My trusty multimeter that I bought in the UK has finally thrown the towel after almost 15 years. I need to replace it with something better and more robust than my $9 Horror Fraught one that I'm using now. Main use is for tracing electrical faults in cars with some basic electrical checks when I'm doing simple electrical work on the house like changing switches and sockets.
What I need is:
- Usual measurements up to 240V AC, DC, resistance, current, possibly a diode tester
- Basic automotive measurements like dwell and rpm would be nice to have, but aren't a deal breaker
- Decent selection of probes and accessories
Willing to spend decent money for a decent tool. What does the hive recommend?
Fluke. Nothing else has the amount of probes and accessories, including my Cornwell stuff. Expensive but they hold value better than a Honda.
^ what he said ^
I keep a cheap HF meter in the glovebox for potential roadside emergencies, but Fluke is the only thing I really trust.
Fluke 88 V Automotive meter is the best thing out there. Some serious $ for initial investment, but capability, reliability, and accessories are unmatched.
I have quite a few generics and craftsman MMs at home, but the Fluke is what I rely on at work.
That_Renault_Guy wrote:
I keep a cheap HF meter in the glovebox for potential roadside emergencies.
I do this too but have not had to use it yet....
Has anybody mentioned Fluke yet?
Flukes are good, but there are other brands out there that are good, too. Used Flukes are great value for money many times, though. I picked up my 113 for $25 open box at Lowes. No current setting, but I almost never measure current anyway.
Any decent meter is going to have the same style of leads as the Flukes, so anything that will fit a Fluke will fit them as well.
This playlist on YouTube will teach you pretty much all you need to know about buying a meter, including both a $50 and $100 model comparison. While the models themselves aren't the newest tech, you can still find most of them still in production.
Strangely, Sears tends to have some very good meters sitting on store shelves for an excellent price.
I have a Fluke 87 and 88 plus some 'el cheapo meters. The best cheap meter I have found is the Metex brand multimeter.
Flukes are unquestionably the best and are durable, however some cheap meters can be a good value for performance but none are as durable as a Fluke.
Personally, I do not like the autorangeing feature most multimeters have. Cheap autoranging meters cannot lock in on transient voltages and will display an 'out of range' type message...which can be frustrating to a novice.
Yeah fluke is where it's at if you need professional grade quality, no major issues with craftsman for around the garage though.
The technicians where I work use stuff that looks like this:
I use something that looks like this:
It has a few too many lights for me, so sometimes I go for this one:
