Are uni-t multimeters good?

[sspj9]

I'm a first year engineering student in electronics... Till what stage is the uni-t UT70A multi-meter good?
Thanks

[OldSchoolTechCorner]

If you can afford it go with a fluke 87-5. The UNI-T's are not suitable for high current, as input protection is lacking. For electronics projects sure be decent enough. 

UNI-T UT61E has HRC fuses
UNI-T UT71E 40,000 count


https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/uni-t-ut71d-review/
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/uni-t-ut61c-multimeter-teardown-and-review/
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/uni-t-multimeter-ut71d-unboxing-and-teardown/

[OldSchoolTechCorner]

The Brymen is worth looking and a much suitable great quality meter. Usually goes for much cheaper then the Fluke.  A good model is a BM869

[pickle9000]

2-3 meters per bench

[OldSchoolTechCorner]

2-3 meters per bench

That a given, you need one to measure current alone and then different voltage rails at the same time.

[Lightages]

If you can afford it go with a fluke 87-5. The UNI-T's are not suitable for high current, as input protection is lacking. For electronics projects sure be decent enough. 

UNI-T UT61E has HRC fuses
UNI-T UT71E 40,000 count

Sorry, but the UT61E only has HRC fuses in the GS version sold in Europe. The regular rest of the world version has glass fuses.

I can recommend what I have recommended before:

UT139C $50
UT171A $200+ includes PC connection, no temperature, slow continuity (first time recommending it, mine just out of cal)
Amprobe AM-270 $110 or so
Amprobe AM-140 or AM-160, both with horrible back lights
Amprobe AM-5X0 series
Brymen BM257S $135, my favorite all round handy meter and that of many others here too
Brymen BM829S or BM857S or BM869S prices from $180 to $280

I would not recommend anything from Uni-T for your use other than maybe in addition the UT211B clamp meter, UT204A clamp, and perhaps the other UT171X models.

As other have suggested, it might be good to have two meters. In that case maybe a BM257S and a UT139C.

[Robomeds]

I would hold off and see what you need after you spend some time in school.  Initially you could probably get by with the ultra cheap 830B type meters.  Over time you will want something better.  If you have the patience ebay can be a great place to find deals on meters.  I found an Amprobe AM-270 for under $50 new in the box.  I've found several other great meters for great prices as well.  Recently a BK Precision 5370 went for ~$60.  That's a 0.05% 50,000 count meter with a great feature set.  The one in the listing was in great shape. 

Anyway, I say initially because I think people often want to get "the good tools" up front without really knowing why.  I've been a shade tree car mechanic for years.  Most of my tools are lower end things.  Sometimes that has been a problem but most of the time they work just as well as Snap-On tools.  I grew up using Snap-On stuff because my father had a set for his work.  Anyway, a way to look at this problem is get something not very expensive, understand what the limitations are, then use it until those limitations are a problem.  At that point spend the big money. 

I generally think the Brymen made units (often sold by others such as Amprobe, Greenlee, Extech and many other names outside the US) are tops for value.  That said, having recently used a Greenlee DM820A (one of the current, large Brymen meters), I'm not a big fan.  It's all superficial stuff but I definitely like Fluke better (if it's not my money).  The Amprobe AM270 (Brymen based) is one of my favorite recommendations for a new meter purchase.  At around $120 on Amazon it's hard to argue with it. 

Still, I think some of the $50 meters will get you a long way given you will be working with low energy hardware (thus the high end safety ratings are less important). 

In short, I would watch Dave's $50 review, get something off that list while looking for deals on ebay.  Get a high end meter when you know why you need it.

BTW, I will add that Fluke 8025/25/27 meters are often VERY good deals.  Dave did a review a while back.  They might be designed for coal mines and the military but they are actually quite suitable for harder measurements.

[dadler]

http://youtu.be/i2Tkm21dI1g

[Lightages]

Dave's review of the UT71E is perfectly valid for that meter. It does not reflect the state of the meters I recommended from them. In general, Uni-T does suck, but there is a selection of good model like I have listed.

I am curious Robomeds. What don't you like about the DM820A?

BTW, I agree to not buy something expensive at the start without knowing why, but I would not buy a cheapo and rely on it. That is an invitation to problems and danger.  I have recommended a range of prices that would suit anyone serious about electronics. Buy a good tool once and you can trust it. Buy anything cheap and buy it many times and then end up buying the good one in the end. Don't waste money. Get something decent right away.

[crispy_tofu]

If you can afford it go with a fluke 87-5. The UNI-T's are not suitable for high current, as input protection is lacking. For electronics projects sure be decent enough. 

UNI-T UT61E has HRC fuses
UNI-T UT71E 40,000 count

Sorry, but the UT61E only has HRC fuses in the GS version sold in Europe. The regular rest of the world version has glass fuses.

That's weird - my UT61E has HRC fuses, but it's not the European version (says CAT IV on the front)... 
However, I agree that the multimeter doesn't really have enough input protection.

[Lightages]

Ceramic fuses don't necessarily mean HRC. Can you post an image of the inside please? Even better, close ups of the fuses too with their ratings?

[rdl]

UT136C, cheap enough to get two or three of them. I have a Fluke 87-III that I can use if necessary, but most often I just use one of these. It's small and doesn't take much space on the bench. Decent readable display, all around not too bad.

[ErikTheNorwegian]

Its a " save a little longer" question...

[Paul Moir]

As an EE, do you actually need something more than a Category II Multimeter?

[joeqsmith]

I'm a first year engineering student in electronics... Till what stage is the uni-t UT70A multi-meter good?
Thanks

Not sure what a stage is but if you have not killed it yet and it does what you need, I would suggest you stick with it. 

[Robomeds]

I am curious Robomeds. What don't you like about the DM820A?

BTW, I agree to not buy something expensive at the start without knowing why, but I would not buy a cheapo and rely on it. That is an invitation to problems and danger.  I have recommended a range of prices that would suit anyone serious about electronics. Buy a good tool once and you can trust it. Buy anything cheap and buy it many times and then end up buying the good one in the end. Don't waste money. Get something decent right away.

Like I said, it was for the most part trivial stuff but I didn't care for it.  So here is the list and please remember these are all opinion and things that would not prevent me from recommending the meter to someone else.  First, I think the whole unit is top heavy and the LCD is just larger than need be given the information displayed.  I have decent eyes and this display only has 4, not 5 digits.  I would rather they have reduced the size of the unit (thickness and foot print) and go with a smaller screen.  The lack of a touch hold feature is a bummer.  My Metrix/BK has a fluke like touch hold.  It's just a really nice feature to have.  I would rather have a dedicated backlight button given how often I end up turning the light back on.  I like that Fluke's backlight stays on for several minutes rather than a minute or so.  Also, given the size of the display, I don't think the digits are actually that easy to read.  Brymen and many others seem to make the mistake of using digits that are tall but packed tightly together.  I think it's often easier to read the numbers if there is more spacing between individual digits.  Really, some of the best meters I've head in that regard are the old boxy Fluke 23/73 type meters.  The 87-3 I used to have was also really good.  The 87-5 is actually a step back in terms of contrast.  So again, I feel that the display's size makes the overall unit on the big side while providing little benefit in readability. 

None of the above are huge failings and if I wanted to be picky I can name a number of things on the Fluke 87-5 that aren't as good.  For instance, the Fluke probes don't feel as nice.  The Fluke lacks a direct AC+DC RMS reading and lacks wireless voltage sensing. 

So nothing big but I just didn't like it as much as the 80 series meters.  However, DM-820s are on ebay all day long for less than $150, under $100 seems common and occasionally half that.  Hard to argue with the value aspect. 

For the OP's question, again, I think the school is likely to provide what ever meters he might need.  Wait and save.  I think the best best would be tracking ebay and waiting for a good deal on a Fluke/Agilent/Brymen based meter or even getting one of the better APPA based meters (Ideal).  Well that or just getting this Aprobe AM-130 for $55.  The 130 seems to be basically the same as the AM270.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Amprobe-AM-130-TRMS-Tester-True-RMS-Digital-Multimeter-PC-Connection-Temp-/191711606698?cmd=ViewItem&hash=item2ca2e6f7aa:g:UzYAAOSwBahVeJ3z

[Hydrawerk]

Till what stage is the uni-t UT70A multi-meter good?
Thanks

If you do not measure high energy circuits, it is almost OK. I bought it in 2009 because it can measure capacitance and inductance. It is difficult to replace battery or fuse. You have to remove many screws. Also the backlight does not work properly if battery is semi-discharged (but the meter still works and no battery replace sign is shown on LCD).
No True RMS and no autorange. It is a 2002 design probably.
There is a strange bug in UT70A.

Nowadays I would buy a Brymen multimeter.

[Tim F]

I wouldn't recommend the UT70A for the sole reason that it lacks autoranging.

I'd recommend the UT61E. It should be perfectly fine for everything that a 1st year eng student does.
The good: the continuity buzzer is acceptable, the accuracy is excellent out of the box, plastics are quality, the display is very clear, datalogging capability when connected to a PC.
The bad: Supplied probes are chit, jacks are thin pressed metal (although the plastic retainer prevents them from getting bent up), lack of HRC fuses, not the fastest updating meter in the world.

HRC fuses are only required for high energy circuits which can under certain circumstances provide extremely high surge currents which cannot be interrupted by a regular fuse without explosive destruction. The difference between a meter without input protection/HRC fuses and a Fluke is not that the Fluke will survive, but instead will fail in a way that interrupts the fault current without exploding and injuring you. Unless you are dealing with high energy mains power, high power motors or huge banks of capacitors, you don't need this. Just be mindful that the meter should never be used in those applications.

It is even an advantage to have the cheaper M205/5x20mm and 6x32mm fuses for low-energy electronics use as they won't cost a bomb to replace when you have a brain fart and accidentally pop them.

Ceramic fuses don't necessarily mean HRC. Can you post an image of the inside please? Even better, close ups of the fuses too with their ratings?

yeah I think he just has 250V ceramic fuses, which is what the current chinese market ones are shipping with.

[crispy_tofu]

Ceramic fuses don't necessarily mean HRC. Can you post an image of the inside please? Even better, close ups of the fuses too with their ratings?

yeah I think he just has 250V ceramic fuses, which is what the current chinese market ones are shipping with.

Yeah, they're probably ceramic (can't check right now), but the listing (which is long gone) said HRC fuses... 

[Lightages]

Many people have reported that the UT61E drifts quite badly over time, it has very poor input protection and could die just from an electrostatic zap when walking across a carpet, and it doesn't have temperature nor back light. It should never be used (except for the GS version) in any CATIII situation. If these things are not important to the use then it is a good buy as it comes with the PC cable and software. I had one. Would I buy one again? NO.

I would rather see a person purchase the UT139C. Yes it lacks a PC connection and has lower accuracy, but it has much better input protection , temperature, and a back light. It also has a real holster and a NCV detector to help keep you from touching live circuits.

Again, you cannot go wrong with the Brymen BM257S. There is always the option later to get a PC connection kit too if needed.

The main thing in my mind is that if someone is relying on their multimeter for their engineering course, it better be reliable and robust enough for when the inevitable errors are made. Nobody (in their right mind) has ever complained about having a tool of good quality. Many people have regretted buying the cheap junk just because it was cheap.

[Ampere]

Ceramic fuses don't necessarily mean HRC. Can you post an image of the inside please? Even better, close ups of the fuses too with their ratings?

yeah I think he just has 250V ceramic fuses, which is what the current chinese market ones are shipping with.

I just opened my UT61E and it looks like that's what I have. The fuses read:

1A
AsiaFuse
AF63C-1A
(CCCs)
BS1362
SS167

10A
AsiaFuse
AF63C-10A
<A$A> (CCCs)
BS1362

Both are ceramic and of the smaller form factor. Nothing to suggest that they are HRC. I'm a student as well and I don't do any high power work so I'm not losing any sleep over it.

[Tim F]

You are right that the 61E drifts badly but I find resolution more useful than absolute accuracy. Hardly ever would an engineering student have the need for better than 1% absolute accuracy imho and a 61E will remain well inside of that over many years.

fwiw, my own 61E hasn't drifted at all compared to an 87V over the 6months i've owned it. It agrees within 2 digits on DC volts, so the factory calibration is excellent. I also have a UT71D which i've owned for about 4 years and it's drifted about 5 digits in that time compared with the 87V.

edit: my 61E has those same AsiaFuse BS1362 fuses in it. The breaking capacity is 6000A, 263V. They are an appliance fuse like you would place in a UK mains plug - common and cheap.

Compare that to the Bussman DMM-B-11A fuse used in Flukes which has a breaking capacity of 20000A, 1000V.

[crispy_tofu]

Ceramic fuses don't necessarily mean HRC. Can you post an image of the inside please? Even better, close ups of the fuses too with their ratings?

yeah I think he just has 250V ceramic fuses, which is what the current chinese market ones are shipping with.

Both are ceramic and of the smaller form factor. Nothing to suggest that they are HRC. I'm a student as well and I don't do any high power work so I'm not losing any sleep over it.

Yep, I was diddled. Oh well... 

[Wytnucls]

You could do a lot worse than the UT70A.
It is an old design, but is UL listed (CAT II 1000V). It doesn't comply with the latest IEC recommendations, but that's true for many old meters.
Manual ranging is fine and preferred by some teachers in a school environment.
You will know when it's time to upgrade. I would think that a higher resolution and true RMS will be needed eventually.
If it works with acceptable accuracy, spend the money on something else for now.