help in choosing a multimeter

[X_Factor]

i'll be basically using it to test voltage, both house and car
amperage, house and car
ohms(on speakers,wires)


which u guys think is the best choice of these
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/Compare?stor ... rodCount=4

[KURMAman]

hey man. from what i see, they all can satisfy ur needs. However, they all are really quite..under-functioned. You can get a FLUKE multimeter which is better than those, which can do EVERYTHING...testing current, voltage, capacitance, connectivity..etc.
Id say look around and buy a more all-round meter. Umm.. dunno if Bhagwansinghs would have.

[buzz]

clamp meter FTW

[VexXx Dogg]

KURMAman call the damn ting self.

Fluke=industry proven.

my personal choice.

[zaxxon1]

Go to www.fluke.com The local agents are Instrument technologies Limited from Freeport. They do Fluke industrial, Fluke Biomedical and other related companies (not Fluke Networks) 673-7752

I personally have a Fluke 189 but I want to up-grade to a Fluke 287 when I get the money.

[ronsin1]

^^^ I though is western scientific was the local agent for Fluke

but as stated fulke is one of the best

next in line is Green Lee


and also EXTECH is also another good brand

[TK!]

i use a fluke. they expensive. u can get a good all round DMM at radioshak for approx 600 TT. the cheaper models (at shams etc) do not last long.

btw for ac.. consider getting a clamp meter

[hydroep]

Fluke is never done t'ing.

It's hit or miss with the cheaper ones. Had a B/K that conked out in less than a year. But I've got an equally cheap Sky that I use for both home and field work. It's 4 years young and still going strong...

[X_Factor]

well my uncle comin from miami in a couple weeks and sears is like 1min drive from him, so i was gonna tell him to pick up one of those for me but i dont know which
i know fluke is the best, but its for basic usage usage

[saltydog]

here what I have expensive meters from snap on etc and I bought the first meter that you have pictured for 19.99 from sears about 2 years ago. that meter works just fine, is accurate and I have never had a problem with it. Best bang for the buck meter go for it.

[ronsin1]

Check these out make your decision on anyone of these all are in the same class


http://www.amprobe.com/cgi-bin/pdc/view ... &type=elec

http://www.fluke.nl/comx/show_product.a ... roduct=elw

http://www.extech.com/instrument/produc ... MA220.html

http://www.mygreenlee.com/Products/main ... mber=10859

[Morpheus23]

According to the head electrician where I work"If you don't have a Fluke,you don't have a meter"

LoL. I kinda agree

[X_Factor]

^^ thanx for those links

[ronsin1]

According to the head electrician where I work"If you don't have a Fluke,you don't have a meter"

LoL. I kinda agree

i don't totally agree with that statement

while I agree that Fluke is one of the best

it still can't compare with a megger

[bd319]

FLUKE!! self adjusting!
a bit on the expensive side but it will last you longer than the others

[Morpheus23]

According to the head electrician where I work"If you don't have a Fluke,you don't have a meter"

LoL. I kinda agree

i don't totally agree with that statement

while I agree that Fluke is one of the best

it still can't compare with a megger

Yeah that's why I said I kinda agree

[zaxxon1]

After fluke I would say Greenlee. Amprobe is a fluke company also (low end). megger specializes in insulation meters but fluke is not far off there as they have bought out a lot of other instrument companies over the years. At one time fluke made the meters for sears but not sure about now. Extech and radioshak is what is referred to hobby meters. If you're not a professional and is looking at cost then whatever fits your budget with the features and ranges you want is a good buy.

[RBphoto]

I see alot of oppinions here, which I do not agree with. A fluke is an industrial grade meter which is overkill for 99% of all applications which are not related to industry. 3/4 the price of those instruments is because of the certification and calibration procedures. Most DVM's are basically the same under the hood. Unless you pay a lab to calibrate your fluke every year, you are not getting value for money. I have used a nippon america for 10 years and the battery has not died, and works great (enough to do basic household, car and electronics work). That said, the most important functions are:

Voltage. (auto ranging is nice, but not nesescary)
You may never have to measure amps in your life, but make sure the meter carries a fusee
Continuity and diode test is a must
Resistance is a must
Capacitance has come in handy on numerous occasions (in finding bad caps in fans)
Data hold is overrated, but data hold with maximum hold can help sometimes

The third one 03482339000, seems like the best general purpouse multimeter of the pack for home and automotive. Though the others have specialty functions that you may never use, like the temperature and frequency reading, They lack the capacitance etc. This is also the only one with a stand, which I find is the most useful feature of all

[sufferrar]

I agree with crossdrilled, except about using a nippon america meter.

If you buy a fluke then you need to have the calibration done each year or you not getting your moneys worth. and it will be just as good as a micronta or craftsman etc.
How many of you have a fluke for more than a year for home /hobby use and never had the meter calibrated ?

[RBphoto]

I agree with crossdrilled, except about using a nippon america meter.

I did not recommend it, I mean it meets my needs, and works well to this day. Calibration consists of checking mains, 1.5V battery and 1K resistor from time to time

[eitech]

the fluke 179 is d BEST option whether ur an amateur or professional. If u checkin stuff and u accidently forget to change to d parameter u chekin, u can actually damage those cheap @$$ meters. dats not d case with d fluke..lots of protection.and as a ac tester, it good up to 10Amps i tink..calibration wise, unless u doin precise measurements, u good to go.

[firstchoicett]

have a Mega Fluke for sale

7500.00 brand new

[Sky]

I see alot of oppinions here, which I do not agree with. A fluke is an industrial grade meter which is overkill for 99% of all applications which are not related to industry. 3/4 the price of those instruments is because of the certification and calibration procedures. Most DVM's are basically the same under the hood. Unless you pay a lab to calibrate your fluke every year, you are not getting value for money. I have used a nippon america for 10 years and the battery has not died, and works great (enough to do basic household, car and electronics work). That said, the most important functions are:

Voltage. (auto ranging is nice, but not nesescary)
You may never have to measure amps in your life, but make sure the meter carries a fusee
Continuity and diode test is a must
Resistance is a must
Capacitance has come in handy on numerous occasions (in finding bad caps in fans)
Data hold is overrated, but data hold with maximum hold can help sometimes

The third one 03482339000, seems like the best general purpouse multimeter of the pack for home and automotive. Though the others have specialty functions that you may never use, like the temperature and frequency reading, They lack the capacitance etc. This is also the only one with a stand, which I find is the most useful feature of all

Thank you. saved me some typing time there. Unless you're making >15k/mth in the electronics/electrical field and you need to measure units down to peco and nano, dont bother with a fluke. It's an investment, not a normal tool. And see the man talk about speaker and wire when he say ohms......Buy bout 5 BK/nippon and when one spoil, pull out another.

[Zh@ne]

I work in a calibration lab and just for clarification you don't have to get your meters calibrate every year. This is only necessary if you are working on an industrial facility that requires certified equipments only.

For every day home use you could do a performance check on the meter according to your discretion.

Personally i have 3 fluke meters and the level of quality and build compare to those cheap 100 dollar meters is no comparison.

P.s. anybody could tell that if a battery could last 10 yrs in a meter that could only mean that the meter not in use.

[eitech]

I work in a calibration lab and just for clarification you don't have to get your meters calibrate every year. This is only necessary if you are working on an industrial facility that requires certified equipments only.

For every day home use you could do a performance check on the meter according to your discretion.

Personally i have 3 fluke meters and the level of quality and build compare to those cheap 100 dollar meters is no comparison.

P.s. anybody could tell that if a battery could last 10 yrs in a meter that could only mean that the meter not in use.

^^^well said

[Morpheus23]

the fluke 179 is d BEST option whether ur an amateur or professional. If u checkin stuff and u accidently forget to change to d parameter u chekin, u can actually damage those cheap @$$ meters. dats not d case with d fluke..lots of protection.and as a ac tester, it good up to 10Amps i tink..calibration wise, unless u doin precise measurements, u good to go.

^^Good meter .I use the F177 in work. 3 to 4 years and going strong.Just replace the battery. I think the F179 has temp. measurement while the F177 does not.

[eitech]

yea, i been usin my fluke 179 at work 5yrs now..d company sends it to be calibrated too

[gt4tified]

$200 Sky or BK one jed....especially if yuh like me and have paddnas who does *borrow* and yuh have to run dem down to get it back! Other than that, FLUKE is pretty much the all-you-need meter.

[KURMAman]

I work in a calibration lab and just for clarification you don't have to get your meters calibrate every year. This is only necessary if you are working on an industrial facility that requires certified equipments only.

For every day home use you could do a performance check on the meter according to your discretion.

Personally i have 3 fluke meters and the level of quality and build compare to those cheap 100 dollar meters is no comparison.

P.s. anybody could tell that if a battery could last 10 yrs in a meter that could only mean that the meter not in use.

^^^well said

x200.

buying a fluke is never "overkill". its just means you decide to invest well, instead of buying" 5 meters dat u could throw away."

[RBphoto]

Personally i have 3 fluke meters and the level of quality and build compare to those cheap 100 dollar meters is no comparison.

P.s. anybody could tell that if a battery could last 10 yrs in a meter that could only mean that the meter not in use.

Says the guy who sells fluke meters and makes his bread and butter from it. Sky and I use them on a daily basis at WORK and we know how good it is, but it is just not worth the investment if you are not a tradesman Making money off of it. ALL DVM's are basically the same, and the accuracy, repeatability and certification is most of the cost of a fluke. I for one don't care if my charging system is off by 1% in my car or my house voltage reads to one decimal place accurately on my nippon instead of two decimal places accurately with a fluke. I will definitely not use my nippon on any job that I am being paid to do though.

As for useage, If I check my battery once a month, and use it about two other times a month to do work around the house etc, i would hope that the battery would not die as fast as a tradesman using it 8 hours a day every day of the year.