[Cthulhu_]

> electronic caliper: Same, eats up 1 button cell a year, just sitting in my toolbox

ooo a chance to plug one of my favorite youtubers; I believe it's this video [0] that compares cheap with expensive / brand digital calipers; the TL;DR is that the expensive ones use much less when off, or, the cheap ones use 4x as much. They both keep using power when off though, so that when you move the calipers while off it will still measure the distance.

[0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnDype-j3hk

[nrp]

This seems to be common in battery powered test equipment. I have a decade old Fluke multimeter and five year old Mitutoyo calipers that both seem to be powered by magic. Neither has needed battery replacement despite regular use.