# Kobalt Digital Caliper - changing battery



## richgreer (Dec 25, 2009)

The Kobalt Digital Caliper comes in a plastic case with a second battery included. The battery is quite small. I discovered that the batteries do not last very long. After about 2 months the battery in the tool went dead.

Then I realized that replacing the battery requires removing a couple of very tiny screws. I had no screw driver that was small enough so I bought one at Sears which was size 00. When home and discovered that screwdriver was still too big. Back to Sears and this time I bought both the size 000 and 0000. The 0000 is the smallest they sell and may be the smallest made.

The 0000 worked. However, those screws are just too small for me to easily handle with my clumsy, fat fingers.

This topic is only for the purpose of advising my fellow LJs about this and to vent a little frustration. In my opinion, this is poor design by the manufacturer. If the battery needs to be changed frequently, it should not be such an ordeal to change batteries.


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## Eric_S (Aug 26, 2009)

Rich, I'd recommend using a screw grabber.

They come standard in most pc repair kits but you can buy them individually as well

http://store.curiousinventor.com/screw-grabber.html

This is a pricier one…
http://www.westernoptical.com/products/Dispensing_Hand_Tools/Deluxe_Drivers/universal-screw-and-nut-grabber.html


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## PurpLev (May 30, 2008)

Thanks for the headsup - might want to post this in the REVIEWS secsion, since people looking for advice on this caliper will most likely be looking for it there rather than in the forums.

I have 2 digital calipers and both use toolless thumb flip doors to the battery chamber.. you might want to check those out (I got 1 from Rockler and the other is a mitutoyo). I personally prefer to use dial calipers when I need to as there is no need to worry about batteries running out, replacements, or screws of any kind.


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## jbertelson (Sep 26, 2009)

I have four digital devices made by Wixey. The table saw digital readout. The calipers, and a horizontal and a verticle angle gauge. They all have tooless battery removal. They are all rugged. The calipers is in constant use. The verticle angle gauge is used for setting the table saw, the 12" disc sander, and the radial arm saw for miter cuts or for tune up. The horizontal gauge makes setting accurate miter cuts on my supersled easy. I use the caliper at least a hundred times more than the angle gauges. I use the table saw digital readout on every cut.

The table saw read out is the most finicky of the group, and loses its calibration from time to time. Therefore I have developed a very rapid and accurate way of calibrating it. I have a small block of wood the fits precisely in the miter slot, and when I push the fence up to it, it should be a known value (in my case, 1.51 inches) I have this value written on the wood block, as well as the width of the saw blade. I keep a light powered calculator next to the saw to calculate when needed.

I would say that the Wixey stuff as a group is about 4.5 stars or better. I have owned them for two years.

My experience with the Kobalt brand is mixed. They have not stabilized the quality of the brand yet, in my opinion. I actually took a small group of pliers and cutters back do to poor machining and design. They couldn't do their job. Bought some Craftsman stuff instead….same price….much better quality.

Other Kobalt items I have seem to be just fine. By the way, the Empire brand at Home Depot seems to be good for measuring devices such as rulers and squares. Haven't tried their digital stuff.


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