Inexpensive multimeter

[frankush]

I saw this Ideal multimeter listed on Ebay and sold by Cripe. It's a discontinued model, but it's class 3 rated and only $28. It's not a Fluke but for home use, it's worth considering.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ideal-Test-...720?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5d4bb90340

 

[GortonsFisherman]

That's a good deal. Just like sockets other than Snap-On will turn nuts, meters other than those made by Fluke will indeed work. Ideal is not Harbor Freight. Folks get so dang hung up on certain brands on here.

 

[paul2112]

Any idea if it comes with leads?

 

[paul2112]

Never mind I reread,,,,,duhhhh

 

[DJAMiller]

My buddy has a craftsman one that he said he paid about $40 for, does most of the same stuff as my snap on I paid $170 for. Honestly it didn't seem bad.

 

[SkyMaster]

CAT III rating written on a Chinese multimeter often means nothing at all.

And, we are in 2014, you would be happier with an autoranging multimeter


But as a cheap multimeter, this model at only $28, is not a lot of money

 

[ddawg16]

If you want a cheap meter.....the HF one works.....and works pretty good.

After that...any thing less than about $75 is most likely a waste of money

 

[frankush]

CAT III rating written on a Chinese multimeter often means nothing at all.

And, we are in 2014, you would be happier with an autoranging multimeter

So why not provide us with a link to something in this price range. I've got Flukes, Simpsons, Amprobes and Ideals. None of them come close to that price. For what it is, it's worth considering.

 

[tdkkart]

I've got one digital meter, made by Soar, thats now more than 30 years old, still works perfectly. It was probably $75-100 new, Ive got a couple newer ones but i grab the old one more often than not.
For $3 or so per year I cant ***** too loud i guess.

 

[treblarefils]

I have been using this since 2001 http://www.sears.com/craftsman-mult...p-03482141000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1 it has been fine for my needs.

 

[theoldwizard1]

If you want a cheap meter.....the HF one works.....and works pretty good.

True !

I bought a small Craftsman meter with a separate hot wire/voltage detector/"ringer" for less than $20 around Christmas.

The best feature to get on a cheap meter is one with a rubber boot. It might live through one "drop test".

 

[pedrodagr8]

True !

I bought a small Craftsman meter with a separate hot wire/voltage detector/"ringer" for less than $20 around Christmas.

The best feature to get on a cheap meter is one with a rubber boot. It might live through one "drop test".

The sears multimeters are rebranded Extechs which are mostly rebranded CEM multimeters from China (Extech MM meters are Brymen but I don't think Sears rebrands those). They are a step up from the Harbor Freight cheapies but not by much. Still pretty unsafe with glass fuses (not HRC fuses), minimal MOVs, etc. Combine that with their average accuracy makes them passable in a pinch but not something I would search out.

As for the above multimeter, it doesn't appear to be horrible. From what i can gather it at least uses fast fuses (not sure if they are HRC or not but its better than the craftsman in that respect). It's a VERY dated 2000 count, manual ranging meter but you could do worse. The shape and layout makes me think Digitek but in reality it could be one of a variety of makers.

If someone gets one it would be nice to see some pics of the board.

So why not provide us with a link to something in this price range. I've got Flukes, Simpsons, Amprobes and Ideals. None of them come close to that price. For what it is, it's worth considering.

Ask and you shall receive My favorite meter in the under $30 price range is the Uni-T UT136x. It's an auto-ranging, 4000 count, 10MOhm input impedance, solid, reasonably safe budget meter (it has a ceramic fuse for the 10A setting). It runs around $15-20 shipped from ebay.

The variants:
UT136A standard meter
UT136B from standard, adds capacitance measurement
UT136C from standard, adds temperature measurement and probe
UT136D from standard, adds non-contact voltage detection (though there are reports that the NCV is for 220V countries, not USA voltages).

Unlike most of Uni-Ts other meters, these models are all based off of each other. For others, that isn't always the case. For example, the Uni-T UT61E which I love is COMPLETELY unrelated to the UT61D which is mediocre at best.

If you are looking for a budget meter at a different price point (or with certain features) feel free to ask. I'll see what I can come up with.

 

[Danglerb]

HF has meters that are free, just dandy to learn how to use a meter with.

What I use most is a Craftsman I paid about $30 for as a open box. Key feature is the current clamp measures both AC and DC, so I can clamp it around a battery cable and measure current well enough for most tasks.

 

[djb2]

The Harbor Freight meter is a solid, basic meter. I've have a bunch. They are the default meter to keep in each car, box of spare batteries, etc.

I have a hobby of developing EV motor controllers, and have used a handful of these at a time monitoring different voltages and control unit current draws.

I do have eight other digital meters and a few analog ones. Here are the features they add:

Continuity beep! It's the major missing feature of the HF meter.

Thicker gauge leads. Cheap ones heat up with any current, and the voltage drop is enough to create false problems. The HF meter isn't the only guilty one here.

Special features that might be needed by the typical person

NCV non-contact voltage detection: Loved by my 2 year old. Typically useful for a quick check that a circuit isn't live. Occasionally lets you track a circuit through a wall, but can still leave you guessing.

Current clamp. AC-only inductive clamps are a bit old fashioned, but OK if you are only working with line current. AC/DC 'hall effect' clamps are more flexible and sometime more sensitive/accurate.

Capacitance and frequency measurement I use the frequency counter to verify the clock tree of my microcontroller code. The capacitance measurement is only approximate and is mostly useful for verifying that the part is still a capacitor. Most people will never need these features.

Conductivity/leakage. I've occasionally used these, but I doubt that most people know how to interpret the results.

 

[bcradio]

Lol!

 

[theoldwizard1]

The Sears (Craftsman) multimeters are rebranded Extechs which are mostly rebranded CEM multimeters from China (Extech MM meters are Brymen but I don't think Sears rebrands those). They are a step up from the Harbor Freight cheapies but not by much. Still pretty unsafe with glass fuses (not HRC fuses), minimal MOVs, etc. Combine that with their average accuracy makes them passable in a pinch but not something I would search out.

Certainly NOT professional quality, but they are a decent "homeowner" meter for the price. When they throw in a voltage detector/"ringer" for under $20, I call it a deal.

Heck, most homeowners have never heard of a "ringer" ! A "ringer" and a ground/polarity tester should be in every homeowners tool box, even more so than a DMM !

 

[lotus_guy01]

Here you go:

http://www.mortoncontrols.com/index.php/clearance.html?dir=asc&limit=all&order=name

Uni-T meters on clearance. The UT61D is a nice option for $25 (backlight, autoranging, capacitance measurement, True RMS AC measurement). I picked one of these up at this price. Unfortunately, they sold out of the UT61Es quickly...

The UT71C offers a lot of features for $68 (4 1/2 digits precision-40,000 count display, data logging, backlight, USB interface, capacitance, frequency, AC true RMS)

For a cheap manual ranging DMM, the UT105 is only $13.

I also agree the cheap Harbor Freight meters are fine for what they are. Just don't use them around high voltage.

Class three ratings on any of the low cost meters should be viewed with skepticism. There are lots of teardowns online showing how poor the high voltage protection is on many of these cheap meters.

Ideal does make some very nice high end meters though.