Inexpensive, fairly good DMMs?

[D60]

Most of the Snappy meters I've seen in my pawn shops are allegedly TPI. As I understand it they're "ok".

OP didn't start the thread saying "I need the best, most accurate and amazing DMM." Thus it seems to me a rebadged TPI would fit the bill if the price were right (they hover around $100 here but obviously options vary and can greatly affect price).

But I dunno.....everyone should buy what makes them happy (shrug)

 

[chris719]

Clearly you know very little about what you are talking about. As a qualified tradsman I use Fluke and Klein meters. Klein meters are not junk.

I am an EE and design electronics. I didn’t say they are junk but they are outsourced and nothing special. I’ve taken apart and repaired dozens of meters. I think I know a bit more about DMMs than most.

 

[DemoFly]

I’ve been using an innova 3320 professionally for 20 years. I’ve bought a bunch of leads for it, but I still prefer how small and easy to read it is.

I’ve found I don’t need kwire or dwell or anything else. I have dedicated amp clamps, IR thermometer instead of kwire. I’ve never needed a better multimeter.

 

[Vercingetorix]

I love my Snap On with Bluetooth. Meter in the engine compartment, display on my phone inside the car.

 

[nthach]

Clearly you know very little about what you are talking about. As a qualified tradsman I use Fluke and Klein meters. Klein meters are not junk.

A friend who does low-voltage installs(CCTV, intrusion and life safety) swears by Klein as well.

It’s a hard decision between the Klein and UEI.

 

[chris719]

A friend who does low-voltage installs(CCTV, intrusion and life safety) swears by Klein as well.

It’s a hard decision between the Klein and UEI.

Most electricians and low voltage techs have very limited requirements for a multimeter. Klein is basic outsourced Chinese stuff and they don't even have 1/100th of the capability of high end Agilent/Keysight, Fluke, Keithley, or even Gossen meters. Those brands also produce metrology-grade equipment. They are not tool brands.

 

[Pablo]

A friend who does low-voltage installs(CCTV, intrusion and life safety) swears by Klein as well.

It’s a hard decision between the Klein and UEI.

My old UEI refuses to die.

Yeah I have "tried" to kill it!!

 

[chris719]

Most of the Snappy meters I've seen in my pawn shops are allegedly TPI. As I understand it they're "ok".

OP didn't start the thread saying "I need the best, most accurate and amazing DMM." Thus it seems to me a rebadged TPI would fit the bill if the price were right (they hover around $100 here but obviously options vary and can greatly affect price).

But I dunno.....everyone should buy what makes them happy (shrug)

You can get a Uni-T meter that is just as good as any of those. Why pay for a used outsourced Chinese meter like a Snap-On or Klein where you are only paying for the name on the plastic. Unless you are stepping up to an actual quality device like a Fluke or Keysight meter then I would just get the Uni-T or Brymen as a step up.

 

[D60]

You can get a Uni-T meter that is just as good as any of those. Why pay for a used outsourced Chinese meter like a Snap-On or Klein where you are only paying for the name on the plastic. Unless you are stepping up to an actual quality device like a Fluke or Keysight meter then I would just get the Uni-T or Brymen as a step up.

You seem extremely knowledgeable and I'm sure you are correct. I bow to your superior knowledge.

 

[chris719]

You seem extremely knowledgeable and I'm sure you are correct. I bow to your superior knowledge.

Yeah I mean I'm only an engineer and designed my own micro-voltmeter in college and have a $50k oscilloscope on my desk at work, but what do I know compared to wrench companies?

 

[4329]

Yeah I mean I'm only an engineer and designed my own micro-voltmeter in college and have a $50k oscilloscope on my desk at work, but what do I know compared to wrench companies?

The OP does not require a high-end high-cost meter and comparing Fluke and other higher cost meters with Uni-t, Klein and others is apples and oranges. It needs to be fully understood that many high-cost meters like some Fluke meters are made in China.

A word of caution: Many meters claim that they conform to their cat rating, this is not true, and I own a Uni-t meter that does not even come close to the stated cat ratings. It is important for the OP to purchase a meter that has independent safety ratings regardless of the brand.

For a mid-range meter Byrmen would be my choice. Uni-t appear to have upgraded their safety rating, however always ensure that the Uni-t that you purchase does have independent testing and not self-approval as per many meters sold on line.

 

[JHZR2]

My preference is fluke. I have a number of US made meters including a clamp version.

When I was testing battery chargers, I bought a set of Owon data logging meters. They’re very good, no complaints. They take AA batteries too, which is a plus.

Logging is very helpful.

There are a lot of $50-ish dc clamp meters (not all cheap clamps do dc) that are worth looking at too.

 

[chris719]

The OP does not require a high-end high-cost meter and comparing Fluke and other higher cost meters with Uni-t, Klein and others is apples and oranges. It needs to be fully understood that many high-cost meters like some Fluke meters are made in China.

A word of caution: Many meters claim that they conform to their cat rating, this is not true, and I own a Uni-t meter that does not even come close to the stated cat ratings. It is important for the OP to purchase a meter that has independent safety ratings regardless of the brand.

For a mid-range meter Byrmen would be my choice. Uni-t appear to have upgraded their safety rating, however always ensure that the Uni-t that you purchase does have independent testing and not self-approval as per many meters sold on line.

Yep, the link I posted earlier has actual testing done to see if they meet their Cat ratings. I agree they don’t need a Fluke but if you’re gonna spend $225 on a Snap-On meter you can probably do better with an electronics focused brand that designs their own meters at least.

I agree with Brymen being a great value. They actually meet their ratings and use better converters and ICs than some others in the price range. BM869S is basically as good or better than Keysight U127x for most uses.

 

[nthach]

I’ve decided on the Uni-T UT139C. The reviews seem to be favorable. I was going to get the one with the amp clamp but I have a Topdon battery tester already.

 

[Dave Hess]

When I want an analog meter (it's more responsive to changing values than a digital instrument), I haul out this tank: https://simpson260.com/260-7/simpson_260-7.htm (site is slow to load, so I attached a picture)

View attachment 203988

We still have some of these at my job.

 

[researcher]

I’ve decided on the Uni-T UT139C. The reviews seem to be favorable. I was going to get the one with the amp clamp but I have a Topdon battery tester already.

hey nthach.. I don't think you'll be disappointed with the UT139C, I've had mine for a couple years now and it's awesome. Sure, you could spend more but for a DIY'er I don't think you have to. I've used it on a couple of circuit boards, then testing out capacitance on the a/c compressor (home) capacitor and it's very accurate.
My last multimeter didn't test capacitance so had to get a newer one (or darn.. a new tool ,lol)..

 

[bchannell]

I've worked with meters almost everyday for more years than I like to admit to. What do I use? I like Klein meters as the best bang for the buck. I use a clamp meter everyday and Klein makes good ones if you go to the higher end ones. They cost around a $100+, so they're not outrageous. Their dmm's are better than a lot of stuff and still very reasonable. Others I'd use, are Ideal, Bryman, Fieldpiece, UEI, and probably others I can't remember, but I now stick with Klein. Are they the best? Well, you'd get a lot of subjective answers there, but they're very good and I don't think anyone can deny that.

 

[wlk]

For basic stuff, I have a cheapy digital one from Harbor Freight, <$10. I have had it for many years and it works well enough. I had the analog one before this one for several years and it worked well. Actually liked the analog one better but dropped it one to many times and it was out of stock when I needed a new one. Probably had them for 15 years in total. I had a Fluke and they are nice but for basic use it was overkill. I gave it to my kid he is an electrician and can use it more than I ever did.