This digital mechanical microphone does not require a battery and has an accuracy of +/- 2 microns which is approximately +/- 0.00008 ". It's slightly larger and heavier, and doesn't feel as comfortable in the hand as a purely mechanical, non-digital microphone. It's much easier to use than a non-digital microphone, but more cumbersome to use than a battery-powered digital microphone, for example. This is because this mechanical microphone has the digital counter on the front and the vernier scale on the top and back. Therefore, you should always read the digital counter on the front and back. Move your head over the top or back of the microphone, to get a full vernier reading.