ultimate beginner multimeter?

[gcb]

(first the rant)
it's incredible difficult to find multimeters. either you have no idea if it will take .5 sec to autorange while your are measuring that 1K resistor, or if it will take 10 days. only expensive flukes have video reviews... and even if they had, who have the time to see them all there's infinite models. and no comparison chart of the meaningful features anywhere to be found. heck, even going to fluke.com it took me a LONG time to figure out the 115 everyone recomends is for electricians and the 87 something is for eletronics!

(now the question)
Is there such comparison work?
that failing, Is there a brand that has a model with:

1. minimum 3 readings/sec
2. plugs for mA and µA
3. fast resistance auto range
4. fast short detection.
5. cat II+ 600V+
6. Max Hold
7. less than $200 USD
(don't care about overkill precision, probe quality, bar graph on lcd, etc)

so far one called mt-22

falls short of 2, 1(unsure) and 4. (the short detection is a joke, but seems fine on the rest)

another brand that looks promising is a chinese CEM. but i can't find the decent models here, only on alibaba :/

the fluke 77-4 and 87[IV/V/III/etc], 28II, falls short on 7. heck still can't tell the difference on them

SANWA pc500A seems to fit the bill if i had a friend coming from japan, here it's over $250 ...and i'm not too sure of the rest as i haven't seen a video of it yet.

I'm now trying to find reviews on the cheap and abundant uni-t ones.

(plan to do microelectronic stuff and occasionally probe stuff on the car)

thanks for any suggestion

...current i'm living off a pocket amprobe that can't even measure current.

 

[GreenGiant]

I am more preferenced towards fluke, if you can find one on ebay for cheaper

or get one of their lower models

You are asking for a lot for it to be under 200, it may be more worth it to save a little longer and spend a little more (even the 250 range would open up some great flukes)

 

[Wabajig]

I to had a similar search, but I found a nice meter. I use the Tenma M# 72-2040, and I bought it for $179.00 back in the day. Got it at MCM Electronics, but don't see it there now. Maybe sold elsewhere. Good Luck

 

[KJ6EAD]

David Jones has done lots of meter reviews on his video blog. Look for the $50 meter shootout (episode 91) and the multimeter buying guide (episode 75) among others.

http://www.eevblog.com/episodes/

 

[(*steve*)]

Yeah, I thought I posted a link to Google for these. I googled "eevblog multimeter shootout" and came up with a series of links to them.

Well worth watching, even if you can't get the models mentioned. It should give you an idea of price points and features you should expect.

 

[ModemHead]

This Youtube playlist has all the EEVBlog multimeter-related videos in one convenient place. Hours of geek/multimeter entertainment.

BTW, one can never have too many multimeters.

 

[gcb]

FLUKE 87 vs 87V

I am more preferenced towards fluke, if you can find one on ebay for cheaper

i remember the gray rectangles with the grey rubber case. used many $2000 DMM and bench osciloscopes just to test battery for my control cars when i was a kid

my gripe with fluke is that they have too many damn models. and their form to select one is plain dumb (you select 600V, it removes the 1000V as well)

i figure that to use a multimeter for eletronics and car work i'd need fluke 116 or 87

am i right? would other model suit me too?

I found on 87 for a good price (175 plus extra probe niceties), but it's not 87III, 87IV, 87V... it's plain 87.

anyone know what's the deal? what will i be missing? is it too different from the current 87V?

i'm also tempted to get a fluke 8024 for $50 just because it's too cool.

David Jones has done lots of meter reviews on his video blog. Look for the $50 meter shootout (episode 91) and the multimeter buying guide (episode 75) among others.

heh, this was the 1st thing you find when start to look into DMM. And that's when you realize "who the hell have time to watch all that?!?!" after you notice you've been watching an aussie blab about multimeters for 7 hours straight.

he never reviews what want/could afford
the higher end stuff i can't afford, the $50 ones i don't want. There's plenty in-between.

 

[(*steve*)]

Hasn't he done $50, $100 and $200 multimeters? (No, he only mentioned $200),

You've titled this "absolute beginner" yet these aren't good enough for you?

 

[gcb]

I'm a beginner with high standards?
i already have a $20 one, so don't want more of the same. A used high end will do perfectly. I did find a review he did on the 87v.

btw, found a good comparisson on the 87 original vs 87V on their forum http://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/i-need-to-know-the-history-of-fluke-87-(-1998-2010-)/

scrounging the craigslist for other states i've found another two contenders
116 for $200 with a infrared thermometer (then i can get some money back reselling) <- awful deal, the 116 is not worth much more than $75 used (except on ebay, where everything is more expensive than new at amazon)
189 for $200 ... i'm now drooling on the 189 display. 50k count, big numbers and min/max on the corners.

 

[gcb]

the 116 can only measure 0.1μA to 6A

 

[gcb]

None of the sub $200 fluke 87V sellers on craigslist want to ship, so i'm still hunting

on ebay there's several 27 for less then $100.

will i be disappointed by the 27? it seems to be just like the 87 but with much lower resolution. I think for my amateur work on eletronics and car i'd rater have range than resolution, right?

the 27 is looking like the 77 but with micro amps. is that assumption correct? So far i'm thinking the used 27 fits all the requirements for the ultimate beginner multimeter.

why they have so many models? somebody ressurect henry ford and put him in charge of fluke, please.

 

[(*steve*)]

Practically speaking, most measurements you'll do will be just as good if taken on a 2 1/2 digit meter as a 4 1/2 digit meter.

Whilst I would be happy to have a meter with 6 or more digits of resolution, I rarely need to consider more than the first couple of significant digits of my cheap 3 1/2 digit meters.

Don't go chasing features you don't need.

You won't suddenly gain better skills because you have better equipment. I still have one of the meters that was bought for me about forty years ago. It's analogue, it was cheap then, and there's nothing particularly special about it (other than the fact that it still works after 40 years of my ham fisted efforts at electronics). If I had to, I could probably use it for 99% of the things I use my newer meters for. The main exception that comes to mind is measuring the forward voltage drop of LEDs (because it operates from a single AA cell).

And don't be obsessed with particular brand names. Fluke isn't the only manufacturer of good multimeters.

 

[gcb]

Practically speaking, most measurements you'll do will be just as good if taken on a 2 1/2 digit meter as a 4 1/2 digit meter.

I know! I would wonder that why we can't have 3 models of multimeters: one generic, one for low current eletronics, and one for high current/voltage stuff. and then maybe the top of the line with graphics and storage and add some extra letter to tell if it's RMS or true RMS. done! but no, we have 2 dozens of models, and they all cost about the same. and that's ONE brand. if you mix the brands, you have to waste the same time understanding all the models again.

Whilst I would be happy to have a meter with 6 or more digits of resolution, I rarely need to consider more than the first couple of significant digits of my cheap 3 1/2 digit meters.

Don't go chasing features you don't need.

my mission was to find something without ultimate resolution but that does not lack basic stuff. I almost got a cheap 77 thinking it was a lower resolution 87. then i found out it can't measure mV or mA! now i think the used 27 (28 if you need rms) are ok as they are the very same of the 87 but with lower resolution. (dammit! that again! why not only have 27, and call 27R, why another model for one single feature?)

You won't suddenly gain better skills because you have better equipment. I still have one of the meters that was bought for me about forty years ago. It's analogue, it was cheap then, and there's nothing particularly special about it (other than the fact that it still works after 40 years of my ham fisted efforts at electronics). If I had to, I could probably use it for 99% of the things I use my newer meters for. The main exception that comes to mind is measuring the forward voltage drop of LEDs (because it operates from a single AA cell).

My other only thread on this forum is about the lack of labels on leds and my struggle with not being able to measure it with a $9 multimeter

But seriously, my main gripe is:
a multimeter that eventually will make you stop working on a project because you miss that one feature you thought you'd never need: $80
a multimeter that will make you forgot you need a multimeter: $120 (as are the prices on the used 27 on ebay)

it's too little money and there's no information around to make informed decision on that. heck not even eevblog reviwed the fluke 27II for example.

The only luxury i'd pay extra is the 3+ readings per second. it makes a world of a difference no matter the resolution. Also, max hold or touch hold is awesome when working on the car.

And don't be obsessed with particular brand names. Fluke isn't the only manufacturer of good multimeters.

He, i tried to avoid it because i know the main brand is never the best bang for your buck. NEVER. but see point one above. i had to focus on one brand to not go crazy.

feel free to mention other brands/models that would be a good fit here.

---

Some closure for the history, I end up winning totally by accident an auction on a 87-5 for $150 on ebay (auction end time was noon on a saturday, probably no one was looking) while waiting for one auction of a 27-1 that ended up at $160!! go figure...

But i'd totaly would be happy with the 27 or 28 i saw on craigslist and ebay.

 

[ModemHead]

Congratulations on getting the 87V. I believe you ended up with the "ultimate" electronics DMM for beginner or expert. Solid tool with a solid reputation, and all the features that are most important.

Some words on the Fluke 27 (also for history, since it looks like you've already achieved your goal). If you're talking about the first-gen 27 (no series number), anyone could do much worse than that model. It has microamp and millivolt ranges, it has a min-max function, a delta (relative) function, and a real automatic hold feature. A sturdy tilt-stand is built-in. It is quite literally built like a brick, with the same general size and heft. O-ring seals on every opening. Very, very sturdy. To my knowledge, the greenish-brown military surplus ones with "27/FM" on the front are the only models that are True-RMS responding. (Excellent used Fluke buyers guide) If you're patient, I've seen them go for less than $50 on eBay, which I would consider a good deal. The only negative thing I can say is that the processor is a little slower (booting up, auto-ranging) than more modern models. Some people may consider the bulk and weight to be a problem if it is to be carried in a tool-bag. The 27II and 28II are successors to this model, but I don't own one so I can't comment on those.

Also, be careful measuring current with your new Fluke 87V. At $10 or more a pop, those HRC fuses are not cheap.