Good quality gen purpose multimeters - How much does a hobbyist need to spend?

Bob Lawrence (VE1RLL) · 2014-03-23 07:50

A few years ago I was looking around for a for a general purpose multimeter and was shocked with the prices for Multimeters that were recommended the most. Obviously there are times you need to spend extra to get the features you think you need(you probably won't use half of them anyway LOL) or for a performance level required. I decided that for my basic needs that a CSI2205D could do the trick . My first thought was how would it compare to a Fluke meter. After using it for a few years I don't have any complaints. Below is a URL to a product review comparing both meters mentioned below.(with screen shots) For someone that's new to electronics you may think that because it's not yellow it's no good. While they may not be yellow, they do work great, have lots of features and it's great value for the money, don't be afraid to look around at other brands/models and do the same kind of analysis.

CSI2205D Micro Control
True RMS High Accuracy Digital Multimeter
Item no. CSI2205D
Price: $59.00

http://www.ebay.com.sg/itm/mCU-Controlled-TRMS-High-Accuracy-Digital-Multimeter-CSI2205D-/380400657805

VRS

177/EFSPFLUKE MULTIMETER, TRMS, W/BACKLIGHT
True RMS voltage and current measurements
0.09% basic accuracy
[COLOR=#D71920 !important]On Sale Until March 31st - Save 10%![/COLOR]

Price:$289.80Your Total Price:$289.80

http://cdn.fluke-direct.com/shop/itemDetail.do?itm_id=143575&itm_index=0&item=177/EFSP&gclid=COyr2qb0qL0CFa_m7AoddT0ASw

Product REVIEW: Fluke 177 VRS CSI2205D

http://www.circuitspecialists.com/csi2205d.html

Heater. · 2014-03-23 08:14

Does a hobbyist need 0.09% basic accuracy. I imagine the vast majority do not. I have not need that accuracy since doing lab experiments back at uni. 300 dollars on a FLUKE is a waste of money in that case.

I would even suggest that for most of us tinkerers 60 dollars is push the boat out.

Peter KG6LSE · 2014-03-23 08:36

Oh that is a slick deal ! . esp the 20 A current ... and freq to 400 K

when I was in college and for personal use I put a 150 USD limit on my meters .
If you Really need .009 then ditch the handheld and get a proper bench meter .

http://www.extech.com/instruments/product.asp?catid=48&prodid=792 70 USD does VERY low uA measurements . good for electronics and not the electrical users out there

these 2 are also nice but out of the range of most hobby users.
http://www.extech.com/instruments/product.asp?catid=48&prodid=286
http://www.extech.com/instruments/product.asp?catid=48&prodid=284

Bob Lawrence (VE1RLL) · 2014-03-23 08:40

@Heater

Does a hobbyist need 0.09% basic accuracy. I imagine the vast majority do not

I didn't suggest that every hobbyist needed a high end multi meter. We all know you can purchase a low end multimeter with basic functionality for $15 or less however, the point was (as per the title) how much do they have to spend to get a decent meter that's accurate, feature rich, decent quality and affordable. Personally, I liked the extra features such as being able to read capacitors, freq etc. . The accuracy was a bonus. However, just because someone is labeled as a hobbyist, that doesn't mean that they don't need accuracy at times As soon as some of us start playing with the new Parallax FPGA boards and making unique designs , who knows what accuracy will be required to test our creations. :cool:

Bob Lawrence (VE1RLL) · 2014-03-23 08:47

[PHP]http://www.extech.com/instruments/pr...=48&prodid=792 70 USD does VERY low uA measurements . good for electronics and not the electrical users out there
this fits the bill [/PHP]

Extech Instruments True RMS Autoranging Multimeter with IR Thermometer, Model# EX470
Item# 163914

$169,99

That's getting up there in price.

Heater. · 2014-03-23 08:55

Yeah, I'd also go for some nice features over super accuracy. Hobbyists do get up to all kind of things but now I'm wondering how often a professional actually needs 0.09%, 300 dollars worth, of accuracy.

I quite like the look of these: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Digital-Multimeter-Voltmeter-Thermometer-Ohm-USB-CD-C-Continuity-Frequency-Diode-/141225927420

They have a USB connection for use with the PC, nice price and come in a nice yellow colour

prof_braino · 2014-03-23 09:05

I have fluke something or other that I inherited from a dead project. I use it all the time. I killed the 10A fuse once, and it still works after replacing the $11 fuse.

I also have $5 meter from Harbor Freight with a thermal probe that works most of the time if I jiggle the wire, and it within a couple degrees I guess, not like I can really tell the difference. I use that all the time too.

I also have two Radio shack meters, little $6 continuity/voltage pocket sive deal that I use all the time, and full size meter with a serial output that I think I have never used.

I think I spent $20 on the meter I use, and another $20 on the meters I don't use.

rod1963 · 2014-03-23 09:27

Professionally(working on PC's, flight test instrumentation, etc) I've used nothing but Flukes, did I use all their features? No. It was almost all basic measurements. If I needed to go further out came the Tek O Scope.

Hobby wise, a $50 to $20.00 DMM works just fine.

I'd personally take the money saved buy not buying a Fluke and put it down for a decent O'scope and logic analyzer.

LoopyByteloose · 2014-03-23 09:33

An $11 10amp Fuse! I guess if the meter was free I buy it, but that is rather costly.

I think we have just gone through a multiple decade period of prosperity where throwing money at everything has been acceptable. And people have been impressed with the status of what they own rather than the useful value of their purchases.

It seems now we are returning to more level headed times. And o'scope will always be a better investment if you want to spend a lot of money. Multimeters have a way of suffering unexpected accidents and abuses at they are usually the first diagnostic device we grab.

Peter KG6LSE · 2014-03-23 10:06

all this talk multimeters drove me to buy a new one I'm at Frys right now I just bought a triplet. It is D 9055. It is absolutely an amazing deal for exactly $150. And triplet makes good stuff. Good accuracy and has tons of extra features it has a temperature light humidity non contact voltageand is katt 1,2,3 and 4 rated. I think I just replaced my ex Tech

idbruce · 2014-03-23 12:39

Several years ago my employer got tired of seeing me test for the presence of electricty with a wiggy. He told me that I needed to get a multi-meter and I told him that I did not have the spare cash for a new meter and that the wiggy worked fine for me. He then told me to go to Graingers and pick one up and that he would take weekly payments out of my check. Begrudgingly I went to Graingers..... Okay so I am being forced to buy a multi-meter..... Let me rack up a bill

I decided on the electricians multi-meter set which included the Fluke 112 multi-meter and the Fluke 322 clamp on meter with plastic carrying case. I do not remember the exact price, but I do remember that it was a bit costly. For many years, I regretted the purchase, because I rarely used it, and since then, it has become one of my most valued tools... from automototive trouleshooting to household maintenance to electronics tinkering, I got the bases covered. I do not regret that purchase anymore. But as mentioned, the fuses are quite expensive and I have blown the fuse twice since purchasing it.

4x5n · 2014-03-23 14:11

Back in the day when I worked as a EE working in industrial electronics I bought and got very good use out of the Fluke 87 I bought. While Fluke is the meter to have in that world I don't think a hobbyist could ever justify the cost of a fluke meter. I've used my fluke at the top of a ladder and dropped it. A 40' fall onto concrete (it bounced at least 2') and when I climbed down and picked it up it never occurred to me that it would be broken (and it wasn't). I've also had it set to read millivolts and without thinking about it put the probes across 480VAC! Didn't even phase it!

The ability to withstand that type of abuse is the reason to get a fluke and pay the price they cost. I doubt most hobbyists working with a 3.3V propeller or 5V basic stamp at a bench will ever abuse their meter in that way! These days I still use the Fluke that I paid $300+ for back in the early '90s at the bench (I now work in IT and never use a multimeter on the job) that's because I have it and it still works. Were it to fail today I would buy a $70 multimeter to replace it!!

While you get what you pay for with Fluke vs other multimeters most of us don't need what the hundreds of extra dollars a fluke buys you!

Heater. · 2014-03-23 14:19

If a Fluke is that indestructible it's worth the money to a professional. Out in the field on a job, bust your meter and it's a very expensive waste of time replacing it.

A hobbyist can buy a new meter every time he blows one. It's might be an annoying inconvenience but hardly a disaster. And still save a ton of money.

idbruce · 2014-03-23 14:28

For clarification purposes.....

I was not suggesting that everyone should go out and buy a Fluke multi-meter.... I am just happy to have mine....

The average hobbyist will probably never test the startup current on an A/C unit at the SEP or such tasks. It all depends on what it will be used for.

4x5n · 2014-03-23 14:33

Heater. wrote: »

If a Fluke is that indestructible it's worth the money to a professional. Out in the field on a job, bust your meter and it's a very expensive waste of time replacing it.

A hobbyist can buy a new meter every time he blows one. It's might be an annoying inconvenience but hardly a disaster. And still save a ton of money.

The reason you see "professionals" using fluke meters is for their ability to "take a licking and keep on ticking" not for their raw accuracy. Unless you're planning on massively abusing your multi-meter on a regular basis and will only use it on your bench for "low voltage" (I remember considering 120VAC as low voltage) in the 3.3vdc through 24vdc range and don't plan on putting 480VAC fused for 100A across your meter set at the low resistance range save your money and get something other then a fluke!!

4x5n · 2014-03-23 14:37

idbruce wrote: »

For clarification purposes.....

I was not suggesting that everyone should go out and buy a Fluke multi-meter.... I am just happy to have mine....

The average hobbyist will probably never test the startup current on an A/C unit at the SEP or such tasks. It all depends on what it will be used for.

I agree with you 100% the primary reason for getting a fluke is that you have to work to break one! They also have a number of esoteric features that aren't of much use under controlled bench situations. One of the features I used a lot was the peak reading and the reading hold capability as well as the back light. Remember in the factory you don't always have enough light to read an LCD and sometimes you can't watch the probes and the display at the same time. Not an issue on a bench!!

idbruce · 2014-03-23 14:47

One of the features I used a lot was the peak reading and the reading hold capability as well as the back light. Remember in the factory you don't always have enough light to read an LCD and sometimes you can't watch the probes and the display at the same time.

So true...

RDL2004 · 2014-03-24 06:08

I killed the 10A fuse once, and it still works after replacing the $11 fuse.

An $11 10amp Fuse! I guess if the meter was free I buy it, but that is rather costly.

I'm just guessing, but that was probably an HRC fuse. They're used for safety reasons, one of the many areas where the cheap meters tend to cut corners.

If you want a decent meter that's not too expensive take a look at the Uni-T UT139C for about $50 or their UT61E for around $60
Don't waste your money on cheap no name or house branded junk.

LoopyByteloose · 2014-03-24 06:38

Fluke does sell some meters in the $125-175 range... but they don't seem to even list them as their own products on their web page. The ones they list are $300 and up.

If I were working regularly with household mains voltage levels, I might consider the added assurance of safety that Fluke asserts.

But my world seems to be 24VDC and less with milliamp currents. A $15 meter from an unknown maker works well in most instances. If the digital gives me trouble, I have a $3 unit that has an actual meter movement.

You can say I am cheap, but I'd rather say I am just more aware of what money doesn't have to buy.

prof_braino · 2014-03-24 16:33

I inhereted the Fluke, and a little while ago I inhereted my first O scope, analog 100Mhz. I never would have bought a new one, but now that I have it, I've started to figure out how to use it, and it help diagnose problems (i2C eeprom issue) I would not have figured out by any other available means.

If its too expensive, hold out for free. Need to be patient.

LoopyByteloose · 2014-03-25 02:31

Hold out for free? That's not going to help the economy. But I do have to admit that I have not purchased a television in the past 35 years and people often try to give me one.

jdolecki · 2014-03-25 03:47

If your doing hobby electronics or homeowner projects then a low price meter is fine. You have to shop around but nice ones are out there. Threre are a million links to meter reviews.

Wiggies were good when all you needed to do was check voltage levels, fuses or starter heaters, back in the days of relay logic.

Now with PLC's, VFD, analog I/O. u need better tools.

If you sticking your probe in a 100 amp 480 panel then you need to have a meter that rated for that.

http://support.fluke.com/find-sales/download/asset/1263690_6116_eng_h_w.pdf

Good quality gen purpose multimeters - How much does a hobbyist need to spend?

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