Get Vernier calipers! The scale is easy to learn and use and measurements will be at least as precise as electronic calipers. With no batteries required the tool has much less of an environmental impact and you never need to worry about whether the calipers will work or not.
It's just the cheap no-name calipers that eat batteries. Genuine Mitutoyo (and probably similar brands) treat their batteries very kindly.
I have used vernier calipers but the time savings of not having to scrutinize the vernier scale every time you take a measurement is quite worthwhile. Just buy a good set.
Fair enough, usability will obviously be poor if the scale is difficult to read. My eyesight is terrible but at least it is still all myopia so I can compensate by putting the calipers extremely close to my eyes. Looks awkward and people call me Mr. Magoo but it works!
I just bought a digital caliper with a big LCD display. It will work with Imperial or Metric units, which I really like.
My analog calipers are Imperial. I love them, but run into Metric units a lot. Got those in '88 and they are still calibrating in spec and working great. No battery. Did need light oil and cleaning a decade ago.
I have one Vernier caliper and... it is getting hard to read in some conditions. Bummer. I still prefer these in longer forms, say greater than 12"
it doesnt even have to be a mitutoyo to get you down to 0.01mm precision, i got mine for about 40euros. Using equipment i had access to at work i checked that rating and indeed: the tool i got is good for measuring at that scale, and you really dont need any electronics.
Usually you can pay the vendor to calibrate the tool for a couple bucks more.
of course digital ones are much, much easier to read, but you only really feel that convenience when having to measure hundreds of items quickly to sort them into a tray or something...
And in the end, usually a Nonius type caliper is good enough anyways, and skilled users can read those to up to 0.02mm... and thats already pretty good and most of the time: good enough
and in case you do need to know the length of something down to a micron, there are other tools for that with less sources for measuring errors
so yeah: mechanical calipers rock
and: you dont have to always get the brand things to get what you need
I keep a bunch of the US $16 stainless dial calipers lying around so I don't feel bad when I drop them or use them as a scribe. the mitutoyos only come out when its important - getting dimensions to make a copy, or the last pass on a part that really cares about it.
I have a very cheap plastic one with a dial, which works amazing well for the cost (<$10). I don't remember where I bought it, but it looks like this one:
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-900003
