Digital multimeter

[Bob - MI]

We use Fluke meters at the shop and they are nice units. I am thinking about getting a new unit for home use and thought that I might want quality beyond what we see at Harbor Freight or some of the lower end items at Menard's. Wondering if Greenlee and Klein are better units or if there's something better for the occasional homeowner user.

Thanks in advance guys!

 

[Steve@Advance]

Greenlee and Klein are good, commercial duty tools.

They are also expensive!

But, you are much better off buying a good meter, you life can literally depend on it!

The problem with the cheap meters is the leads. They are very wimpy, tend to break inside the insulation, give intermittent false readings.

Might look on Ebay, Amazon, see if you can find a good used one. Just watch the return option just in case. But I have bought some high dollar/quality meters for very good prices.

 

[NC Wayne]

I recently bought a Klein from Home Depot. It wasn't that expensive compared to say a Fluke, but it seems to be a good quality meter.

I've also had Fluke and Fieldpiece meters that I bought in pawn shops. They have all been good meters, and lasted me for years until they got dropped, etc in use. Price wise I don't think you can get a better deal on a high quality meter than from a pawn shop.

 

[Mike(NEOhio)]

I have a GB brand from a true value store, less than $40. I like it and use it a lot. As said, the leads are short and chintzy and didn't last too long. Found a universal set at home dweebo that are longer, heavier and have screw-on alligator clips that are real handy.

 

[kcm.MN]

I bought a low-cost meter couple years back. Also invested in a set of quality leads. The original leads were crap, but the new leads make it a darn good unit. However, if I were to buy another one now, I'd probably spend another $20-30 on the meter.

I wouldn't worry too much about spending a lot. If you buy from Amazon, just look at the ratings and read the reviews. I have a total of about $43 + tax invested in the meter and leads combined and, for as little as I need them, they work great.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001RENN02/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DW6Q2J3/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I keep the meter and leads in a plastic ammo box, like this one, although I've seen a similar box in HF ads for less:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RCM8153/ref=dp_cerb_2

 

[Geo-TH,In]

I get mine Free from HF. Throw them away
when they go bad. They are good enough
for my purposes. And FREE is a good
price.

 

[Billy Shafer]

Fluke and Simpson are the required meteters. Most techs as I was have to have. Cleaned,checked and certified every year. Greenlee and Klein may or maynot be as good. But they should be fine for your needs.We had to meet a differant standard.

 

[Bob M]

My opinion: Spend a few dollars more and get yourself a Fluke - even a low end one like a model 107.

I have used (and abused...) my Fluke 77 for close 30 years now. It seemed expensive back then. However over the long haul it was money well spent.

 

[Billy Shafer]

I have had a Fluke 77IV. Have had it for about ten years now. It has been well abused. But keeps on going.

 

[Russ from MN]

I have a B&K Precision, it was about $100 25 years ago, has worked well for me. Then I have about 3 cheaper ones scattered around.

 

[Ralph, Ohio]

I have a small Craftsman multimeter that I like. Accuracy & functions are probably a lot like the free HF meters but the case is more rugged & the test leads better quality. Cost is around $15 to $25 depending on sale prices.

 

[jeffcat]

All kinds of advice. I have a Fluke 179 that a company bought me when my original got blown up. Back then it was about $300.oo. This is on Ebay right now. Looks like an outstanding good price! Best thing is the HZ. function. You can set up your standby generator on the nose.

 

[jeffcat]

Here is my power and the frequency.

 

[js305]

We sell Fluke and Klein at the store where I work. Klein is a good meter for the most part. There are many models to choose from though. The ones we suggest are kinda middle of the road, price wise. You need to get one that says "True RMS", no matter what brand it is. That puts the cheapest Klein at about $70 or a little more. The lowest price for a good dependable Fluke would be the Fluke 115 or the 117 at around $200 or so. These are new prices, so Ebay or Amazon or a pawn shop may be the place to go. The Fluke 87V is the top of the line for general purpose but way overkill for most of us. It has a limited lifetime warranty along with many of the other upper end Flukes. Run over it and you still have to pay.

It's been mentioned that digital meters don'e do too well with old tractors. Not the case with any of my Fluke meters. I don't know about cheaper ones, as I have never tried one.

It is really important to have the best you can afford if you are going to bet your life on it being accurate, etc. New leads every few years, even if your old ones look OK, check/change the battery once a year, even though they will last a lot longer. And keep it in a case that will keep it clean and dry.

So, if you can luck onto one at a pawn shop or garage sale look for a Fluke 117,115, 177, 179, 83, 87(any series). These are all still being made. Older ones like the 77, 29, are still good but have a lot of years on them and some of these last ones may not be true RMS either.

All of this is from my personal experience, and taken from the experiences of customers.

 

[Tony in SD]

For my communications engineering work i always use the best test equipment i can buy.. Our test results have to be the most accurate they can be. A few times I was told my that results were wrong. So I asked to use their test equipment and compare results. The management decided my results were accurate since their test equipment couldn?t produce repeatable results. That said for personal use, a middle of the line meter should serve you just fine most of the time. As stated before a "True RMS? meter would be my choice especially if you are setting generator speeds.

 

[David G]

Spend the money and buy a Fluke, one of mine is 30 years old and still working great.

I also have no trouble using this meter on old equipment, got rid of all my analog meters.

 

[M-MAN]

I have both Fluke and Amprobe. To be honest I like the Amprobe better. It's not more or less accurate just more user friendly to me. You'll find the Amprobe more prevalent in the HVAC field which is where I use mine the most. Both brands have held up good for me even with some rough handling.

 

[Hobo,NC]

Most professional multimeters cost around $100 to $150 for a base model and around $400 to $500 for a meter with most of the bells and whistles.

Fluke 115 basic model will do more then the cheaper $40 meters in the low $100 range

Fluke 87 now we are cooking with gas a pro model with bells and whistles. $400

https://www.tequipment.net/Fluke-11...cure-fluke-model-87-voltmeter/7067627212.html

 

[da.bees]

Cost depend's on accurace,durability,number and type functions. Top of the line in all three are seldom necessary for professional use,much less hobby/homeowner use. I have been using the same Radio Shack meter over 30 years for bench work. It is accurate and has far more test features than needed by hvac/electricians and auto mechanics but it's large and isn't suitable for rough handleing. None of those three trades require many functions nor high accurace but absolutely must have a meter that withstands dropping and rough handeling. In my experience,the single most important feature for any use is fuse protectection in the event of being improperly connected. Bottom line is more work can be accomplished by one person that know's how to use a free meter from HF than five people with $500 meters they don't know how to use. Home Depot offer's Klein starting below $50,I highly recommend them.

 

[huntingreen2day2]

(quoted from post at 22:08:29 02/10/20) I get mine Free from HF. Throw them away
when they go bad. They are good enough
for my purposes. And FREE is a good
price.

I have seen HF meters bad out of the box (free ones) get you killed.

 

[Destroked 450]

I've had my Fluke 77 for 24 years, some friends at work would only buy cheap meters, get a new one every year or two, over the years they've paid as much or more replacing cheap meters than I originally gave for my Fluke.
You get what you pay for!

 

[Hobo,NC]

That may be true if you have not keep up with it... I can tell in the next 5 years if you work on cars you are gonna need to upgrade... Even now I can not think of a system on a car that does not use voltage to operate and they will be all electric sooner than you think...