 What's a good and affordable multimeter?, Trying to trace some electrical gremlins |
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| Spoke |
 Jun 30 2017, 10:20 AM
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#21
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Jerry  Group: Members Posts: 7,370 Joined: 29-October 04 From: Allentown, PA Member No.: 3,031 Region Association: None 
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Don't spend more than $50-$75 for the multimeter but do get one with auto-ranging.
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| theer |
Jun 30 2017, 10:30 AM
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#22
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 692 Joined: 31-July 15 From: Dover, MA Member No.: 19,014 Region Association: North East States
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(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif)
As with most tools, if it's going to be a one-time use, HF is often "good enough", but if you need it to last and work properly for a long time, you need to spend a bit more. And, unless you are a pro, you don't need the top of the line, either. For example, HF ratchets & sockets suck. Craftsman (and others) tools cost more, but are typically really good and stand up to years of use & abuse. Snap-on is better, but probably way more than you need. Just my opinion. |
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| Andyrew |
Jun 30 2017, 10:50 AM
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#23
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Spooling.... Please wait Group: Members Posts: 13,380 Joined: 20-January 03 From: Riverbank, Ca Member No.: 172 Region Association: Northern California
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I get one of the free HF multimeters whenever they pop up. Keep one in every car and I have a draw of them. When the batteries go out I throw it away.. I've got an expensive one from the 50's as my grandfather was an electrician but I never use it because the HF one is smaller and easier to use.
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| SirAndy |
Jun 30 2017, 11:08 AM
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#24
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Resident German Group: Admin Posts: 42,469 Joined: 21-January 03 From: Oakland, Kalifornia Member No.: 179 Region Association: Northern California |
QUOTE(jd74914 @ Jun 30 2017, 07:47 AM)  QUOTE(jimkelly @ Jun 29 2017, 10:16 PM) fluke 101 Wow, those are pretty inexpensive. I thought the lowest cost meter Fluke made was the 115.Well, all the reviews on the "Fluke 101" on Amazon say that the package has Chinese writing on it, so those for < $50 may not be the real deal. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/popcorn[1].gif) |
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| timothy_nd28 |
Jun 30 2017, 01:46 PM
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#25
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Advanced Member Group: Members Posts: 2,299 Joined: 25-September 07 From: IN Member No.: 8,154 Region Association: Upper MidWest
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Can I get your old fluke? I might be able to fix it (IMG:style_emoticons/default/hide.gif)
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| SirAndy |
Jun 30 2017, 02:01 PM
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#26
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Resident German Group: Admin Posts: 42,469 Joined: 21-January 03 From: Oakland, Kalifornia Member No.: 179 Region Association: Northern California |
QUOTE(timothy_nd28 @ Jun 30 2017, 12:46 PM) Can I get your old fluke? I might be able to fix it (IMG:style_emoticons/default/hide.gif) It was submerged in corrosive liquid for several hours, there was not much left of it ... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif) |
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| draperjojo |
Jun 30 2017, 02:07 PM
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#27
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sixstrings Group: Members Posts: 411 Joined: 26-December 05 From: Salt Lake City Utah Member No.: 5,317 |
QUOTE(bigkensteele @ Jun 29 2017, 08:39 PM) Not trying to be a jerk or provoke a debate, but I am seriously curious as to what can be accomplished with a $400 multi-meter that cannot be accomplished with a $6 multi-meter on a 40 year old car. Current draw, temp, etc..but some of us work on things other than cars so why not buy the meter that will tell you what frequency the generator set is running, or check the caps and resistors on that guitar amp or microwave you're fixing. If the only thing you're going to work on is 40 year old cars, you can solve 90% of your problems with a piece of wire, light bulb, and a battery.... so the $6 meter may be fine for that... just depends on what other types of equipment you find yourself working on. |
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| rhodyguy |
Jun 30 2017, 02:14 PM
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#28
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Chimp Sanctuary NW. Check it out. Group: Members Posts: 22,252 Joined: 2-March 03 From: Orion's Bell. The BELL! Member No.: 378 Region Association: Galt's Gulch |
Gremlins? Just little things that annoy you, yes? O'Reilly's 'Performance Multi-meter' $22.99. Limited lifetime warranty. Battery included.
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| gms |
Jun 30 2017, 02:40 PM
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#29
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Advanced Member Group: Members Posts: 2,738 Joined: 12-March 04 From: Chicagoland Member No.: 1,785 Region Association: Upper MidWest
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My old Fluke went out so I got a HF unit for free. to be honest most of the stuff I use it for it works well...maybe give it a shot if you haven't already.
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| Dave_Darling |
Jun 30 2017, 04:55 PM
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#30
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914 Idiot Group: Members Posts: 15,335 Joined: 9-January 03 From: Silicon Valley / Kailua-Kona Member No.: 121 Region Association: Northern California
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For troubleshooting on our cars, you don't really need much of a multimeter. If it does the basics, you're fine. Accuracy is not very important, since most of the time we are dealing with questions like "is this 12V or nothing" or "is there any continuity here?"
Get a couple of meters that are cheap enough that you don't care if one dies. --DD |
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