Which multimeter?

Many engineers I know including myself have a Fluke (at least one) for 'important work' but when it comes to a 'back-up' meter most I know are happy with the widely available 'no-name' cheapies. They're surprisingly good.

Until you CAN afford a Fluke I wouldn't fret excessively over it.

Graham

No question, a FLUKE is the BEST!

pf

"chrisexv6" a écrit dans le message de news: snipped-for-privacy@e25g2000prg.googlegroups.com...

Thanks for the advice.

So you're saying the cheapo Sperry meters at my nearest HD are pretty decent?

I actually need to get 2 meters.....my dads meter died and I wanted to replace it with something decent (he bought a decent Radio Shack meter back when they actually sold the things!!! auto ranging, etc). And I need one for my limited use. So at least one needs to be decent, auto ranging, etc. Also happens that my dad is an EE.

The only complaints Ive heard about the cheapies is that the readings tend to fluctuate a lot, making it hard to get a "read" on what the value really is.

Thanks again.

-Chris

They're probably fine. Haven't tested those specific meters but the cheap ones are okay for many uses. If you stick with electronics, professionally or as a hobby, you'll acquire one or two or several more (and better) DMMs over time, so don't agonize too much over whether the inexpensive ones are appropriate for any conceivable use.

One possible solution is a Meterman 37XR, a pretty good meter (got one, I like it) from these guys

I have a couple of their previous "free" DMMs (the older models weren't autoranging) that live in the garage and trunk of the car, plus one at the office in place of a sexier personal meter (and I don't get torqued if it is "borrowed").

#disclaimer: just an occasional, and satisfied, customer at Web-Tronics.

Not my experience that fluctuating readings is a general problem with them.

Well.... I don't actually know that meter but I've yet to meet a truly bad one from any supplier !

Right. The combination of one really good meter with a cheapie as back-up is a sound one. Auto-ranging is a must with your serious meter.

I haven't actually seen that myself. As a bonus the cheap meters often also have things like thermocouple inputs at no great expense which can come in useful.

Graham

Well Sears sorta came thru. Last week I had ordered their equivalent of the Extech 470. It was on sale for 79.99 - 40.00 instant discount

- another 10%. After a week of fighting with them about my in-store order that never showed up, they finally got one in stock and gave it to me. For 33 bux, this meter is worth it.

Still need a meter for my dad.....was interested in the Ideal 61-354, True RMS, auto ranging, etc. Cant get it pretty inexpensive, just didnt know if its any better than anything from Home Cheapo or Lowes.

-Chris

one

Sounds like a good buy to me !

True RMS tends to be pretty costly. Unless you know you truly need it, I'd give it a miss.

Graham

You too? I had the exact same fight with Sears (garage door openers) and swore I'd never, ever order anythign from them again. Either they have it in stock, or I shop elsewhere! What a PITA, four weeks of "be here in one to three days" and hundreds of emails all saying basically tough, we take no responsibility!

I canceled my order, went back to the hardware department. There the stuff was on the shelf, picked it up went to the register and bought it that way. Oh wait, when I got to the register, it was all on sale that week--I saved almost 15% over the original order! Cool...

Do you have to go new? If not, there may be some great buys on eBay for high-end meters... You may even find some NIBs that have been sitting for a while.

Actually Ebay is where I found the Ideal meter in question for a good price, 35 bux shipped. Not bad, and its brand new in box.

But! We'll see if Sears keeps up their end again.......my original intention was to get 2 of the 81079 meters, one for me and one for my dad). The original in-store order I placed was cancelled because they were convinced the store didnt have it (yet the store really did have it). Called sears.com last night and, since the meter was in stock online, told them I wanted the same deal I had last week and I wanted them to ship it right to me. Oddly enough, it didnt take much for them to agree!! We'll see if it actually shows up (its now out of stock online).....if it does its a better value than the Ideal, but I might pick up the Ideal just in case (Dad asked for one gift, would be horrible not to get it in time!)

-Chris

Check out the EX830 That is a good all round tool box meter. it comes with carry case and K-type probe along with the built in IR sensor etc..

I suggested that to a friend of mine because he's a basic electrician and auto mechanic.. He loves it..

I really like to have a meter that does capacitance. Often I have to find which end of a cable is broken and by measuring the capacitance from each end I can tell without tearing both ends of the cable apart. My Fluke will measure down to a few pF and it is a really great feature to have.

Good insulation is a must. My friend was measuring AC voltage in a 3 phase panel and he got an arc from a screw on the case the the panel case. Not a pretty site. Now he doesnt use cheap meters either.

If it works its a FLUKE.

Jimmie

yeah, I just got my self a FLuke 289 meter.