I posted about this the "must have tools" thread but I thought it might get missed there by someone buying Mitutoyo calipers from a questionable source. I bought a set on Amazon from a 3rd party vendor for a great price ($64). I was assured by the vendor before purchase that they were the real deal but of course they were not. I did some internet research on the subject and found a couple of helpful sources to help in identifying a fake.
It is a pretty good fake, the only thing that prevents me from keeping it is the play in the jaws as shown in the Isik's Tech video.
This is a list things that confirm it is a fake.
-the label on the back of the head says "Serlal No instead of "Serial No"
-The label on the back says "U.S. PAt" instead of "U.S Pat."
-The locking knob can be removed on the fake, this is not true of a genuine one.
-the least significant digit is half the size of the others where it the same size as the others on a genuine one.
-the serial number on the caliper is different than the one on the inspection document.
-there is about 1 mm of slop between the jaws like Isak's video shows, the genuine one has no play.
-the access holes on the plastic cover do not line up correctly with the adjustment screws on the caliper head
-the instructions on the label on the back say you need to hold the "zero/abs" button for 2 seconds to switch from "inc" to "abs" modes. this one switches instantly. The genuine one at work functions the way the label describes.
Some other observations: The outer cardboard sleeve on this one has very faded looking graphics like is described Isik's video. There is no battery with the caliper. It does not have silky smooth movement like the genuine one at work.
Here you can see
-the label on the back of the head says "Serlal No instead of "Serial No"
Here you can see
-the least significant digit is half the size of the others where it the same size as the others on a genuine one.
Here you can see
-the access holes on the plastic cover do not line up correctly with the adjustment screws on the caliper head
Here you can see
-the serial number on the caliper is different than the one on the inspection document.
I have compared the fake one to an older Mitutoyo that I use at work and there is no comparison in the feel, the genuine one is super smooth to use and flawless in repeatability. The fake feels much rougher and does not repeat reliably. I really wanted a new Mit. for home use so I ordered one from KBC Tools when they were on sale for $150. Here are a few more pictures for comparison.
The biggest differences are hard to see. There is noticeable play between the 2 jaws on the fake and none on the genuine one. You can see the difference in this pic. The fake is on the bottom here.
I believe this is responsible for the less than reliable repeatability on the fake.
Un boxing the 2, hard to tell any problem here although the fake has a faded look to all the graphics on the cardboard. No graphics at all on the real deal. (fake on top here)
The plastic cases look the same but the plastic hinge on the fake is very stiff and feels like it will break every time you open it. The real deal case has a much more flexible hinge, the same as the 15 year old case I use at work. It is still intact in spite of being used daily.
With the case open it is again hard to see any difference. The real deal comes with a genuine Mitutoyo SR44 battery attached to the documents, the fake had no battery.
Not much difference is obvious here. You can see the extra clearance in the jaws on the fake at the top. Notable is that the knurled slide lock knob can be completely removed on the fake but not on the real deal. The tag attached to the real deal has a slot in it so it can be removed. The fake tag has no slot so you have to remove the knob to get it off.
Knurling on the knob is very crisp on the real deal, not so much on the fake.
Not much to see here, both look great! (fake on bottom here)
Fake on top here
Here you can see the difference in the displays, on the fake the last digit is half size.
As far as measuring goes I tried measuring 3 micrometer standards, 1", 3" and 4". They both agreed within .0005" on each measurement. The real deal repeating every time, the fake measuring +- .0005" each time.
So the fake is not really all that bad and for $64 probably not a bad buy, but it is not a genuine Mitutoyo. The difference in feel between the 2 is instantly apparent, the real deal is so smooth compared to the fake.
The inspection report has the same serial number as the tool on the real deal.
Hard to tell the difference here. (fake on top) Of course the sticker is perfectly straight on the real deal.
Is the real deal really worth more that double the money? That's for you to decide. Too bad they can't arrest the counterfeiters but of course they are in China someplace.
It is a pretty good fake, the only thing that prevents me from keeping it is the play in the jaws as shown in the Isik's Tech video.
This is a list things that confirm it is a fake.
-the label on the back of the head says "Serlal No instead of "Serial No"
-The label on the back says "U.S. PAt" instead of "U.S Pat."
-The locking knob can be removed on the fake, this is not true of a genuine one.
-the least significant digit is half the size of the others where it the same size as the others on a genuine one.
-the serial number on the caliper is different than the one on the inspection document.
-there is about 1 mm of slop between the jaws like Isak's video shows, the genuine one has no play.
-the access holes on the plastic cover do not line up correctly with the adjustment screws on the caliper head
-the instructions on the label on the back say you need to hold the "zero/abs" button for 2 seconds to switch from "inc" to "abs" modes. this one switches instantly. The genuine one at work functions the way the label describes.
Some other observations: The outer cardboard sleeve on this one has very faded looking graphics like is described Isik's video. There is no battery with the caliper. It does not have silky smooth movement like the genuine one at work.
Here you can see
-the label on the back of the head says "Serlal No instead of "Serial No"
Here you can see
-the least significant digit is half the size of the others where it the same size as the others on a genuine one.
Here you can see
-the access holes on the plastic cover do not line up correctly with the adjustment screws on the caliper head
Here you can see
-the serial number on the caliper is different than the one on the inspection document.
I have compared the fake one to an older Mitutoyo that I use at work and there is no comparison in the feel, the genuine one is super smooth to use and flawless in repeatability. The fake feels much rougher and does not repeat reliably. I really wanted a new Mit. for home use so I ordered one from KBC Tools when they were on sale for $150. Here are a few more pictures for comparison.
The biggest differences are hard to see. There is noticeable play between the 2 jaws on the fake and none on the genuine one. You can see the difference in this pic. The fake is on the bottom here.
I believe this is responsible for the less than reliable repeatability on the fake.
Un boxing the 2, hard to tell any problem here although the fake has a faded look to all the graphics on the cardboard. No graphics at all on the real deal. (fake on top here)
The plastic cases look the same but the plastic hinge on the fake is very stiff and feels like it will break every time you open it. The real deal case has a much more flexible hinge, the same as the 15 year old case I use at work. It is still intact in spite of being used daily.
With the case open it is again hard to see any difference. The real deal comes with a genuine Mitutoyo SR44 battery attached to the documents, the fake had no battery.
Not much difference is obvious here. You can see the extra clearance in the jaws on the fake at the top. Notable is that the knurled slide lock knob can be completely removed on the fake but not on the real deal. The tag attached to the real deal has a slot in it so it can be removed. The fake tag has no slot so you have to remove the knob to get it off.
Knurling on the knob is very crisp on the real deal, not so much on the fake.
Not much to see here, both look great! (fake on bottom here)
Fake on top here
Here you can see the difference in the displays, on the fake the last digit is half size.
As far as measuring goes I tried measuring 3 micrometer standards, 1", 3" and 4". They both agreed within .0005" on each measurement. The real deal repeating every time, the fake measuring +- .0005" each time.
So the fake is not really all that bad and for $64 probably not a bad buy, but it is not a genuine Mitutoyo. The difference in feel between the 2 is instantly apparent, the real deal is so smooth compared to the fake.
The inspection report has the same serial number as the tool on the real deal.
Hard to tell the difference here. (fake on top) Of course the sticker is perfectly straight on the real deal.
Is the real deal really worth more that double the money? That's for you to decide. Too bad they can't arrest the counterfeiters but of course they are in China someplace.
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