Good meter for measuring AC voltage?

[gsingh]

I need recommendations for a meter that will measure voltage of things such as AC units, washing machines, dryers, and ovens. My uncle needs one for work, as his other one crapped out in 2 months.

 

[jayrush13]

Fluke t-5

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0006Z3GZU

 

[zkling]

Fluke 27FM, if he can break one I'd be impressed.

 

[Danglerb]

Doing what, Electrician or technician?

 

[gsingh]

Doing what, Electrician or technician?

electrician, he needs one for home use.

 

[upndown]

HF freebie..

 

[hoffmand]

Fluke is always a safe bet if he has the budget for it. If not, take a look at the Amprobe AM-270. I bought this one after a lot of research on eevblog.com.

You need to be aware of safety ratings when dealing with AC voltage. A $20 meter may be fine for 12V but you could be in for a surprise troubleshooting a 220V receptacle.

Here is one reviewers list of recommended meters. http://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/a-list-of-recommended-multimeters/

 

[bsaint]

This should work good for you

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fluke-8808A...438?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43c2433dae

 

[djjsr]

Fluke T5. Good quality, not a lot of money and very durable. I have one that was left outside for a few weeks (lots of rain) and it didn't hurt it at all.

 

[mrjaw14]

Tripplett meters are good. I went to a supply shop for a fluke and they sold me a tripplett that's been really good. I've had it for about 10 years now. mine has an amp clamp for AC and DC, and it's true RMS. It was about half the cost of a fluke. Fluke is the best, but does he really need the best? Simple AC measurements aren't needing +-2% accuracy...

Amprobe is another good one. Extech I think is another decent one. all depends on budget really

 

[Charles (in GA)]

Cheap A$$ POS flea market meter will give you the same voltage readings a high dollar Fluke will. Electronics has narrowed the gap between cheap and expensive meters, the only real difference now is quality, durability, features.

For home use measuring AC voltages, there is no real good reason to spend over about $40 bucks for a new meter. If he is doing some sophisticated testing that requires accuracy better than a hundredth of a volt, then get a good meter.

Charles

 

[ndoran]

Cheap A$$ POS flea market meter will give you the same voltage readings a high dollar Fluke will. Electronics has narrowed the gap between cheap and expensive meters, the only real difference now is quality, durability, features.

For home use measuring AC voltages, there is no real good reason to spend over about $40 bucks for a new meter. If he is doing some sophisticated testing that requires accuracy better than a hundredth of a volt, then get a good meter.

Charles

the accuracy is not the concern, it is the safety aspect of working with high voltages. Even Fluke has experienced problems, see the link below:

http://www.esasafe.com/assets/files/esasafe/pdf/Recall_Notices/RCL02-12_Rev1.pdf

this gives you some ideas of the pitfalls