Best depth gauge
Updated: 22 October 2026
A plastic jaw that sets a router bit and a 200 mm vernier that drops into a turned box can both be called a depth gauge, and neither is the best depth gauge for the other job. If you want one listing from the seven in the [depth gauge comparison](/hub/measuring-and-marking-tools/depth-gauge), name the work first. Peter F. used the amazon.co.uk listings from 20 October 2026, the UK review notes, and Trend's own page. He did not run a lab. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
A plastic jaw that sets a router bit and a 200 mm vernier that drops into a turned box can both be called a depth gauge, and neither is the best depth gauge for the other job.
A plastic jaw that sets a router bit and a 200 mm vernier that drops into a turned box can both be called a depth gauge, and neither is the best depth gauge for the other job. If you want one listing from the seven in the depth gauge comparison, name the work first. Peter F. used the amazon.co.uk listings from 20 October 2026, the UK review notes, and Trend's own page. He did not run a lab. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Type | Range | Stated accuracy | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Trend Trend GAUGE/D60 | Jaw gauge | 80 mm | 0.08 mm on the Amazon bullet | 9.4 | about £19.49 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Digital Micrometers Ltd DML DDG150 | Workshop digital | 150 mm | 0.02 mm | 8.6 | about £32.99 | View offer |
| Best value |  PRAZTECH PRAZTECH 150 mm rule-head | Rule-head | 150 mm | ±0.01 mm | 7.7 | about £8.99 | View offer |
On this page
Best evidenced for a router table or saw bench
Trend GAUGE/D60 is the pick for cutter height or fence backset: £19.49, 4.5 from 1,141 reviews, a 60 mm jaw and an 80 mm range. The first 50 UK reviews use it on a router and a table saw, and they prefer the screen to a tape. Magnetic feet help on steel or cast iron. That review count is why it leads this comparison for that job. It does not turn plastic into a metrology gauge.
Skip it for a metal beam, a tolerance you can treat as proved at 0.02 mm, or a gap narrower than the jaw. One UK buyer could not straddle a blade about 18 mm from the fence. Reviews also say the lock strips if you force it, the zero wanders, and the body is plastic, while Amazon's material field says Metal. Trend's UK page says plastic, 92 g and ±0.1 mm, listed at £32.27 on 20 October 2026. Amazon says 0.08 mm and 150 g. Keep those apart. Jaw limits are on the router table depth gauge page.
Best evidenced stainless digital for a 150 mm hole
DML DDG150 is the stainless digital to keep inside 150 mm when you want the spec on separate lines: £32.99, 4.5 from 47 reviews, resolution 0.01 mm, stated accuracy 0.02 mm, a 100 mm base, a case and 180 g. Four UK texts praise the screen against plastic gauges and do not repeat a defect. The bullets say two LR44 cells are supplied. The battery field says one.
Skip it if you will not keep a button cell, if the hole is deeper than 150 mm, or if you must span a fence. The KATSU reaches 200 mm with no battery. A 100 mm base is not a 60 mm jaw.
Cetornie at £21.99 is 3.9 from 40, with no millimetre accuracy and no UK review text in the file. EETU at £28.41 is 3.6 from 28, and its UK reviews say the battery was missing and a CR2032 did not fit. Whether a display is worth the cell is the vernier or digital depth gauge page.
Best evidenced if you will not use a battery
KATSU's 0–200 mm vernier is the battery-free pick when the head has to be wide and the hole may pass 150 mm. It is £11.99 and 3.9 from 160 reviews, with a stated ±0.02 mm. In the first 25 UK reviews, one gauge read 0.12 mm on a ground flat and another 0.3 mm at the beam end. Graduations are described as double-printed, and one lock thread failed almost immediately. Zero it before you cut.
PRAZTECH is the best value at £8.99 when you want inches as well as millimetres. It is 4.5 from 18. Two UK reviews say it does the job, and one slide needed silicone spray. Skip it for 200 mm, or if you would quote the listed 9.07 g as a weighed mass. MachEl at £13.10 is 5.0 from 3 with no review text.
Keep the listing that matches the job
There is no lab winner in this folder. Best means best evidenced for the job you named. Keep the Trend for a router or saw bench if you accept plastic and about ±0.1 mm. Keep the DML when 150 mm is enough and the accuracy words are split. Keep the PRAZTECH for a cheap dual-scale hole, and the KATSU only if you will read a vernier and check zero.
Common questions
Which gauge is best for a router table?
Trend GAUGE/D60 at £19.49, if you accept plastic, a 60 mm jaw and about ±0.1 mm from the maker. It has 4.5 from 1,141 reviews, and those reviews are about router bits and saw blades. Skip it for a gap of about 18 mm or for a metal beam you can trust to 0.02 mm.
Which is the strongest stainless digital in this batch?
DML DDG150 at £32.99. It is the only one that states resolution 0.01 mm, accuracy 0.02 mm, a 100 mm base and a case together, with 4.5 from 47 and four UK texts that do not repeat a fault. Cetornie and EETU are the same idea with a thinner or a harsher UK file.
Why not call the KATSU the best when it is rank 5?
Amazon's best-seller rank is not a measurement. The KATSU is the battery-free 200 mm head, at 3.9 from 160, and UK reviews include zeros of 0.12 mm and 0.3 mm. Use the rank as a sign that people buy it. Use the zero notes as the reason to check it.
Should I skip Cetornie and EETU?
Skip them when you can buy DML and you want the spec lines and the UK texts. Cetornie has no UK review text and no millimetre accuracy. EETU's UK reviews are about a missing battery and a CR2032 that did not fit, at 3.6 from 28 and £28.41. They stay in the wider comparison so you can see the price. They are not the pick.
Is 5.0 from 3 reviews a reason to pick MachEl?
No. The file has the star line and no review text, so you cannot see a stiff slide, a bad zero or a head that rocks. The degree marks are not a stated accuracy. At £13.10 it also costs more than the PRAZTECH rule-head, which has two UK texts.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings compared on this page. Listings captured 20 October 2026.
- ISO 13385-2:2020, calliper depth gauges (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- BSI BS EN ISO 13385-2:2020 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- ISO 13385-2:2020 preview (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Trend GAUGE/D60, UK product page (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Cutwel, depth gauges guide (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Mitutoyo depth-gauge manual (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- GOV.UK, General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 9 (retrieved 20 October 2026)