[serf]

I was OK with doing that for years and years until I bit the bullet and bought a pair of (current day) Mitutoyos. Now battery replacement is more on the order of 2 or 3 years under constant use, even with the occasional 'woops I left it on' slip-up -- almost on-par with my 90s solar Mitus'.

I feel like the cash spent on replacing batteries in my 'crappy environment' calipers (usually harbor freight or equivalent brands) could've easily paid for keeping Mitutoyos in the bad environments, anyway.

[CamperBob2]

I used to turn my Mitutoyo off after using it, but eventually realized that it doesn't make enough difference to bother. If I leave it on, the battery is good for 2-3 years. If I turn it off, it will last for 5 or more years... but who cares, it's less trouble to change the battery every couple of years than it is to turn the caliper on and off every time I use it.

It's one of those from-my-cold-dead-hands kinds of tools.