Stay away from this meter.

[TimDaToolMan]

I went to menards today and saw this meter on sale for $34.99. I figured...what the heck, I don't need precision readings, so I bought it.

I needed to remove the meter to install batteries, I had a hell of a time getting the case off. I almost broke the meter in the process.

The meter doesn't take a 9 volt, it takes 2 AAA batteries.

Get the case back on (not easy at all), and took some test measurements.

I went to plug the test leads in, and I noticed a big mistake. The lead holes are not marked. Both are red, instead of ground being black.

So I find a random AA battery and test it. The voltage is all over the place.

In fact, the longer I held the leads to the battery, the higher the voltage got.

Tried the temperature function. Took over a minute for the reading to be stable.

Tried continuity. I'm 20 and have excellent hearing. I could barely hear the beeper.

Disappointed, I tried the backlight. It don't work!

Needless to say, I'm gonna return this meter. I only bought it because it had good reviews, I guess people who reviewed it don't know what a good meter is.

 

[ddawg16]

I bought my 10 year old son the cheapy HF job...$10 I think.....works fine.....go figure.

 

[Steinmetz]

I went to menards today and saw this meter on sale for $34.99. I figured...what the heck, I don't need precision readings, so I bought it.

I needed to remove the meter to install batteries, I had a hell of a time getting the case off. I almost broke the meter in the process.

The meter doesn't take a 9 volt, it takes 2 AAA batteries.

Get the case back on (not easy at all), and took some test measurements.

I went to plug the test leads in, and I noticed a big mistake. The lead holes are not marked. Both are red, instead of ground being black.

So I find a random AA battery and test it. The voltage is all over the place.

In fact, the longer I held the leads to the battery, the higher the voltage got.

Tried the temperature function. Took over a minute for the reading to be stable.

Tried continuity. I'm 20 and have excellent hearing. I could barely hear the beeper.

Disappointed, I tried the backlight. It don't work!

Needless to say, I'm gonna return this meter. I only bought it because it had good reviews, I guess people who reviewed it don't know what a good meter is.

The "lead holes" look marked to me. From the photo, the lower one is marked common. I can't read the other.

Did you test the battery with the selector set to DC volts?

 

[TimDaToolMan]

Yes. On most meters the ground lead hole is black.

 

[MikeF2316]

Princess Auto had some meters (not auto ranging) on sale a couple of times recently for only $5! Surprisingly, they are remarkably accurate too.

 

[Skin]

I bought my 10 year old son the cheapy HF job...$10 I think.....works fine.....go figure.

The quality of the circuitry and soldering is pretty poor. Yes they work but for how long and for how many drops to the floor. You can get a decent step up by spending ~$50. Even the $20-$30 Craftsman meters are better (or were, haven't opened a newer one up).

 

[TimDaToolMan]

I bought this:

Works great for $61.99. Has a whole bunch of functions, plus non-contact voltage. I would of ended up spending probably the same for a used fluke.

Read some review, people complained the continuity is "too loud". LOL! I want to be able to hear it.

 

[wise]

I got suckered into buying the Snap-On EEDM504D. I think its a great meter and is accurate and does everything I've ever asked it to do, and its tough enough to handle a heavy equipment shop where I constantly lay it down on rough dirty surfaces or zap-strap it to skid-steer window guards etc...

TPI manufacturers the meter, and a tech I work with had the TPI one with amp-clamp, and a few other accessories in a nice kit box with extra leads... and payed less than me!

I really like the meter, its great, but the TPI one is a much better deal.

Also, that meter you bought doesn't seem to have replaceable fuses... atleast I don't see one... Cheap meters often have soldered in fuses which you'd have to source out parts and then resolder the fuse and could easily destroy the meter in the process. You want a meter with proper ceramic fuses which are replaceable. Thing is, a 10A Ceramic Fuse costs nearly as much as the meter you bought!! Its worth it though (more if you work with high voltages) because ceramic fuses will cut off continuity of the circuit no matter the voltage... common glass fuses can actually arc at high voltage and blowup the meter sometimes causing injury. I've never seen that happen, but my electrical teacher in trade school was an electrician and he said that he saw two people with cheap meters get really burned.

 

[Moose-LandTran]

I started off with a Fluke 15b and it was a really great meter for $50, very fast and accurate, did everything i needed at the time.

When i looked at meters i went for the best i could find; a Fluke 289 and surprisingly it wasn't all that expensive, for an absolute top of the line meter that does everything.

Kinda bulky though.

 

[TimDaToolMan]

it dont do temperature.

 

[frankush]

Amprobe still makes a decent meter. You'll be happy with it. Most of the Gardner Bender stuff is junk.

 

[Murphy4570]

I have a Fluke myself. Damn fine multimeter.

 

[Paul Bee]

Fluke now owns Amprobe.

 

[SKAutomotive]

I started off with a Fluke 15b and it was a really great meter for $50, very fast and accurate, did everything i needed at the time.

When i looked at meters i went for the best i could find; a Fluke 289 and surprisingly it wasn't all that expensive, for an absolute top of the line meter that does everything.

Kinda bulky though.

600.00 is pretty pricey...

 

[Super Sport]

For home use, no need to spend of $100 on one of these. Flukes are great, and at work that's all we use, but at home they don't work any better than my cheap Craftsman/Extech.

 

[AV tinker er]

Yes. On most meters the ground lead hole is black.

If they are not marked and you have the leads swapped you will just read the opposite voltage. I cannot see much household stuff where reading -5 VDC instead of 5VDC is going to make a difference. If you were reading AC it will still read as positive. That fact that is it not black is something a sharpie can easily fix.

 

[AV tinker er]

I have a Fluke myself. Damn fine multimeter.

I had to purchase one when I was required to supply my own tools. I am thankful I own my Fluke.

 

[shoturtle]

I have 2 flukes, and they are excellent meters, but there are less expensive but still good meters out there for someone that do not need a high end meter. But I would not buy el-cheapo, especially if you are planning to do anything more more demanding then measuring the voltage on a battery.

 

[Dick in Wisconsin]

What is everyone's opinion on Gardner-Bender? Good, bad, or indifferent.

 

[TimDaToolMan]

Read my thread. Lol. It's a lousy meter.

For the money, and if you don't mind manual range, this one from walmart is $25 and is good.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/14644666?...1=g&wl2=&wl3=21486607510&wl4=&wl5=pla&veh=sem

 

[meowmeows]

If you're looking for a multimeter for home use, check out the UNI-T UT61E. It's an autoranging 22000 count meter.

Here's a thread from some serious electrical hobbyists:
http://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/uni-t-ut61e-multimeter-teardown-photos/

I purchased this meter for around $50 and am happy with it. It has a pretty big cult following as a budget multimeter.

 

[hemifalcon]

Buy a Fluke--it'll be the last one you ever need..

 

[Rico.]

I'm a huge fan of UNI-T multimeters, if you're after a good one on a budget.
For my workshop I bought a UT107 and for the amount of money it cost I am
amazed by it.

As well as the usual stuff, volts, amps, continuity, resistance... etc,
for automotive work it also has Tach, Dwell angle, Duty cycle, frequency
and Temperature and a good backlight. It's also very sturdy with large digits
and it cost me the equivalent of $45.

UNI-T have a huge range and IMHO they are the best value meters out there.


UT107

 

[SCscoutguy]

I have the very basic Fluke and I also have a Greenlee DM-510 which I find myself using more than the Fluke. Any idea who makes this meter for Greenlee?