Time for a MULTIMETER

[Greatwhitewing]

Old one is going bonkers. Time to replace. Radio ****/shack...

I sure don't need a $500 Fluke. Want to stay under $150 so I can buy other tools of course..lol

What I need to measure
Household AC circuits, batteries, Having some auto wiring diags would be nice. Continuity and open/closed circuits with a beep. I have never measured current so probably don't need that. Temperature measurement would be "cool".

Pocket sized would be nice as well as one that has positioning options. So many are hard to place in a position to actually read it.

Please offer your suggestions and thanks.

 

[PrecisionTools]

Second hand Fluke

 

[jeepfan93]

Extech, sold through Sears and other outlets.

 

[Mavawreck]

Myself, brother, and father all have one of these. Think they were a stocking gift a few seasons a go. Still going strong and doing everything I need it to do. No temp.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001OM1QJC/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[Greatwhitewing]

Second hand Fluke

\

Never bought used "electronic" stuff before, much risk?

I did find a used Fluke 83 III locally.

 

[Greatwhitewing]

Myself, brother, and father all have one of these. Think they were a stocking gift a few seasons a go. Still going strong and doing everything I need it to do. No temp.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001OM1QJC/?tag=atomicindus08-20

That doesn't seem to be auto-ranging... Sure hate to blow it up on the wrong setting??

 

[Larwyn]

That doesn't seem to be auto-ranging... Sure hate to blow it up on the wrong setting??

Which is why you should pay attention to what you are doing. If the voltage is unknown, just start at the highest range and, if necessary, step down until you get decent resolution. Of course this is assuming that you know that the circuit voltage does not exceed the insulation and capabilities of meter or the test leads, but that precaution applies to auto ranging meters as well.

If shopping for a lower priced meter, auto ranging would be one of the first features I would be willing to do without. In fact, when in the garage, I often use my old Simpson 260 (analog and not auto ranging) even though I have a perfectly functional (and 30 year newer) Fluke 87 sitting on the shelf right beside it.

 

[y20dth]

Which is why you should pay attention to what you are doing. .

X1000

I still prefer my 20yo Metex multimeter I bought for €50 thru a group purchase back at school. It just shows the value right away.
I hate the "thinking-time" and flashing numbers and bar-graphs on an auto)range.

 

[scotte]

fluke 115

 

[JASTECH]

Fluke 8600A

 

[otis66]

ExTech makes a nice meter.
http://www.extech.com/instruments/resources/datasheets/MA620-Kdata.pdf

 

[RECox286]

I've always said: "If it works, its' a Fluke !" (Yeah, that's what I use too.)

Uncle Bob

 

[Brownsfan]

Check out Klein meters at Home Depot. You cant beat $100 for a true rms meter. I have the mm2000 and the high amp ac/dc clamp meter. They are great for the money

 

[awdblazer]

check out ampprobe

 

[Rbreddin]

Check out Klein meters at Home Depot. You cant beat $100 for a true rms meter. I have the mm2000 and the high amp ac/dc clamp meter. They are great for the money

^^
This

I've got one that I've used for 5years , love it...

 

[Greatwhitewing]

Well, I took apart to old radio chit I have and to my utter amazement it's working now!!!

I think the rotary switch contacts might have been dirty.

Anyways saving for this one. Remote reading would be a HUGE feature the way I use my meter.

 

[mr.engineer]

fluke 115

agreed.. Love mine

 

[transittech]

Flukes are great, I have a few, and would highly recommend them. The only detractor I have is the response time on them (or some of them, don't really know which ones) is a little slow. This means if your trying to trouble shoot something like a turn signal, by the time they realize/measure/display voltage the voltage is gone again, so all you really see is the bar graph on the bottom moving. (This is what y20dth was talking about, correct me if I'm wrong) Course, this can be easily solved with a good old test light, but it is one thing to be aware of. The Extech meters should all read instant voltage.

Bottom line, for me Fluke is first choice, but you have to know its limitations.

 

[BrokewrenchLS1]

Fluke, I wouldn't use anything else. We use 87Vs on a daily basis at work, and they are badass meters. We've tried a few Extech DMMs and ammeters, and they all feel junky and cheap compared to a Fluke (and most we've sent for 17025 cal were initially out of range out of the box, while all the Flukes have been dead on).

It might be because the 87V is a higher-end meter, but voltage and current changes have instant response, and impedance is damned near as quick.

The less-expensive Flukes are just as high-quality as the more expensive ones - hard to beat a 115 for $120.

 

[mark40sw]

May want to look at these

Interesting at the first couple minutes of these videos, stating that at certain price point, is that quality of build starts to get better.

I work industrial maintenance with electrical / electronic. I have Fluke meters, seems to be what most use in the industrial settings.

I would not hesitate to use the Extech, Amprobe, BK Precision, Ideal (reviewed in the videos) in industrial settings and would be very good meters for home use. I do own one BK Precision LCR meter and it seems to be very well built.

 

[DekeT]

The Ideal 340 series at Lowes is a good compromise for low cost and features. About $58. Autoranging. I wanted a Fluke 115 too but my limit was $100. Northern tools and Amazon have a bunch of options just under $100.

 

[pop pop]

Old Simpson

 

[PrecisionTools]

Never bought used "electronic" stuff before, much risk?

I did find a used Fluke 83 III locally.

Just the physical condition will tell you if its been looked after or not. If the yellow rubber protective cover looks like its been knocked around, then look for another. There are plenty around that have been looked after because people value them...even if they didn't pay for them. yes, hard to believe I know!

Take a 9V battery with you and check the voltage & current ranges, all the manuals for their old products are on their website so read up, get to know the functions and operation of the particular meter your after and then go and check it out.

If you can find a clean 70 or 80 series, you are set for years to come. That 83 would be nice if its clean, or a 70 series for under $50 are a bargain! The 100 series are good, my 112 is shown below, as is my first meter, the old 12 that I have had for about 20 years, but they had their faults and would be hard to find a clean one of them now. The old 77 is an old dog that I picked up in my travels - still works great!

I would trust the safety of a 20 year old Fluke as opposed to some of the **** on the market now...just my opinion.

 

[71flh]

My Fluke is going on 30 years old... How much is that per year? Then again, they're made in China now

 

[T-Steve]

You can't go wrong with a good used Fluke 70 series. I have been using them over 20 years.

However, for about the last 5 years I've been equipping my techs with Amprobe 34XR-A meters. They work fine and have a backlight, plus a fantastic magnet that holds the meter to the equipment or hood or panel. I wish I could buy a good American meter...

 

[1steve]

My Fluke is going on 30 years old... How much is that per year? Then again, they're made in China now

Not all Flukes are made in China, one way to tell is by the warranty....lifetime warranty is USA made. One and three year is China made, priced accordingly.

 

[nanofrog]

Given the OP's budget and assuming a new unit is desired, I'd recommend considering a UEi DM393. Has all the functions you'd expect at that price, and one or two more, such as True RMS. Quite decent, meet published specs, stable (not prone to drifting), and very rugged.

 

[zoomieport]

IDEAL 61-765, great tool!

 

[Greatwhitewing]

Mark, thanks for the videos, they explained why certain features are worth paying for. The vids were quite long though..

May want to look at these

Interesting at the first couple minutes of these videos, stating that at certain price point, is that quality of build starts to get better.

I work industrial maintenance with electrical / electronic. I have Fluke meters, seems to be what most use in the industrial settings.

I would not hesitate to use the Extech, Amprobe, BK Precision, Ideal (reviewed in the videos) in industrial settings and would be very good meters for home use. I do own one BK Precision LCR meter and it seems to be very well built.

 

[Danglerb]

Plenty of good meters around for $25 to $75. I've never owned a meter with a current clamp (jaw opens to put around a wire, and it measures current without touching the conductor) before buying a Craftsman 82369, and now its my favorite. I measures AC and DC (usually only in MUCH more expensive models) current with the clamp, so it sees a LOT of use around the car.

 

[tomciob]

If you end up getting anything used, pull the fuses and make sure they are the proper spec. Rather than something that will not protect you when needed. I deal with 480vac and 600v servo drives all the time so it could just be paranoia. I own a Fluke 289 and will not consider anything else at my jobs voltage levels.

 

[franzdom]

Does the 289 have tighter safety ratings than the 87V we use on 480V validation at work?

 

[tomciob]

Not as far as I know. Leads are the biggest weak link in the equation (wear and tear). I got it for the data logging features. It is bulky, that is a fact and the continuity buzzer is quiet. Can't hear it from under the hood while in the seat sort of quiet. But I trust it with my life. Also I bought it because my (10 year old) 87 ran away and I thought it was the best time to upgrade. The pros far out weight the cons.

I am the type that will not use a co-workers (ANY brand) meter on live circuits.

My 1 cent on the matter.

Does the 289 have tighter safety ratings than the 87V we use on 480V validation at work?

 

[LGMechanical]

You can also try ES multimeters.

Lots of features for about $100.

 

[Yojinbo]

Search YouTube for "EEVBlog shootout". This will net you a few of Dave Jones' wacky meter reviews. I have learned a lot from watching him.
One video to get you started (you can't stop at one):

Beware 'used' CL, ebay, and flea market meters:
There are a lot of Fluke labeled meters out there that are not Flukes. More then one "global supplier" will sell you a cheap meter with an expensive label. I have seen these at flea markets before. They don't show Fluke on the pics, but when your package arrives from China it may say "Fluke" on the the meter. This is simply following the Ray-Ban, DG, etc brand rip-off business model.
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/xlhwyb004-2-8-lcd-digital-multimeter-black-orange-109464?item=52
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/2-8-lc...e-current-resistance-capacitance-1-6f22-48194
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/2-2-lc...ltage-current-resistance-1-6f22-48195?item=26
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/4070l-2-1-lcd-3-1-2-digital-lcr-multimeter-26768?item=32
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/1-9-lc...t-resistance-temperature-1-6f22-35890?item=34


EDIT: mark40sw beat me to the EEVblog videos. I am embarrassed how much I enjoy listening to him drone on about cheap meters.

 

[gReves]

I've been nothing but impressed with this little meter. Say you get what you pay for or whatever, this has done everything a fluke meter will do for a fraction of the price.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Equus-3320-Innova-Auto-Ranging-Digital-Multimeter/14644666

 

[richfinn]

Given the OP's budget and assuming a new unit is desired, I'd recommend considering a UEi DM393. Has all the functions you'd expect at that price, and one or two more, such as True RMS. Quite decent, meet published specs, stable (not prone to drifting), and very rugged.

I have one of these meters as company issue along with a UEI DL49? current clamp and they are decent value for money (I only work on vehicles though).

I have a Fluke 78 in my own tool kit (which is cherished and a great meter)

I also have an AVO multimeter which is quite good as well

 

[Brownsfan]

I've been nothing but impressed with this little meter. Say you get what you pay for or whatever, this has done everything a fluke meter will do for a fraction of the price.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Equus-3320-Innova-Auto-Ranging-Digital-Multimeter/14644666

I have this in my road tool bag. It is great for the money and it does a lot for the money. I highly recommend it

 

[nanofrog]

Does the 289 have tighter safety ratings than the 87V we use on 480V validation at work?

No. Same CAT ratings at that level.

The difference is in the features.

Search YouTube for "EEVBlog shootout". This will net you a few of Dave Jones' wacky meter reviews. I have learned a lot from watching him.

+1 on EEVBlog = excellent source of information.

I have one of these meters as company issue along with a UEI DL49? current clamp and they are decent value for money (I only work on vehicles though).

UEi does make decent meters that also happen to offer a lot of value (support is where they're likely to fall short - never needed to contact them though, so I can't be certain). BTW, Dave Jones on EEVBlog tested out the DM391 and it fared very well (made the recommended list).

DM393 is the same unit, but adds True RMS for about ~$20 - 30 more, depending on where you buy it (US sources; highly useful IMHO if you work on AC at all).

 

[BrokewrenchLS1]

I've been nothing but impressed with this little meter. Say you get what you pay for or whatever, this has done everything a fluke meter will do for a fraction of the price.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Equus-3320-Innova-Auto-Ranging-Digital-Multimeter/14644666

What you pay for with the good meters like Flukes is that they have high resolution, high accuracy, don't drift, and maintain tight calibration requirements (out of 4 Fluke 87Vs, not one has ever come back being found out of cal, and we have very narrow ranges for all of the functions of the meter at work).

One thing to watch with some cheaper meters is that they don't actually have a real fuse in the ammeter section of the board - the cheap Craftsman meter I have in my car has a maximum measurement time of 10 seconds with the ammeter, or you'll burn components off the board and won't have an ammeter any more. It's 61010 compliant, sure, but that doesn't make me feel any better about measuring current without a fuse in the circuit.