Why did you buy a bench multimeter?

[Gyro]

The only other technical people in my family are a generation older than I am.

Yes, the other solution is to ensure that at least one of your offspring has followed in your footsteps. 

[james_s]

I have no offspring nor plans to produce any so that won't work for me. For those who do I've observed very limited success in getting one to follow in a parent's footsteps, normally they form their own interests.

[Gyro]

You're right, ensure was the wrong word, in fact I was quite keen to dissuade him from following in my footsteps (at the time I could see design and manufacture in a lot of the areas I had worked in leaving the country). Luckily he's turned out very flexible, with a decent S/W and H/W balance [Edit: , a healthy CV] and a has a decent, secure, and interesting, niche with a large employer.

The other chose Geology fairly early, so the subject never really came up - I'm not sure Sheldon would have been so relaxed about that one though. 

[tkamiya]

I didn't know I needed a reason to buy one....

[james_s]

There's always a reason for everything, maybe that reason was a need, maybe you just thought it looked cool, maybe you're a mentally ill hoarder and wanted it to go with the 20 you already had, but there's always a reason.

[HighVoltage]

Good one, blueskull. Kind of like the "Why does everyone have 20 oscilloscopes?" thread.

One of my favorite bench DMM shots by HighVoltage (click to enlarge):



https://www.eevblog.com/forum/repair/agilent-34410a-repair-attempt-of-2-dead-meters/msg874162/#msg874162

That's an old picture.
I am afraid to make a new one.

One can never have enough Bench Multimeters.
Especially when the voltnut metrology virus comes as an infection.
 

[Wolfgang]

Your collection is miserably incomplete. An 8 1/2 digit 4ppm Keysight 3485A, or Fluke 8508A is missing. 
And, where is your Josephson voltage standard ?! 

[james_s]

When was the last time you actually used all of them for something?

I have 2 bench meters, one good handheld and a few cheapies, I can't imagine ever needing more unless it was a specialized instrument.

[iainwhite]

I bought one second hand just because so many people on this forum had them....

I think this is pretty good reason to buy a bench multimeter

I think that was my reason too.

[MT]

Because i needed the better specs and remove the battery issue which reminds me i should buy a newer one to get
even better specs the argument back then which also was true at the time but perhaps not anymore. Oh my brain hurts, to much decisions !

[Nusa]

The biggest problem for some of you is that you don't have enough benches for your bench meters.

[rsjsouza]

The biggest problem for some of you is that you don't have enough benches for your bench meters.

Hear! hear!

The available space for extra gear has been shrinking by the day...

[D3f1ant]

I think the question should be why wouldn't you buy a bench meter?

[james_s]

Lack of a bench, lack of a need, lack of funds, etc. An electrician probably doesn't want to lug a bench meter around to jobsites or try to balance one on top of a ladder. An auto mechanic isn't going to want to find a place to set a bench meter while working on a car. Someone with a low budget would probably be better served by an inexpensive handheld meter.

[G0HZU]

I think the question should be why wouldn't you buy a bench meter?

I'll list my reasons for not having one where I work... They take up a power socket, they waste space on a shelf, it's also difficult to manage the test leads of a bench meter if it is on a shelf. The leads hang down and will wrestle with other leads on the bench especially during a busy session and it can quickly cause a tangle and a mess. You have to look up and down to read it on a shelf like a nodding dog, you have to reach up to operate the controls and refocus away from the stuff you are working on. You also have to keep moving it (or have another one taking up even more space) if you need to work on stuff along the full length of a bench. They are also no good for floating measurements on a high Z circuit as they have a shunt leakage path to ground (unlike a handheld DMM).

I think a bench meter is fine if you only plan to use it lightly in a fixed zone but for any intense work on a PCB or across a large piece of equipment, the handheld DMM is king. As I said before, the biggest difference at work is that the bench meters live in the production/ATE area. A bench meter is a rare sight in the design labs because they are such a PITA to manage on a busy work bench. It's been like this at work for about 30 years and if all the engineers were offered a free megadigit bench DMM to have on their bench permanently I think nearly all of them would say no. This is for the reasons given above.

[Specmaster]

There is no real definitive answer to this question for hobbyists, many times as for me its a matter personal choice. There are times when you don't actually have any space left on the bench due to the size of item that you are working on. That's when a bench meter mounted on a shelf or rack above the bench is your friend because the meter is there to hand, it is above the bench top height so is clearly visible and not hidden behind the item of interest. Other time you might need to use a meter away from the bench and that when and where decent handhelds come into their own.

A well equipped lab will more than likely have a few meters of both types to enable for flexibility and changing conditions etc.
I know I have plenty of both types and they all get used.