I have a cheap Midway dial caliper and its been unreliable. Zeroes wander and it skips values at times. Oiled it which I later found out is not a good thing. Took it apart and cleaned it via this vid:


and voila ...like new. More reliable. I was going to buy a Mitutoyo but so far the Midway is repeatable. Open and closed it fully and returns to zero

On repeatability, I have a Mitutoyo dial and digital.  I have a couple of more budget friendly calipers ($20 and $40 range).  I've done some testing to compare.  The $20 one seems pretty decent on repeatability, which is important for calipers, or at least I think is important.  What I did notice is that the Mitutoyos are tighter on the jaws.  Where the budget calipers were prone to different readings near the tip of the jaws than near the slide.  But the Mitutoyos were solid for the length of the jaws.  Can be mitigated if one is consistent on where one measures. 

I use the Mitutoyo ABSOLUTE 500-196-20 Digital Caliper which has readouts in Metric and Standard units.  There's a newer one on Amazon: 500-196-30.

I like the ability to calibrate it to zero before each use.  So far, it's been accurate enough for all my needs -- mostly woodworking.  I rarely go beyond 1/1,000 inch for most things except when setting up power tools and making jigs.

I thought about getting a dial caliper, mainly as a way to compare with the digital one and ensure its readings remain accurate.  So far, I've not needed that.  I just pick something I know the exact measurement of, like an exactly-machined bar of aluminum, and verify the reading matches.

https://www.amazon.com/Mitutoyo-500-196-30-Advanced-Measuring-Resolution-dp-B00IG46NL2/dp/B00IG46NL2/ref=dp_ob_title_def

I use the Mitutoyo ABSOLUTE 500-196-20 Digital Caliper which has readouts in Metric and Standard units.  There's a newer one on Amazon: 500-196-30.

I like the ability to calibrate it to zero before each use.  So far, it's been accurate enough for all my needs -- mostly woodworking.  I rarely go beyond 1/1,000 inch for most things except when setting up power tools and making jigs.

I thought about getting a dial caliper, mainly as a way to compare with the digital one and ensure its readings remain accurate.  So far, I've not needed that.  I just pick something I know the exact measurement of, like an exactly-machined bar of aluminum, and verify the reading matches.

https://www.amazon.com/Mitutoyo-500-196-30-Advanced-Measuring-Resolution-dp-B00IG46NL2/dp/B00IG46NL2/ref=dp_ob_title_def

I have the 196-30 and that’s the main one I use for reloading.  I have a Mitutoyo dial too, that I bought at the same time.  I was reading that the digital can be off/misleading in 0.000X place (not that I need it).  The dial did allow to sort of test that variation, where you can see the partial increments better.  Again, mostly academic “what if” comparisons as at least my loading skill isn’t to where it matters.  I have those verification/calibration Mitutoyo blocks as well.

I’ve used calipers for other uses, but nothing that needed even close to the third decimal place.  However, for reloading, looking to compare sizing of different parts as opposed to absolute measurement.