Show Me Your DMM!

[sweatyk]

I am looking to replace my old DMM and want to know what you guys use. I have had mine for almost 25 years and it has served me well till lately. Probably not the meter but the leads seem to have built up a resistance throwing things off. For some reason it has been difficult to find a replacement set locally that fit. Mine seems to take an older style that the new ones snap into. I'm looking for recommendations. If anyone suggest Fluke please be specific of what model and why. So folks post a picture of your DMM with the brand and model number and let's see what ya got!

[soundguruman]

I bought Fluke 87 at a garage sale for $5. It was covered in grease and dirt.
Several hours of cleaning later, I have a "really"nice meter. I cleaned up the selector switch with Deoxit G 100.
It works perfecto, every function works. That's what you call luck.
Above all, garage sales, estate sales, thrift shops rule !


It's not "quite" as good as winning the lottery.

I like Analog meters quite a bit, and spent $6.50 on an RCA volt ohmist VTVM. Another great meter for just a little pocket change.
I consider Analog just as useful as any DMM. I use both types every day.

Radio Shack has also had some pretty good meters for a pretty low price.
I have used them for decades. You get quite a good meter for a pretty low investment, pretty effective cost to use ratio.
It's hard to believe, but they last a really long time.
I have a couple 15-20 years old, and they still keep cranking. I have a RS clamp on current meter that's about 25 years old and still works great.

Spending money on a new meter? I would buy Simpson, Triplett, Fluke, if I was rich.
Electricians / linemen seem to prefer Fluke or Beckman...probably the excepted standards of the industry.

It really has more to do with how rich you are, that's for sure.

[sweatyk]

Thanks for the insight. As a matter of convenience I'm considering going back to Sears and getting another Craftsman. This one has served me well and I'll keep it and search for the correct style leads. It will be a good backup.

[soundguruman]

Craftsman has the best probe leads, when it goes on sale, about $10.
Reportedly, these probes are made by Fluke, for Sears, but I cannot confirm that.
And the best padded meter bag too.

[sweatyk]

Yeah I bought a pair from them last night but they were the longer new style banana lugs and would not work with mine. So when I take them back today I'm just going to get a new meter. Gotta look at the specs to see which will suit my needs the best. They had about 5 or 6 to choose from. One thing I am curious about, I see buttons like "hold" and "rel" on some meters. What is that for and how could it benefit me?

[big_teee]

Here's mine.
Since I started buying these I leave the Fluke in the Drawer.
7 Function Multimeter
I mainly just read voltages, and use the ohm meter, nothing that precise.
If you tear it up, just get another one.
T

[soundguruman]

Always get your padded bag, or holster, for $10 you save $50 scratches and bumps to the meter I think.

Hold and rel have various more than a single function, depending on the (the meter or) measurement you are making.
You can freeze the reading, or read the max or minimum voltage, only.
You can touch your probe, and the meter keeps that reading, till the reset is pushed...
To "quoth" from the book of Fluke, Chapter 11, verse 6:
AutoHOLD Mode
Warning
To avoid possible electric shock or personal
injury, do not use AutoHOLD mode to
determine that circuits are without power.
The AutoHOLD mode will not capture
unstable or noisy readings.
The AutoHOLD mode captures the present reading on
the display. When a new, stab
le reading is detected, the
Meter beeps and displays the new reading. To enter or
exit AutoHOLD mode, press
.
Relative Mode
Selecting relative mode (
) causes the Meter to zero
the display and store the pres
ent reading as the reference
for subsequent measurements. The Meter is locked into
the range selected when you pressed
rel
. Press
rel
again to exit this mode.
In relative mode, the reading shown is always the
difference between the present
reading and the stored
reference value. For example, if the stored reference
value is 15.00 V and the pres
ent reading is 14.10 V, the
display shows -0.90

[sweatyk]

Well I backed off on the craftsman due to some bad reviews on their new stuff. I'm hearing they are not very accurate and that's important. If I could afford it a Fluke 87 would be my choice but I don't make my living with this thing so cost is important as much as accuracy. My friend has suggested an ExTech EX430 that he uses. Local store nearby has them marked down from $99 to $59 as a clearance. Leave it to Radio Shack to get rid of something that doesn't have their name on it. Anyone have any thoughts on the ExTech? I read some good things about it.

[Tom Phillips]

If you still believe that the test leads are the problem with your current DMM do you want to consider just replacing / repairing the test leads?

[sweatyk]

If you still believe that the test leads are the problem with your current DMM do you want to consider just replacing / repairing the test leads?

Well Tom I'm still going to look for replacement leads. However I'm itching for something new so I just got home with my new meter......winner winner chicken dinner! I opted for the ExTech.

[Tom Phillips]

Well Tom I'm still going to look for replacement leads. However I'm itching for something new so I just got home with my new meter......winner winner chicken dinner! I opted for the ExTech.

I know the itch. So now you have a potential backup meter and you can keep an eye out for new leads.
Cheers,
Tom

[DrGonz78]

Well Tom I'm still going to look for replacement leads. However I'm itching for something new so I just got home with my new meter......winner winner chicken dinner! I opted for the ExTech.

Ah that is the main meter that I have been using mostly the last couple of years and I like it. It is a good idea to have at least 2 meters on hand.

[sweatyk]

It's the EX430 model. Bigger than my craftsman but I look forward to getting familiar with it.[IMG][/IMG]

[km6xz]

That looks like a great deal, True RMS is just what you want for amps and most low cost meters do not have anything other than Average calibrated as RMS which is only accurate with a low distortion sinewave. An included K thermocouple is really handy. I have one from one of the lab style Flukes and that little bead and wire cost more than that whole meter including the thermocouple.
It is rated to 1000 volts, also not common on low cost meters.
Frequency, capacitance and temperature, 20 amps current and autoranging, I would buy it in a second if it was here. Good find.