Digital Multimeter recomendation

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OK, I know this has been discussed before, but wanting a current recommendation.

I have had a few basic multimeters (including one of the free Harbor Freight DMM that so many of us have) and it has worked for me pretty well, and am comfortable with basic uses of multimeters.
I have recently started an online automotive course, and I will be needing a better meter than what I have.
I am not planning on professional testing and such, just the ability to check a little more detail than what I have as a home hobbyist.
Something to use on vehicle systems (alternator, starter, battery, general circuits and motors, continuity, duty cycle, hi/low function) as well as basic in home type use (hot wires, checking batteries etc).
I am not wanting to spend any more than $50, and if there is one in the $30-40 range, even better.
I know Fluke is the brand to get, but I don't need to spend that kind of cash.

In another post, I came across the Etekcity MSR-U1000 that Quattro Pete posted and seems to be what I need, and is around $40.

Anything else out there better than this for the price, or any other opinions on the one posted?
 
You could also look at uni-t u61e: http://a.co/gbWfwy7
It's 22,000 count which gives you more resolution for measuring battery voltages, if it matters to you. It also comes with a cable to log data on a PC. It has no backlight.

BTW, the etekcity one sometimes goes on sale for around $30.
 
Naturally, if you ever get serious and pick up a Fluke 87-V (as in "eighty-seven-five") you will wonder how you got alone without one. It is made in the US; the lower priced Fluke meters are offshore manufactured.

If I were looking today I'd be checking out UniTrend (UNI-T) brand meters. I can't recommend any one unit as your criteria is a bit vague, but you can start with the Uni-Trend UT10A, which will set you back about $15 and is known to actually meet safety spec. Very few budget models out of the orient meet the safety standards they claim to be compliant with, so be very careful with mains voltage or any high current circuit (no vacuum tube equipment, etc).

Check the UL registration here (counterfeit certification is rampant in this category, so it's worth the effort to know for sure):
http://database.ul.com/cgi-bin/XYV/template/LISEXT/1FRAME/index.html

You can google the compliance pages for CSA and TUV if you like; same as above ... counterfeits are rampant so know for sure before you buy. Any of those three (and a dozen other labs) can test for compliance for each other's standards, so don't expect a UL mark (for example) just because it's sold in the US.

The CE mark is useless, ignore it. It is self-certifying, for one thing, so don't think of it as some sort of tested criteria; no-one except the manufacturer is testing anything, and you can't be sure they do in the first place unless it's a known reliable vendor. The Chinese put it on everything, even on products that don't require CE certification, for another. Generally referred derisively in the electronics industry as the "China Export" mark.
 
I just bought this one cuz I wanted the clamp style meter for household work:
Tacklife CM02A

This clamp meter was also highly rated and is a little less expensive:
EtekCity MSR-C600

I have other multimeters (including a Fluke), but needed a clamp style. Perfect size, great functions, excellent meter, great prices.

Good luck!
 
The EtekCity MSR-C600 is known to be un-compliant for safety. Do not use on power supply circuits, switching supplies, high voltage or on mains voltage.

You should try to find something from a known good manufacturer, even if you have to buy it used on eBay. This won't be a hobby meter, you are going to be measuring actual dangerous circuitry if you are engaging in study. Buying a used kit on eBay will also come with proper probes; the offshore meters have laughable quality probes that will not give you accurate results.

If you have to buy probes, the budget choice is Pomona (owned by Fluke). Also Probe Master, a third-party US-based manufacturer of probes for test equipment.

Amprobe, Fluke, Brymen, BK Precision, some Extechs. DER EE (Japan) is another recommended brand. Around your price range is the recommended Uni-Trend (UNI-T) UT139C.
 
Depending on how serious you are will determine what meter to get. For about $40 you can go to Home Depot and get a Klein meter. Fluke makes great meters but they tend to cost a lot. For work I have the 87 III that I love, a 287 that is OK and a 177 that I think is a POS, it feels very cheap but it works... My company took my 2nd 87 III and gave me this.

I bought my son a Klein clamp on meter when he was in HVAC school that I bought Fluke leads and they lasted a long time. He actually liked it better than the one he was using at his job (not HVAC). Lowes may have something as well.
 
Great replies! I bought an Etek some years ago for home use. At that time, it was rather highly rated by users. It works as advertised, but I think it has a flaw that is very unfortunate: AC/DC is selected by a push-button, and it is hard to tell if it is in the 'up' or 'down' position. I always check it on a live circuit before proceeding to the circuit under test, but it is a very soft push button on the face of the meter with small up/down travel. In normal handling the button can be cycled to the wrong position very easily, without being aware, and you can't tell at a glance which position it is in in dim light. Doubly unfortunate, there is no indication on the LCD display as to which mode it is in. If I had known this when I was shopping, then I would have rejected this model. I have to consider this issue every time I use it.. not handy, and potentially not safe.
 
I'm not trying to rain on your Budget Parade, or diss people posting here who are genuinely trying to help.

Lord knows I myself am a relentless bargain hunter, but I have always lived by the maxim that I am too poor to buy inadequate tools, because a poor product you have to replace costs you twice, and you still only have just another poor product in your hands. It's usually cheaper in the long run to get the minimum quality you actually need the first time; even if that means you have to move some money into the kitty you didn't want to; only the rich can afford expensive junk. I can't.

I am saying that you need to be careful in this space, as $40~50 is really inadequate for what you want, unless you happen to choose the one or three models that are actually decent in a sea of poor examples. All these meters use the same chipsets, the same displays, and similar housings which in electronics are unfortunately expensive in proportion to the overall manufacturing costs. So what they do is scrimp on stuff inside that shouldn't be scrimped on, to adjust the price point downward in a very competitive market.

I own some "bad" meters myself; I build electronics from scratch, work with vacuum tubes, and so on. But I knew what I was buying. When you engage in that sort of thing you sometimes use three, four meters simultaneously.

I just don't use them where they could bite me. The good ones get used where it matters, the others where it doesn't.

Continuity testing or small DC voltage checks can be done with almost anything. It's when you expect to be able to use them the way they claim they can be used, such as mains wiring in the home, that you need to really brush up on your safety regimen (such as which hand to use to hold the probes; discharging capacitors before testing, minimizing live testing, never touching the part under test with your free hand, etc).

You do that with a proper meter as well, so it's not like you need special criteria just because the meter won't safely prevent a shock. You assume it won't in the first place.

I just want you to go into this with eyes wide open, and stick around long enough to use your new skills. If you can somehow find a few more bucks to throw at this, and seek out the better options your chances improve considerably. You don't need hundreds of $$, but something closer to $100 would really help.
 
The Amprobe AM-520 also fits your criteria, and is known safety compliant. It might be the same as the Etek mentioned by sws (AC/DC switch issue). Supposedly can be found for $50.
 
I still like Fluke. At the risk of being made sport of this is my old lump I bought in 1985 or so, they last. It still holds calibration a long time and works perfectly. It was expensive back then, IIRC it was almost a weeks pay for this. Was it worth the money? You decide its still perfect after 32 yrs on the job.


 
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AC or DC clamp on ammeter can be handy. Also a frequency counter if your checking a generator to be 60hz. And a 4 wire ohmmeter to check very low resistance (motor or generator winding).

I got a HF one for $40 that has a wide variety of functions. So now I have 5.

Also one can do temp with external probe and I got a clamp on probe to check various supply and return temps to by boiler.
 
I'd consider buying a used Fluke as well. I've purchased more than a couple Fluke 179s and 77IVs at pawn shops for $50 or less. Sometimes they're a little greasy looking but they really clean up well (I've cleaned and resold them for over $100). I would probably avoid the 11x series, I think those are made in China with only a 3 year warranty. The 87, 179, 77s, etc. are made in the USA with lifetime warranties.

I you're looking at a used meter, flip it to the continuity/resistance mode and check the fuse. Fluke fuses run $5-10 each.
 
I like Fluke meters mostly. I REALLY like the 87 III, haven't had the opportunity to see or use the 87 V. The 287 is a high end Fluke, what I don't like is it's on/off button and it turns off automatically by itself too quickly; then again I do not use it as often as the 87 so I compare the 2 and the 87 comes out on top. I would recommend a Fluke over any other meter except when it comes to price ... they cost big bucks! Don't buy too cheap but unless you are using it everyday you can spend a little or a lot less.

Using a meter safely is an important aspect but I have to disagree with you need to spend a lot for your own safety. Any meter can fail and cheaper meters may be more prone to failure than more expensive meters but always make sure the meter is working properly before using it or sticking your hands into a circuit.

Test the leads on ohms - does it show a short? - Yes - leads OK and meter. No - either leads or meter (or both) are no good. AC - does it show the correct AC when plugged into a known good AC socket - Yes - it'll probably work fine going to a questionable source. Same thing with DC if you test it on a DC source the way you do on AC.

Leads - I really like Fluke leads. I have a set of Fluke TL175 leads that can put a protective cover over most of the bare metal test area if need be. They also fit that Klein meter I mentioned
 
wow the 87v for only $389 everyone should have one.

From what the OP posted its for hobby use and not high voltage.

I would pick the best out of those $40-$50 meters and call it a day
 
I've been employed in electronic service for over 40 years so I think I know "what's suitable" for the job. In my car tools I have an Uni-T model UT213C Clamp meter. This multimeter is accurate, rugged and user friendly with the "auto-ranging" feature. The unique feature on this would be the DC amp measurement by the clamp. Great for "starter draw", alternator output, etc. I can even read the 5-20ma drain the ECM draws when asleep. Also does the usual resistance, continuity and AC/DC voltage. I think I paid around $45 on ebay. Be sure you order the "C" suffix to get the DC current feature.
Uni-T company Uni-T website
UT213C-02394361313.jpg
 
At work we only have Fluke meters and can order what we need from BC Group IntL. It's true the lower priced Flukes are made in China.

Once a year Tektronix will come out and test / calibrate all our test equipment at hospitals.
 
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