Fake Mitutoyo digital caliper from eBay. (Real one on top, different model, fake on bottom) In mid-march I found a deal that now in hind-sight was too good to be true. A Mitutoyo 500-196-20 digital caliper for $99 shipped (http://www.ebay.com/itm/331022199174).

Upon receipt of the item, I noticed a few quirks that didn’t quite jive with a genuine one. The first of which is the fact that the battery was already installed (Mitutoyo doesn’t do that), and it was an LR44 instead of an SR44.

The next was the fact that the least significant digit is half size instead of full size, and the “in” indicator is on the wrong side of the display.

A third glitch is the operation of the origin and zero/abs buttons, working instantly instead of requiring steady 2-second presses.

At first I dismissed these as mere minor updates to a product, many manufacturers do tweaks to a product line all the time, and don’t necessarily update their marketing materials. The feel of the slide was very smooth, akin to a real Mitutoyo I had used previously. So, I left positive feedback on the eBay auction and went on my way.

Fast-forward to a couple days ago, and I decided to do some more checking. Other differences I found was the knurling of the locking knob was incorrect, the button icons printed on the backside of the caliper were filled in instead of hollow, and the round Mitutoyo logo was printed incorrectly. In a different version of the fake, “U.S. Pat.” is spelled “U.S.PAt.”, the logo is even sloppier, and the arrow on the battery cover is made up of 5 or 6 lines when it should be 7 lines.

Needless to say, I was not happy about buying a fake. However, that said, it’s a very, very good fake. Measurements have always been accurate, zero-retention has been flawless, tracking speed is instantanous, slide action is very smooth and fluid, locking is solid, etc. Far better quality than any regular $30 caliper I’ve ever used.

A good friend of mine decided this was an injustice, and purchased me a legitimate Mitutoyo, the one in the top of the picture, in trade for my counterfeit. I couldn’t refuse such an offer! :D BTW, the differences you see in the plastic housing and the lack of “AOS” on the bottom caliper are due to the difference in model, 500-196-30 vs 500-196-20.