multimeters

Harbor Freight also has some good DVMs in the $25 to $40 USD range.

(I buy them 10 at a time and just give them to people who want to borrow a digital multimeter and I never worry about getting them back.)

I had designed a Process Tunnel Pizza Oven, on the day of start-up. a contractor or employee of the customer borrowed my meter. brought it back and laid it on the ovens conveyor belt..........right before start up. Whats that smell.......

I personally double checked inside and out twice (Oven 72" x 100ft) before the start up, for all clear. He must have laid it on the belt when purge was already on..

From then on, I have a extra H/Fmeter in my tool pouch for such just an occasion.

GA

p911

For that matter, one can often find a decent multimeter at the local pawnshop for less than half of it's retail price. This is where I got my own. Yes, it is a Fluke. Retail $300, I got it for less than $80. Well worth the price.

where else

ebay

We have a very good emerging brand for Meters in India called RISHABH they have very large range of measurement devices plz refer to : http://www.rishabh.co.in/ if you need to export it to you we can arrange for it contact me at : azmat.baig@electspectrum.com (00919764694055)

Metex, B&K, Extech are all fairly decent. Not as well made as Fluke, but a lot cheaper. I'll have to check out the Indian ones - who distributes them?

However, while we're on the subject: Could somebody please tell the meter manufacturers that I don't want autorange or auto off (It's OK if I can over-ride these), but I do want data hold. I am a grown person and can remember to turn the darn thing off; I hate being in the middle of a complicated measurement and look up to check the voltage and the %^%@@# meter has turned off. Likewise, I may want to choose the range for a particular resolution, even a lower one (I can read numbers from 2 meters away, but not always the decimal point).

But, I do find sometimes that I'm in a tight spot, or a hard to see spot, and I want to be able to go back down the ladder before looking closely at the meter.

In other words, please build meters for people who know how to use them, not for idjits that don't.

I've had pretty good luck with a B+K Precision Multimeter purchased at Fry's. I bought it when my Fluke died at around age 20. I did have to re-solder a battery connecting lug that broke of the circuit board of the B+K while changing batteries. My favorite transistor tester for many years is also a B+K.

Now about that auto-off: You must be a younger adult than I! I frequently forget to turn them off. I have a small pen-like meter that uses 2-LR44 batteries. The last time I installed batteries, a month or two ago, I used it once. The next time I looked, it was on and dead. I don't know whether I left it on or perhaps the switch got joggled in my tool bag... It would be nice if you could set the auto-off time to 2 or more settings, but I definitely need the function.

I also have a Fluke which is auto-ranging, but it can be set it to a specific range and it stays at that range.

Of course you can wind up like me and my auto-off calipers. It takes about a half hour cycle, so I (being somewhat obsessive) have to go open the case later to see if they really did!

I've had good luck with Triplett equipment. Maybe not as durable as some of the other brands mentioned but if you are not a heavy user working in agressive applications it may be okay for you.

Multimeters from Sleepy,

My beef is with the leads that are or are not supplied.

You generally get one set of leads which will probe a circuit, but try and measure some thing larger and - go buy some more leads the chances are you have to buy new leads 'cause the new device has different connectors to the last one!

Grrrrrrrr

Sleepy

build one. google DIY multimeter shematics, and make it hapent.

I am lucky enough to possess a Fluke, tested and checked for accuracy. I don't want to either lend it or use it outside etc., so I have picked up some cheaper ones over the years and checked them against the Fluke, you would be amazed at just how accurate these cheap ones are.....The variations are often confined to the second or third digit behind the decimal point, for example 2.554 and 2.556 or 2.553. Not enough to worry me on a volts range though.

Restances are easily checked out, especially if you buy a range of them with 1% accuracy....

Good enough for government work.....!

You could even build a simple calibration unit (there are some circuits on the web) and check out the meters accuracy before purchase, or even write a short correction table after purchase.....just to make sure that the errors are within your requirements.....if you do not have access to a known accurate meter....

Best of luck

There is no "equivalent" brand. That would be like saying you are looking for an equivalent brand for Mercedes. There is just no "equivalent... There are many cheap trashy copies though.

Try:

www.beeinstruments.com

Greetings.

I suggest the Sears Craftsman Multimeter. It does all the normal things and has DC Clamp on Amps as well as AC Clamp on Amps. It does temperature ( comes with a plug in probe) does frequency and has a audible tone for continuity. I got mine for about $70.00 a couple of years ago. Best buy around.

Have agreat day.

You have to check also the category of security of that multimeter, if you try to work in the industry, whit motors, transformers, generators or something else, probably you need a multimeter with security certificated of CAT III .......... or CAT IV , if you work at home with small circuits probably dont need any category of security

Check out these other threads on multimeters.

http://cr4.globalspec.com/thread/42288/multimeter-help

http://cr4.globalspec.com/thread/29809/It-s-Time-for-a-New-DVM

http://cr4.globalspec.com/thread/19795/NEWBIE-Multitester-Opinions-and-some-other-questions

And there are quite a few more.

As I've said before I've had cheap multimeters for over 20 years which have never been calibrated and still read the same as an expensive calibrated meter. But for me the issue is not absolute accuracy: I find meters with higher resolution (OK as long as they're reasonably linear) much more useful than those with higher absolute accuracy.

Depends of course on what you're going to do with it. Lots of the really cheap ones include capacitance now. Also you might want to look for H_fe (transistor tester) and frequency (though I've never found a use for frequency, some do).

Try Hioki of Japan Products. Model 3256 Hitester sounds good as a general handy DMM instrument. Check Hioki Web pages for more information and nearest distributor to your location or write me at fravartish1st@gmail.com.

If you wanna avoid mail order hassles...I have found very good value and ruggedness in meters at Sears. Plus, very good instruction manuals are made available. I was expecially impressed with one model in which it would measure amps directly at high levels 30+DC...much simpler and more reliable than having to measure indirectly through ground. Also large readout.