measurement errors), includes a case, stainless steel construction, low-voltage alarm | Japan, the only Japan-made brand in the lineup | 160.6 | also very smooth; started in the 290s, stayed in the 280s to 290s throughout most of the range, and like Starrett gradually increased force near the end of travel with a peak around 338g, called a very smooth set of calipers | perfect at both 1in measurements, perfect at 2in, 5/10000in over at 3in | 1.001, 2.0005, 3.001, described as performing better than average | 0.3145, performed better than average | not tested | first place in the video's separate subjective grittiness/feel ranking | not tested | not tested | yes, one of only three brands in this video (with Quinn and Fowler) with this feature | LR44, unlike most of its price tier, but the narrator notes it uses a patented low power technology designed to minimize battery drain to compensate |
How it was tested
- weight in grams
- jaw slide smoothness and force consistency (grams of force) across the full travel range
- dedicated jaw-force variance test (grams of variance across the travel range; only the top three results are individually named: INSIZE 28g first, then Werka and Starrett tied at 36g)
- subjective grittiness/smoothness feel ranking (only the top three results are individually named: Mitutoyo first, Neiko second, Starrett third)
- 1-2-3 block accuracy test at the 1in, 2in, and 3in reference points, verified against a micrometer-measured true value of 1.00005in
- depth measurement accuracy at 1in, 2in, and 3in (Pittsburgh skipped, Adoric excluded from ranking for having only two decimal places of display)
- groove/O-ring width measurement accuracy against a true value of 0.303in
- hole size measurement accuracy against a target of 0.4045in (aggregate result only, no individual brand breakdown given: most calipers performed well and on target)
- drill bit measurement accuracy against a target of 0.49725in (aggregate result only, no individual brand breakdown given: the top six brands had an incredibly small discrepancy versus the micrometer)
“the Starrett came out on top with the best average finish of 3.6”
Data notes and caveats
This video's narration is unusually clean and internally consistent versus other Project Farm showdowns: brand names, prices, and nearly all numeric results resolve cleanly and cross-check correctly against the closing recap sections, so confidence is high despite the density of data. The one genuine ambiguity is the closing scorecard line 'the worker and the Starrett tied for second place at 36 g' in the dedicated jaw-force variance test: 'the worker' most likely refers to Werka (itself captioned three different ways across the video: Workpro, Worca, and this 'the worker' fragment), resolved by elimination and phrase similarity, but Fowler cannot be fully ruled out and the ambiguity is flagged on both the Werka and Fowler entries rather than silently picked. Only three of the 16 brands (Quinn, Fowler, Mitutoyo) have the absolute linear scale feature that preserves the zero position through a power cycle; the narrator explicitly dings the overall-winning Starrett for lacking this feature given its price. S&F is the only brand reported with an actual reliability defect (inconsistent zeroing). The closing recommendation has three tiers rather than one: Starrett is the explicit numeric winner (best average finish, 3.6), but the narrator's own value pick is the much cheaper Werka ('if it's all about value, this would definitely be the set that I would purchase'), with Neiko named as a named backup value pick if Werka is unavailable. Two tests (hole size accuracy and drill bit accuracy) are reported only in aggregate ('most of the calipers performed well', 'the top six brands had an incredibly small discrepancy') with no individual brand figures given anywhere in the transcript, so no per-product data exists for those two tests.