I agree that Starret and Mitotoyo are good brands. There are a lot of high quality tools out there. It doesn't sound to me like you are going to use these tools very much, so I wouldn't buy the most expensive brands. I think a good quality dial caliper is all you will need. Most calipers in the $50 range will do everything you need. I don't like digital calipers myself. The battery is always dead at the wrong time. Doesn't matter how many batteries you have, changing them takes time. The ability to convert is nice, but not worth it in my mind. I work with these tools every day(machinist 22 yrs) and I do have Starret, Mitotoyo, Brown & Sharp and other high quality and high price brands, but the tool that is used the most is my cheap calipers. Most people can't take advantage of the .0001" capability of the best mikes, so why spend the money for them. JMO