So it's settled. Consensus has it that The Critic should buy a Fluke 120 Series ScopeMeter as well as a HF disposable multimeter to loan to friends. That should have all the bases covered 
Actually, I agree with the view that it comes down to whether it will get much use in the future for other projects. If this is a one time project and all you need is something to tell you 0V or 12V, then anything will do. However, if one knows that they will get significant use out if in the future, then take some time to seek out something you can trust and won't frustrate you during use.
I have used my Fluke 77 for so many projects over the years that I don't ever regret paying a hefty sum for it back in the 80's when I purchased it. It has been used for house wiring, automotive work, diagnosing micro-controllers, etc, over the decades.
To The Critic, one thing to keep in mind especially as you own a Hybrid vehicle, do you think you will ever be measuring some of the higher voltages that you might encounter in those vehicles. At that point safety becomes an issue so you might want a meter that has a bit of a track record. (Heck even 220V makes me nervous.) I'm not sure I would trust my cheaper meters with their skimpy leads even though they supposedly can handle the voltage. Another thing to ask yourself, are you the type of borderline OCD person who, like many on the candlepowerforums, cares if their li-ion battery chargers terminates at 4.20V (nominal) or 4.25 (just slightly overcharged.) If so, then again, you might want to consider something a little bit better than the $5 yellow/red manual range meters.
To everyone else, since this is BITOG where everyone confesses their "stash" collections, here is my current multimeter stash:
Fluke 77
Extech 430
Generic Chinese Fluke clone under the name of Circuit-Test
Agilent 34401A bench meter
Kleton M320 (also can be found sold under the Mastech, Apeco, etc, brands)
(Might be a Radio Shack analogue meter in the collection. Can't remember if I donated that one or not.)
BTW, the M320 is actually pretty good for a disposable/glovebox type multimeter. It is auto-ranging and the one I have at least is pretty accurate when compared against my Fluke and Agilent meters. It's only real downside is that the auto-ranging is slow (but still better than trying to reach for a dial to change ranges when both hands are being used to hold the test leads onto something that requires some finesse, ie surface mount components), limited current measurement capability (400mA max), and the leads are kind of short. But, if you only have $20 to spend on a meter, it's not bad.
Now what's in your multimeter stash?
David
Actually, I agree with the view that it comes down to whether it will get much use in the future for other projects. If this is a one time project and all you need is something to tell you 0V or 12V, then anything will do. However, if one knows that they will get significant use out if in the future, then take some time to seek out something you can trust and won't frustrate you during use.
I have used my Fluke 77 for so many projects over the years that I don't ever regret paying a hefty sum for it back in the 80's when I purchased it. It has been used for house wiring, automotive work, diagnosing micro-controllers, etc, over the decades.
To The Critic, one thing to keep in mind especially as you own a Hybrid vehicle, do you think you will ever be measuring some of the higher voltages that you might encounter in those vehicles. At that point safety becomes an issue so you might want a meter that has a bit of a track record. (Heck even 220V makes me nervous.) I'm not sure I would trust my cheaper meters with their skimpy leads even though they supposedly can handle the voltage. Another thing to ask yourself, are you the type of borderline OCD person who, like many on the candlepowerforums, cares if their li-ion battery chargers terminates at 4.20V (nominal) or 4.25 (just slightly overcharged.) If so, then again, you might want to consider something a little bit better than the $5 yellow/red manual range meters.
To everyone else, since this is BITOG where everyone confesses their "stash" collections, here is my current multimeter stash:
Fluke 77
Extech 430
Generic Chinese Fluke clone under the name of Circuit-Test
Agilent 34401A bench meter
Kleton M320 (also can be found sold under the Mastech, Apeco, etc, brands)
(Might be a Radio Shack analogue meter in the collection. Can't remember if I donated that one or not.)
BTW, the M320 is actually pretty good for a disposable/glovebox type multimeter. It is auto-ranging and the one I have at least is pretty accurate when compared against my Fluke and Agilent meters. It's only real downside is that the auto-ranging is slow (but still better than trying to reach for a dial to change ranges when both hands are being used to hold the test leads onto something that requires some finesse, ie surface mount components), limited current measurement capability (400mA max), and the leads are kind of short. But, if you only have $20 to spend on a meter, it's not bad.
Now what's in your multimeter stash?
David
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