Use for free HF meters

[Danglerb]

I used one coupon for a HF free meter and tossed in my toolbox for use maybe someday since I have several good quality meters and never looked at it again. I finally saw a use for them and may pick up a few more. Not the obvious tire chocks, but for bench tests where its handy to line up three or four and monitor several currents and voltages at the same time.

Now I could see putting four of them mounted to my bench shelf and powered with a single wall wart instead of batteries.

 

[Ign]

My local pawn shop has one for sale for $10 LOL

 

[tjmonsen5]

I keep one in my road bag, might come in handy someday.

 

[Farmall450]

Pictures???

 

[comedyman809]

i use them for inner trash bag weights.

 

[Provincial]

I keep one in each of my trucks and also one at a remote shop building. They have come in handy a few times by avoiding the need to go dig out my good meter.

I replace the batteries with a good one before I put them into use. The HF batteries tend to go bad and leak.

Accuracy seems good enough for general automotive and home repairs.

 

[Farmall 1066]

Been wondering myself. Bought a beer flat box of them for $1 at an auction last month. All I wanted was a Snap-On crimper in the box! They all work too. Think there are literally a dozen of them!

 

[erty67]

I keep one in my mobile box. If it disappears, oh well. Meanwhile I definitely have put it to use.

 

[cheechi]

Free 9v battery.

I have one in each vehicle and use them as giveaways.

 

[RV77]

Target practice with your favorite firearm ?

 

[Kev442]

I've only had one that was grossly inaccurate. Damn handy to have one in each vehicle. Alternator is starting to whine in the DD, verified 14.5 volt output matched the gauge in less than one minute.

 

[RedneckWelder]

I buy them for my guys at work. All we're troubleshooting is very basic household electrics and they are more than good enough for that, plus cheap enough that when they stop working, get lost, etc (as is common with company tools) it's not a sting in the wallet to replace. I'd LIKE to buy my guys better tools but budgetary constraints and the way tools get treated I cannot.

If you need a cheap, accurate enough meter for very basic tasks, they excel at that. Wouldn't want to have to troubleshoot a complex system or precision stuff with them but for "Well are we getting 120v, nothing, or something in between" they are awesome.

 

[Plombob]

I've got one in the box of test tools I take to the track. If the guys drop it or run over it, I've got two more back at the garage. My nice one stays all snug in her box in the house.

I got one for free that went bad, took it back and they exchanged it!

 

[Danglerb]

Pictures???

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=WAFdy_odmk4

The guy is testing LED flashlight heads or batteries or some such, monitoring voltage, current, temp, and I think light output or maybe voltage on the emitters.

 

[Super Sport]

I keep one in the glovebox of each vehicle. Might come in handy one day...

 

[chris142]

I have one i use at work. Its dc range reads within .03v of my fluke

 

[sgrammel]

one in the kitchen 'junk drawer' in case I want to see if that AA battery is any good

 

[cheechi]

I know it's nit picky but a volt meter isn't a battery tester.

 

[atwageman]

I would fire my techs if they had one of these as part of their work tools.

 

[spacedoutbob]

Substitute Baseball? Only good for one hit though.

 

[Greatbear]

I keep them in the camper, in the trucks, a couple unopened ones for "permanent loaners" or little gifts. I check each one for calibration, so far every one met specs aside from one with a bad display, not bad for about 8 or 9 of them.

I have enough "good" DMMs for taking lots of simultaneous readings.

 

[djb2]

I know it's nit picky but a volt meter isn't a battery tester.

These have a specific battery tester setting. So, yes, they are battery testers.

I still measure the battery voltage, as that seems to be a better indicator.

The main feature they are missing is a audio continuity indicator.

We've had six or eight lined up when testing a motor controller. It's nice to be able to monitor all the supply voltages and currents and not worry about blowing them up.

 

[monomach]

I would fire my techs if they had one of these as part of their work tools.

They're certainly not fancy or pretty, but they're functional and accurate, so you would have fired a guy for using a tool that worked. Good job. Now pay him for that wrongful termination.

There's nothing wrong with having two or three of these in a box. I prefer to have a better one and these as backups, but I've seen a couple of guys get by with just these until they were in a position to buy something better.

 

[Skin]

They're functional and accurate, so you would have fired a guy for using a tool that worked.

They might work but they're still garbage. Open one up and see for yourself. They just hire people off the street to solder the boards by the looks of things.

 

[monomach]

They might work but they're still garbage. Open one up and see for yourself. They just hire people off the street to solder the boards by the looks of things.

Doesn't matter, though. They're free. You can have a whole drawer of them if you want. Something comes loose and yours stops functioning? Open up another one.

If he were to fire a guy for using a tool that worked just because he didn't like it, he'd quickly be unemployed himself.

Like I said, I prefer to just have a couple as emergency backups, but I've seen guys use them for work and they did ok.

 

[cheechi]

OK there's another use. Solder/desolder practice for beginner guys.

 

[zkling]

I've played with a few of them. Most are spot on with my calibrated meters, but, like many meters I wouldn't trust one without checking it against a known standard. For quick battery/alternator problems, continuity testing, or rough AC household voltage checks sure no problem.

I would fire my techs if they had one of these as part of their work tools.

That is pretty ignorant. I'd rather have someone that knows how to use a multimeter with a HF meter. Than a person with a Fluke and doesn't know how to use it.

I know it's nit picky but a volt meter isn't a battery tester.

And not to nit pick, but technically we are talking about a multimeter, not just a volt meter. In which case some multimeters have both a volt meter and battery testing function.

 

[Skin]

If he were to fire a guy for using a tool that worked just because he didn't like it, he'd quickly be unemployed himself.

I don't really agree. HF has a track record of selling some serious ****. Would you want a guy working on your vehicle with **** tools? How about working on the aircraft you're about to fly in? HF cant even produce a decent pair of pliers, why the hell would you want your employees using their meters?

Not like a decent meter costs a lot. $30-$40 would get you something worlds better.

Most importantly im guessing you've never seen what a really cheap meter does when it fails. Instead of popping a fuse it catches fire, in some cases quite spectacularly. Also I personally wouldn't hold the leads of a free multimeter when its my life and a risk of injury on the line. The last is probably the best, and certainly legitimate, reason for a work place to not want their employees to use them.

 

[cheechi]

I don't really agree. HF has a track record of selling some serious ****.

But in fairness, GJ has a track record of sorting through the **** in threads like this.

 

[nicksnothereman]

I used one coupon for a HF free meter and tossed in my toolbox for use maybe someday since I have several good quality meters and never looked at it again. I finally saw a use for them and may pick up a few more. Not the obvious tire chocks, but for bench tests where its handy to line up three or four and monitor several currents and voltages at the same time.

Now I could see putting four of them mounted to my bench shelf and powered with a single wall wart instead of batteries.

They don't send me free coupons that much. Not a regular bro.

Those multimeters work though. I have one. Not my main one (I've got another cheap one I use) but I use it around the house for appliances.

 

[Skin]

But in fairness, GJ has a track record of sorting through the **** in threads like this.

A lot of people underestimate how dangerous electricity is. Depending on what you're measuring you could quite easily be connecting your leads to something that can kill you. Just trying to get the point across that just because it was free and works does not make it good or safe.

 

[monomach]

I don't really agree. HF has a track record of selling some serious ****. Would you want a guy working on your vehicle with **** tools? How about working on the aircraft you're about to fly in? HF cant even produce a decent pair of pliers, why the hell would you want your employees using their meters?

Not like a decent meter costs a lot. $30-$40 would get you something worlds better.

Most importantly im guessing you've never seen what a really cheap meter does when it fails. Instead of popping a fuse it catches fire, in some cases quite spectacularly. Also I personally wouldn't hold the leads of a free multimeter when its my life and a risk of injury on the line. The last is probably the best, and certainly legitimate, reason for a work place to not want their employees to use them.

They also have a track record of selling good tools that have made people money in a professional setting. I've made a good amount of money working on other peoples' vehicles using HF tools; you just have to buy the ones that are ok and not buy the ones that aren't.

Everyone's got **** and gems, even the stuff guys on trucks push on us.

I've seen these work fine and get guys paid, but I haven't seen one burn anyone's hand off. I don't think so, anyway; seems like something I'd remember.

 

[pedrodagr8]

They also have a track record of selling good tools that have made people money in a professional setting. I've made a good amount of money working on other peoples' vehicles using HF tools; you just have to buy the ones that are ok and not buy the ones that aren't.

Everyone's got **** and gems, even the stuff guys on trucks push on us.

I've seen these work fine and get guys paid, but I haven't seen one burn anyone's hand off. I don't think so, anyway; seems like something I'd remember.

Personally I enjoy most harbor freight tools. Their multimeter selection though is NOT safe and frankly other than this one (which is commonly called a D830) they are overpriced. That being said if you know it's not safe to use on mains voltages, it's fully fine to use in an automotive environment. The internal resistance is enough to handle the low voltage dc. Mains though, no way. The tolerances between traces are way too narrow. Inductive loads in particular can cause real issues as the field collapse can generate a high voltage which can arc over rendering the fuse useless. I have seen these meters with the probe tips melted and damaged. Though I haven't known anyone injured.

Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk

 

[uart]

It sounds like those HF multimeters are very similar to these ones on ebay. About $2.50 plus $2 shipping from China. http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/New-LCD-...71289420839?pt=AU_Gadgets&hash=item3f2a1c0c27

No HF here, but I've actually got one of those little meters that I pick up for a few dollars from a junk store. Personally I wouldn't use one of these on mains voltages (well not unless I had no other choice), but they're perfect for keeping in the car for any incidental trouble shooting (battery or alternator voltages, continuity etc).

 

[RedneckWelder]

It sounds like those HF multimeters are very similar to these ones on ebay. About $2.50 plus $2 shipping from China. http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/New-LCD-...71289420839?pt=AU_Gadgets&hash=item3f2a1c0c27

No HF here, but I've actually got one of those little meters that I pick up for a few dollars from a junk store. Personally I wouldn't use one of these on mains voltages (well not unless I had no other choice), but they're perfect for keeping in the car for any incidental trouble shooting (battery or alternator voltages, continuity etc).

That's them, they are just different case color (red for HF)

 

[Danglerb]

A free Harbor Freight meter is not what I would suggest as main tool, or even a backup main tool. Mostly due to the test leads which can be VERY poor.

The idea is that a free meter can actually be useful. Using several to monitor different points in a circuit at the same time can be a serious problem solver. They are a huge step above no meter. Zero concern if you drop one, lose one, or blow one up.

Here is a test of current accuracy one of the budgetlightforum guys made, link to thread on a tear down and general test of the meters.

http://budgetlightforum.com/node/25355

 

[uart]

Do HF ever sell those meters (and if so how much), or are they strictly a free with coupon deal?

 

[jacked_72]

I love the meters. I've got a few and used one daily for about a year. No complaints on a free item. They'll sell them for $5-9 depending whether they are on sale. This is my favorite freebie from HF. The worst freebie is the screwdriver set. Second best freebie is the tape measure. I don't care for the free led light, but when our power went off for three days, it was pretty useful.

 

[AV tinker er]

Checking for power is fine, but don't expect very accurate results. The amperage settings are **** as the fuse usually blows well below rating. Also the ohm function "works" but I checked several resistors and they were consistently off by a rather large number. So they work but don't expect accurate results. It is mush better to use a Hf meter to verify power than to stick your tongue on two bear wires.... Just sayin

 

[logixjock]

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