Need help choosing a multimeter

[toplessHO]

got one of these the other day as a gift
was amazed at how many features it has

temp probe,AC and DC amps,hold button,hertz function
Craftsman 82369
on sale at Sears for $53.99

 

[MikeF2316]

I know you dont think a fluke is what you need but I upgraded to one a lot of years ago and dont regret it one bit. It will last many many years and may have features that you cant live without once you use them. I have a fluke 233 (I think thats the #) it has a removable display that I use all the time when troubleshooting a circuit on automotive things and 120v stuff at home. I dont want to trust my life to a meter that may or may not be working correctly. Buy once cry once

I have a 233 as well. I love the look on people's faces when I pull the display off and read it remotely. It is a handy feature occasionally, but I do go out of my way to amaze those that haven't seen it before.

 

[crf450x]

The Bosch ones are pretty decent for the money. They're not fluke obviously but they're worth a look. Not sure on the features.

 

[shteii01]

True RMS is only measured on sinusoidal signals.
Therefore it is useless if you are looking at pulses, square waves, triangular waves, DC.

One feature that I now consider a must have is the backlight. The Fluke 100 series have backlight. Fluke 10 series do not. A couple of other meters that were linked don't have it either so I would not even consider them.

Greenlee meters are usually rebranded Brymen meters.

Klein is not an electronics company or electronic test equipment company. They are just selling somone else's meters. So I would not buy their stuff.

Buy Brymen or Fluke 100 series or Uni-T, in that order. Agilent also has a set of meters in similar feature and price range to Fluke 100 series, might be worth the look.

 

[Miss the Pontiacs]

look into used Flukes
alot of work sites wont let you use older ones due to changes in OSHA standards
so some nice used ones come up for sale.

I have a used Fluke that I might want to sell. At the lake at the moment but can supply you with Model # when I get home. But if you want a real BB gun I have an Armaco U802 at the lake that may take a few back but comes in handy once in awhile.

 

[6PTsocket]

True RMS is only measured on sinusoidal signals.
Therefore it is useless if you are looking at pulses, square waves, triangular waves, DC.

One feature that I now consider a must have is the backlight. The Fluke 100 series have backlight. Fluke 10 series do not. A couple of other meters that were linked don't have it either so I would not even consider them.

Greenlee meters are usually rebranded Brymen meters.

Klein is not an electronics company or electronic test equipment company. They are just selling somone else's meters. So I would not buy their stuff.

Buy Brymen or Fluke 100 series or Uni-T, in that order. Agilent also has a set of meters in similar feature and price range to Fluke 100 series, might be worth the look.

That is not true. For sine waves the ratio of average to RMS is known. RMS= .707 of the peak value. For average it is .64. An average reading meter has it's scale adjusted to read RMS. Once the waveform is not a sine wave the ratio changes and that is where the average reading meter goes wrong. RMS (Root Mean Square) is a better representation of the actual effective voltage than average. A good example would be reading the output of a speed control or dimmer, thst has a piece of each half cycle missing. The RMS will give a useful reading, the average reading meter will not. The same for pulse width control devices. Reading a square wave or sawtooth would would produce very different readings with an average reading meter. The quality of an RMS reading meter can vary, depending on how much waveform distortion it can deal with and still be accurate.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[californiaHank]

True RMS is only measured on sinusoidal signals.
Therefore it is useless if you are looking at pulses, square waves, triangular waves, DC.
.

I know what you're trying to say, but it came out backwards. If the waveform is purely sinusoidal (like household AC), a meter without 'true RMS' circuitry will give exactly the same reading as a 'true RMS' meter. If the sine wave is distorted or chopped, the 'true RMS' meter will give the correct average voltage, where the simpler one will not.

I doubt the OP has any need for a 'true RMS reading' meter for the kind of stuff he wants to do, which is mainly (DC) car stuff and household electrical repairs.

Your comment about backlight is well taken. That's a real useful feature when working in the not-so-well-lit interior spaces of cars.

 

[Biomed]

Likely one is a Simpson 260 !

Simpson 260... that brings back memories. So I did some checking. Seems Simpson is still in business. Now owned by an indian tribe in northcentral Wisconsin. Still selling the Simpson 260. A little pricey however with Simpson 260-8 variants selling from $250 - $350+. You can get a pretty nice Fluke for those $$.

 

[shteii01]

Simpson 260... that brings back memories. So I did some checking. Seems Simpson is still in business. Now owned by an indian tribe in northcentral Wisconsin. Still selling the Simpson 260. A little pricey however with Simpson 260-8 variants selling from $250 - $350+. You can get a pretty nice Fluke for those $$.

Yeah, for that money you can get state of the art Agilent:

U1252B (offer 200, don't pay 225) http://www.ebay.com/itm/Agilent-U1252b-Digital-Multimeter/292140659554

U1253A (OLED screen) http://www.ebay.com/itm/Agilent-U1253A/292147735479

 

[nmk_61802]

I have an AmpProbe 510, I believe it has all the features you are looking for for $45. Really nice meter for the price. I did upgrade the leads to silicon.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007FZFTZO/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[Rarified27]

If another opinion is worth anything...

I started with an analog Craftsman meter, moved to a Greenlee (DM-20, I think), grabbed a Klein MM500 (discontinued, but I love it) and eventually took advantage of a Fluke 115 on sale.

While I'm glad I learned on an analog and now appreciate the auto-range feature of the Fluke, nothing makes me happier about the purchase than the ease of use. I know the 115 isn't on the same level as the 87V and others, but for a homeowner/advanced DIY'r/music teacher who's constantly repairing electronics, it's so much nicer to have something with the Fluke features.

Well worth the money if you can make the investment.

 

[Wamsutta]

Fluke multimeters have a certain quality of feel to them that I can't really put into words. It's like the "we've got your back" type quality that I feel when I pick up a Snap-on tool. Having said that, I'm always using my Harbor Freight multimeter because I don't want to put a scratch on my Fluke meter.

 

[jubilee]

Must have the continuity "beep" feature for me. After that, auto ohm ranging.

 

[K-Dog]

Fluke [/thread]

 

[Mikeybc]

Yeah, Flluke is what I'd get, I bought a little fluke 73-II almost 30 years ago, it sat numerous winters (-40 F some days) in the trunk of the car with the spare tire and has been dropped countless times, It's beat up and ugly but still working fine and still in spec.

For around 90 bucks for a Fluke 15b+ is in my opinion a small price to pay for something that feels nice in your hands, and you'll probably never need to replace it.

 

[Michael_in_DE]

Fluke, even a used one is you're best bet. Better quality from the start, easy access to parts, and accessories, and it holds its value when/if you want to upgrade later.

 

[JohnDeere1]

I would go fluke but I have a Ideal clamp meter and Greenlee multi and paid $1 from my local pawns dollar bin and they both work and look great and suit my needs. I also have a PowerProbe 2 which I've never used but will be handy one day......maybe......
I hope to buy a Fluke soon.

 

[becker_atc]

I still use my Simpson 260 sometimes...

I use mainly a fluke 87 and also a 117 some. Have a pair of fluke amp clamps older and newer. A greenlee D.C. Clamp meter. Fluke earth ground tester and gets more special from there. My fluke 724 should be in next week. These are all owned by work and have to be calibrated yearly by 3rd party.

When I bring one home to use it's generally the 117. Smaller, can fit in back pocket, haven't found anything it can't do at home. Also has a built in non contactvoltage checker. And can be had for about 120-140. Get the magnet, a case and some slip on roach clips.

Only thing I wish it had was temp probe setting for a thermocouple


Sent via message in a bottle

 

[oldtools]

You can get the Brymen 869 for half (~ $230) the price of the Fluke 87V, but the Brymen can do alot more than the Fluke.

 

[Infinia]

You can get the Brymen 869 for half (~ $230) the price of the Fluke 87V, but the Brymen can do alot more than the Fluke.

yeah buts it's not a Fluke.
Only folks that live outside the USA are recommending buying them over a Fluke. I reckon they cant get good deals either. They wont tell you Brymen is essentially gray market gear over here. 'Greenlee' has exclusive market sales agreements in place. I wouldn't recommend it esp. in case you need service or calibration.
Fluke has a lifetime warrantee and many dealers and support, Plus nobody ever got fired for buying Fluke!

 

[Citation]

You can get the Brymen 869 for half (~ $230) the price of the Fluke 87V, but the Brymen can do alot more than the Fluke.

I like Bremen meters a lot. They are my typical recommendation in either Amprobe, Greenlee or Marco branding. If they included 'Touch Hold' they would be a no brainer. Touch hold is just such a useful feature. I wish more meters had it.

 

[decaf]

I see this in a different angle.

I´m also a DIY:er in many cases, but when it comes to electricity its not a question about if you are a DIY:er or not.

Me as a DIY comes across several readings with 400VAC and i can tell you that i have a big problem with using a multimeter from China that costs 20-30 USD in those cases...

Because it is a matter of safty, i wana be sure not to be electrocuted when i measure that kind of power.

So i ended up with these guys:

 

[jdlong]

I have a Fluke clamp meter and one feature I really appreciate is the ability to record inrush current (the start up current a device draws)

 

[Mr_B]

The guy doing basic tests and use to and quite happy with 30 buck meter.
Any wiser choice budget meter like mentioned in this thread going do the job and few of ones mentioned cover OP's meter features perfectly and decent enough for his use.
I never seen or had a meter accident in 3 decades of testing, While I agree anyone doing a lot of mains wants go better meter most people doing basics tests, lot of dc work and just home mains have no need spend big bucks unless that what they want do, Likes of UT210E covers OPs wanted features and the ncv function makes basic home AC testing easy with 20 minutes learning to get use to using meter .
I got meters from fluke to kyoritsu to uni-t and all have a role to play in .

 

[Citation]

No doubt Fluke makes a safe meter but so does Brymen. Having used the smaller Brymen meters (Greenlee DM200a and similar) vs the Fluke 117 and similar the Brymen wins in my book. For higher end meters I like the 187 and 87-5 better than the big Brymens. Currently I have a 187 and a Greenlee 820a. The 187 is the nicer meter but probably not as robust.

 

[decaf]

Just saying, word of advice...

Check this guy out, he knows what he is talking about
And this is a test of cheaper multimeters:

Buying guide for beginners:

 

[Brownsfan]

I see this in a different angle.

I´m also a DIY:er in many cases, but when it comes to electricity its not a question about if you are a DIY:er or not.

Me as a DIY comes across several readings with 400VAC and i can tell you that i have a big problem with using a multimeter from China that costs 20-30 USD in those cases...

Because it is a matter of safty, i wana be sure not to be electrocuted when i measure that kind of power.

So i ended up with these guys:

Sorry to break the news to you but that fluke 115 is made in China. The 233 is USA. For what I do the 233 would be a great asset. It's on my to buy list. The 115 is a decent meter for the price. But when I compared it to the Klein mm2000 I bought. The Klein won. The Klein is made in Korea for what that's worth. It's going on 5 years with the Klein. Not one issue and it's been great. Compared readings to my friends fluke. Reading was exactly the same.

 

[decaf]

Sorry to break the news to you but that fluke 115 is made in China. The 233 is USA. Forbear I do the 233 would be a great asset. It's on my to buy list. The 115 is a decent meter for the price. But when I compared it to the Klein mm2000 I bought. The Klein won. The Klein is made in Korea for what that's worth. It's going on 5 years with the Klein. Not one issue and it's been great. Compared readings to my friends fluke. Reading was exactly the same.

I know its made in China,
and i also know which components it has inside, so i can be safe when i use it...

 

[Brownsfan]

The 115 is definitely a good meter. For me the Klein won because of the features for the money. Truth be told the Klein was supposed to be a stop gap until I could buy a fluke 179. That was 5 years ago. Been so impressed with it I never replaced it.