General Tools 142 6-Inch English and Metric Plastic Dial Caliper

by General Tools

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

This General Tools 142 6-Inch English and Metric Plastic Dial Caliper reads in fractions of an inch, great for drill bits, dowels, bolts, etc. This plastic, direct reading inch dial caliper in state-of-art reinforced plastic gives precision capabilities at an economical price. It has measuring capacity 0 to 6". The contrasting color coded dial is graduated in .01 and 64ths with inch and mm on bar scale. There is a fractional conversion table on back.

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 3.8 x 0.5 inches ; 0.5 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00004T7UB
• California residents: Click here for Proposition 65 warning.
• Item model number: 142G
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #36,523 in Home Improvement (See Top 100 in Home Improvement)
  • #26 in Home Improvement > Power & Hand Tools > Measuring & Layout Tools > Calipers > Dial Calipers

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great "Economy" Caliper, March 18, 2002

By 

David Lindamood (Cadillac, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: General Tools 142 6-Inch English and Metric Plastic Dial Caliper (Tools & Home Improvement)

This caliper is low on price but strong on performance! There is nothing really cheap about this, it is lightweight, due to the fiberglass reinforced nylon framing. But it is accurate, with an easy reading dial and a thumb roller with friction grip stop. The dial has both .01" and 1/64th" increments on the dial, with mm on the bar scale.

It's best feature is the 4 way measurement. It does inside measurement, outside measurements, plus a "step/graduation" measurement (height of table saw blade, or router bit) and depth measurements (hole depth). This is a very versitial caliper. I have found it to be very accurate is its readings, it can easily be re-calibrated by turning the glass case cams.

This caliper is made in Switzerland for General Tool. A great product that I am very happy with, recommended for all.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Little Tool!, January 29, 2002

By 

David C. Henkemeyer (Forest Grove, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: General Tools 142 6-Inch English and Metric Plastic Dial Caliper (Tools & Home Improvement)

I've been using this tool for a few months now, and it sure is handy. My first project was making a box joint jig, and this thing made my measurements dead-on accurate! A must have for any woodshop.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the best dial calipers to use with organic jewelry, May 7, 2005

By 

Erica Skadsen "organicjewelry.com" (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: General Tools 142 6-Inch English and Metric Plastic Dial Caliper (Tools & Home Improvement)

I've used these exact dial calipers for years for measuring natural body jewelry. We exclusively use these calipers in my company, and find them to be far superior to those cheap and inaccurate brass ones. As they are made from fiberglass reinforced plastic, they do not mar the jewelry surfaces as metal calipers often do. However, this means that the jaws will eventually wear down with repeated use (check to see that there is no light appearing between the measuring surfaces, especially at the tips), making period replacement necessary with frequent use if accuracy is of high importance.

The glorious thing about these calipers is that fractional, decimal, and millimeter measurements are all available. There is a handy mini-conversion chart on the back side of the calipers that makes fractional inches in 64th's easier to understand. Inside and outside diameters are easy to measure, as are the less frequently used (by us, at least) step measurement and depth gauge.

The only drawback, as mentioned above, is that the pointer on the dial may get knocked out of position if the calipers are dropped, though this is remedied by either twisting the dial back to zero with the provided knurled clear plastic covering to match the new position of the pointer, or removing the plastic covering and manually moving the pointer back to the 12 o'clock position.

A note on price: we've found these for under $30 at large home improvement stores.