Starrett 120 Series Fractional Dial Calipers for Accurate Measurement with Fitted Plastic Case - White Face, 0-6" Range, -0.002" Accuracy, 0.010" Graduation - 1202F-6

If you work in imperial measurements, you need this - especially if you do hand tool work. It really helps when "sneaking up" on a fit to reduce trial and error, for stock thickness, dado cutting, tenoning - you name it.The dial is easy and quick to read, and you can work easily to 64ths, or 128ths between the graduations - and that's more than enough for woodworking. There is no battery to worry about, and no oddball fraction readouts that you get in a digital fractional caliper.Yes - it's made in China but it's high quality - you don't get good mechanical calipers from the US for $100 anymore. It is repeatable and accurate. Keep it lubricated properly and it will last a long time.

After using a simple brass caliper for the past two years I finally forked over the money for a real caliper.WOW! This is just incredible. It's so easy to read in any light and reading is QUICK. The scale is perfect for a woodworker.My only complaint, is that it's too expensive to leave lying around or try to stick in my back pocket, so I have to always use the case. I guess that's the trade off over a manual sliding caliper that cost $10. This isn't really a complaint as much as a heads-up if you think this will 100% replace a cheap caliper. I still find myself pocketing the old one for rough jobs.UPDATE ----- 11/21/2013I've been using this caliper for over six months now and I absolutely love it. I find myself using it more and more - and for new kinds of tasks. Taking a measuring with it is simply enjoyable. I appreciate the quality, fit and feel each time, which reminds me that I made a good purchase. I've now stopped using my cheap caliper and have promoted the Starrett to full duty.

The enclosed "manual" with the instrument did NOT include this particular model! Otherwise, I highly recommend this item.

I always thought that a digital caliper was sufficient for my needs. No more memorizing all the 32’s and 64’s fractions, hunting back and forth with the wheel to round up or down to the next fraction. This caliper makes more sense with a dial. You can quickly see where your measurement is in relation to the scale. Not to mention that this is a highly accurate and well made product. I’d recommend this caliper to anyone that works with fractional measurements.

I just purchased my second Starrett 1202F-6, not because of any problem with the one I've been using for 5 years, but because it has become such an essential part of my woodworking that I do not want to risk being without a backup should I manage to break it. The caliper makes it easy to work to 1/64" and even to 1/128". It is probably not up to the level of precision found in Starrett's much-more-expensive higher-end (and US-made) dial calipers, but it is more than good enough for woodworking. I have compared it with other imported calipers, and find its workmanship and precision to be superior. I highly recommend it for woodworkers wanting to step up from plastic or no-brand steel imports. It is an accurate, durable tool--and one of the few high-quality fractional calipers around these days.

Great, high quality tool, instrument, actually, just as you'd expect from Starrett. I got this to replace a $30 model that failed after I used it for many years. I use this caliper in my custom cabinetry/millwork shop and know I can rely on it for the highly accurate measuring required by projects that come through my shop. I'm confident this very accurate, smoothly operating, easy to read tool will be the last one I'll ever need... as long as it doesn't get ruined by some accident in the shop.

For years I have used the cheaper fractional calipers for reasons no other than economics. They worked fairly well, but when my wife pulled away with my last one on the back bumper of our truck a while back - it was time for a new one! ;-) I decided this time to bite the bullet and get something that hopefully did not have the drift issues that the cheaper ones I used had... and that it reliably and always returned to zero.One of my criteria for my woodworking calipers, of course, is that it has fractional as well as decimal readout. The other is that it is reliable, repeatable and accurate to 1/64th of an inch - and it always returns to zero and does not slowly drift as some of the cheaper ones do.Well, the Starrett meets the criteria VERY well. I have used it for almost 9 months now, and it is VERY repeatable in its measurements, always returns to zero, and never drifts out of alignment. It is built like a tank, and should last a lifetime.... as long as I don't drop it!!!I must say, it is heavier than I am used to, and I am always paranoid about dropping it! (it's the $100 thing...) I am very aware of where I set it, and try to return it back to its case as soon as possible!Overall - an easy five stars - a well built, accurate, repeatable caliper with fractional readout for woodworking!!! Would recommend.

Mostly, I love this tool. It is the perfect combination of precision and smooth operation for a woodworking caliper, and the English fractional measurements with the option or reading in hundredths of an inch are great. Had I written this review yesterday (I've had my tool for 18 months), I'd also have said it was rugged, as one would expect from a Starrett tool. But this afternoon the gears in the dial stripped on mine for no apparent reason, just like that. Made a measurement, sat the the thing down, and came back 15 minutes to check another dimension, and the thing is stripped and useless. So, just 4 stars.