looking for a good digital multimeter

[Wytnucls]

I called Klein Tools and they told me none of there multimeter can be calibrated. If it does it will be covered under there warranty. In reply #10, can you see anything in the picture that could be used to calibrate the meter?

You obviously haven't heard of closed case calibration. Not all DMMs have trim pots.
Besides, the meter must have been calibrated and adjusted at production time, probably through the J10 connector, but it is not a sure thing.

The MM6000 can be calibrated and hopefully adjusted too, contrary to what the Klein guy told you:

[carnage]

I called Klein Tools and they told me none of there multimeter can be calibrated. If it does it will be covered under there warranty. In reply #10, can you see anything in the picture that could be used to calibrate the meter?

You obviously haven't heard of closed case calibration. Not all DMMs have trim pots.
Besides, the meter must have been calibrated and adjusted at production time, probably through the J10 connector, but it is not a sure thing.

The MM6000 can be calibrated and hopefully adjusted too, contrary to what the Klein guy told you:

I never knew a multimeter could be calibrated until I did some reading on this forum,so a closed calibration I have to look it up to see what it is.
Surprise the customer service at Klein Tools didn't anything about the calibration of there meters.
I called Fluke about there multimeter and they said in my case a Metrology lab has to do any calibration.

[carnage]

I looked up Amprobe 510 on Amazon and it comes in 2 way with NIST Certificate and no certificate. Is it worth the extra $59 for the certificate?

[Wytnucls]

The short answer is NO. Waste of money for personal use, especially at your level.

[carnage]

The short answer is NO. Waste of money for personal use, especially at your level.

I'll be using the meter for mostly battery, the occasional auto repair, and house outlets 110v hopefully never but, not much.

Which one you think is a good choice (your opinion) Klein, Uni-t ut61e, or the Amprobe 510?

[MosherIV]

Which one you think is a good choice (your opinion) Klein, Uni-t ut61e, or the Amprobe 510?

Both the Klein and the Amprobe are safe without a doubt.

The Klein has more features, the temperature can be useful.

The Amprobe is more basic.

The Uni-T - depends on where you get it from. You need to get the European version to be safe but then it makes it expensive.

[NivagSwerdna]

I'm a hobbyist.... and own a cheapo Mastech DMM which has served me well for many many years.  You don't need to spend $$$ on a DMM when you are starting out.

You don't need fancy features... however, you should get an autoranging meter as otherwise it will drive you nuts. 

eg MASTECH MS8268

[carnage]

Which one you think is a good choice (your opinion) Klein, Uni-t ut61e, or the Amprobe 510?

Both the Klein and the Amprobe are safe without a doubt.

The Klein has more features, the temperature can be useful.

The Amprobe is more basic.

The Uni-T - depends on where you get it from. You need to get the European version to be safe but then it makes it expensive.

The Uni-t is coming Amazon and I think the meter is from China.
By your reply, I think you would pick the Klein.

[MosherIV]

You don't need to spend $$$ on a DMM when you are starting out.

True BUT it must be a safe one!

You don't need fancy feature

True.

however, you should get an autoranging meter as otherwise it will drive you nuts.

I disagree. Yes auto ranging is useful BUT sometimes it helps to have to think about what you are about to measure and therefore set the DMM up correctly.
With auto ranging - it is all too easy just to turn on the meter and attempt to measure

MASTECH MS8268

Mastech are not know for their safety !!

Some of the cheap meters, Mastech included, will be destroyed if you leave the meter on Ohms and measure Mains voltage.

The Amprobe will definitely survive. The Klein should also survive.

[carnage]

I like to get people opinion and advice of the pros and cons, who has experience (in this case) multimeter. Its help me decide which one to go with, make, model and so on.

[NivagSwerdna]

Mastech are not know for their safety !!
Some of the cheap meters, Mastech included, will be destroyed if you leave the meter on Ohms and measure Mains voltage.

In the UK we have lively electrons in our mains supply and I haven't been electrocuted yet.  I would be interested in evidence to back up your assertion.

[MosherIV]

The Uni-t is coming Amazon and I think the meter is from China.

As I said before, the one I got from China is definitely NOT safe to use on mains.
I got it because I wanted to check it out for myself due to all the rave reviews if got from many on this forum.
You get OTT accuracy (for a beginner) for a budget price.
I would not recommend it as a first or main DMM for a beginner.

Just be VERY careful with it when you use it to measure mains voltage. It should not blow up or anything normally.
It may also be susceptible to static because none of the MOVs are fitted in the meter, I added them myself :
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/varistormov-for-ut61e/
As joeqsmith says - there is no guarantee that fitting them has made the meter any safer. Hopefully at very least it will protect it from static though.

By your reply, I think you would pick the Klein.

If I was looking for my first DMM and got 'feature check list' fever - yes that is probably the one I would get.

Bear in mind that I have 11 DMMs now. 3 are Uni-T and I know they may not be safe!
I have 1 Fluke and 1 Agilent/Keysight which are both as safe as you can get!
I have 2 Solartron/Schlumberger 6.5 digit DMM - expensive version of the UT61E  - why do I need 6.5 digit - because I can (I am turning into a volt nut)

[PA4TIM]

For what you want every meter is usable. Forget calibration, it makes a meter not better. Calibration is comparing the meter against a standard and writing down the results. So then you know that you meter shows  5,00004V when you measure 5,00000V Great, and now the best part  The specs of real meters are given for an amount of time like a value for 24 hours, a month and a year. Besides that there are other factors like temperature, humidity and pressure that will cause deviation.
And you still do not know a thing. Time will tell but only if you calibrate it regular. Calibration is about confidence and history.

If I buy a 10 dollar meter, adjust and calibrate it at 25 degrees C spot on, I use it a month, drop it some times and calibrate it again after a month at 15 degrees. I will get other results. If you do that with a Keysight of Fluke the result will often be (much) better. My Agilent came with a calibration rapport so I knew how it was set in the factory. But after 6 years of daily use it can be off a little or a lot. To know how much I must calibrate it (without adjusting) regularly. (I do that but I have my own cal lab)

But most important, what will happen if you measure a wallcontact to check if there is power and the meter shows 112V in stead of 110V. And what are the consequences if your battery is 12,05V instead of 12,1V etc

Safety is important, for me too, I know what I' m doing but because I use it a lot there is more chance I make a mistake. You have a higher chance because you may not know always what you are doing. A good meter will survive most stupid faults, a cheappy can blow up in your hand. So I' m not a fanboy of cheap meters for beginners.
That is like a car with bad brakes for a 90 year old granny . She does not drive much and not fast so she does not need good brakes ? 

To know what non- safe meters are: see the huge list somewhere here on the forum. Look at the videos from joe smith, also here on the forum active.

Look the meter shootout videos from Dave to see what is important for you and how to recognize a bad meter

[MosherIV]

In the UK we have lively electrons in our mains supply and I haven't been electrocuted yet.  I would be interested in evidence to back up your assertion.

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/mastech-ms8218-(0-03-multimeter)-quick-review/
See Bored@Work response to the reviews :

The input section is once again a weak point. Insufficient mechanical construction, insufficient build quality. Weak protection (two PTCs, two spark gaps with wrong footprint, some resistors, underspeced fuses and a screw almost under the fuses to "aid" any arcing). The "paint" on the current shunt looks more like burned isolation to me.

Also check out :
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/a-low-cost-multimeter-selection-for-a-new-meter-enthusiast
joeqsmith said :

It's not electrically robust but survived the basic grill starter test just fine.

My analogy is this:
How many times have you crossed the road?

Ever been run over ? No

Does that mean you will NEVER be run over?

Better to get a safe meter where it will protect you as well as having to 'look both ways before you cross', for those time where you forgot to look.

[carnage]

By the replies I narrow it down to the Klein or Amprobe.

How can you tell which one is safer?
Can you go by the CAT rating?

[MosherIV]

By the replies I narrow it down to the Klein or Amprobe.

How can you tell which one is safer?
Can you go by the CAT rating?

From your point of view BOTH are safe meters, both should have UL or some other accredited testing.
Some companies print CAT ratings without every getting them tested 

My advice : Choose on whether you want the extra features in the Klein OR whether the basic features of the Amprobe will do.

[carnage]

Thanks alot guys for the replies guys! The rest is up to me now.

[Lightages]

Mastech are not know for their safety !!
Some of the cheap meters, Mastech included, will be destroyed if you leave the meter on Ohms and measure Mains voltage.

In the UK we have lively electrons in our mains supply and I haven't been electrocuted yet.  I would be interested in evidence to back up your assertion.

You have been in cars many times and are still alive. I would be interested to see evidence to back up n assertion that people die in cars.

See the fallacy? I hate, HATE, when people say "It hasn't happened to me therefore it doesn't happen." 

[Lightages]

By the replies I narrow it down to the Klein or Amprobe.

How can you tell which one is safer?
Can you go by the CAT rating?

Don't sweat which is safer, they are close and those who are recommending these meters because of their safety are not going to lie about wat is safe. CAT ratings mean nothing unless the construction inside is correct and the meters are actually 3rd party tested for their ratings. The UT61E had ratings that it could not match and Uni-T had to redesign it and lower the CAT rating to actually have it pass standards needed to sell it in Germany.

As you are a beginner, it is understandable that you would want opinions from those who have more experience. This forum is one of the best as far as it gets when it comes to good information and low BS. Just be aware when anyone tells you to not worry, especially when it comes to safety. Meters have safety ratings for a reason.

Get the Klein, Amprobe, or the UT139C that has been mentioned and be happy that you have purchased something that is not junk, is built to a good standard of safety, and will read correctly when you need to know. The one benefit of the UT139C is that it is true RMS. If you don't know what that means don't worry about it but it is a nice feature to have. The other thing about having one multimeter, you are likely to try and measure something that would be potentially unsae with a POS thing like the 830 meters because "Oh, it's only just this once, what can happen?".

Once you have your first meter then you will learn and understand more so that you can make decisions on what to buy for yourself.

[MosherIV]

As for safety of cheap meters, nothing gets worse than DT family, and yet I managed to poke 220V for years. UL can't save stupidity, and DT series won't kill you if you think before you leap.

I re-quote :

My analogy is this:
How many times have you crossed the road?

Ever been run over ? No

Does that mean you will NEVER be run over?

Better to get a safe meter where it will protect you as well as having to 'look both ways before you cross', for those time where you forgot to look.

Lightages also said

You have been in cars many times and are still alive. I would be interested to see evidence to back up n assertion that people die in cars.

See the fallacy? I hate, HATE, when people say "It hasn't happened to me therefore it doesn't happen." 

You are right UL accreditation cannot stop stupidity but it can save their life/limb if they do something stupid and the meter blows.

If on the other hand, you are deliberately encouraging people to get dangerous meters so that the pool of good engineers remains constant and low in numbers (ie Darwinian evolution), well .............

[Rick Law]

...
...

A cheap on like the DT830 is reasonably accurate (+-2%).  I have a couple of DT830B, at $2 a piece.

Since you have stated that you are a beginner and have little experience - definitely do not get the DT830.
It is NOT a safe meter for use on live mains (110V in our case).
...
...
Stick to something that is going to keep you safe.

You are right, I was assuming that it would be used correctly and carefully.  Sticking that into 110V with wrong settings (like measuring ohms) would be a bit of a fire-show risk.

I blew the fuse in one of my DT830 measuring volts on ohms setting.  The fuse was easy to replace.  But 110V might have done more than just blowing the fuse.  If you stick it into a (clothing) drier (220V) or HVAC air conditioners, it could really fry...  RIP, population of your town just went down by at least one.

[carnage]

With the ut139c, do you still have to know if it's from China?

[MosherIV]

With the ut139c, do you still have to know if it's from China? 

No, I beleive the consensus on the forum is that this Uni-T meter is safe.

[Ordinaryman1971]

What's your budged on the meter, do you want to spend $50, $100, $200?
I think that's the main limitation here. There is a plethora of meters on the market, get the one you like, order online or get it in the store if you like a local warranty. With your purpose in mind whatever you choose will be fine. Avoid complete junk if you work on higher voltages. Learn how to use it. Use it to make money. Buy a better one. Rinse and repeat.

[Rick Law]

I started out cheap with DT830B, and then DT9208, then DT9205, then VC97.
When the time has come, I successively got F289, K2002 and my latest one in collection, U1461A.

Take it easy. If you make good use of your meter as a pro worker or engineer, you get money for a better meter very quickly.

As for safety of cheap meters, nothing gets worse than DT family, and yet I managed to poke 220V for years. UL can't save stupidity, and DT series won't kill you if you think before you leap.

I think here on this forum are a large number of professionals.  I can see their reservation on anything less than certified safe.  After all, a company giving an employee something that could cause a stupid employee to go candle-mode could get sue out of the shirts on their collective backs - even if it was really Darwin's theory at work.

With a little respect (for the potential danger), much danger can be avoided.  Respect however is a rare commodity these days.