The Uni-T UT33c or d - how good they are?

[atferrari]

I recall seen very recently, a post with a picture showing two DMM UT33 and a comment about them.

This morning I run across them in a shop and they are extremely cheap even for our ridiculos standard where everything could cost up to 4 or even 8 times the prevailing price outside (ie DS1307 = 8USD). At least they are not ugly...

The "d" measures temperatures as well and there is a more complete model that seems able to do many other things.  (??)

Anyone using them could say how good (or less than good) they are?

They are not in the Excel spreadsheet in the sticky.

[Lightages]

They are made very cheaply and worth maybe $8. I purchased one at basically the same price here in Chile. They work, and well enough for general testing in the car or on the bench but keep them away from anything like the wall socket or other high energy sources. Think of it as a disposable meter that you use in where you on't want to expose your good meter to dirt and grease around a car. You have to open the case to access the battery and the only fuse on the mA range and the screws are very small self tappers. Because of this it is likely you will change the battery 5 or 6 times and then not have a meter that stays together well after.

$8? In Argentina and Chile it is a steal for a simple kick around multimeter. Get two or three. Just remember keep it away from high energy stuff.

[Lightages]

I just pulled mine out of the car (actually my camioneta) where I keep it for road side checks and it has been there for 3 years through all temperatures. It is still in spec.

[paulie]

Several friends have one (or more) and I own a same cost more modern version, UT136b, which is virtually identical and can say they are a fantastic deal. Extremely sensitive AC and DC voltage/current ranges, accurate  10mhz frequency counter, ergonomic auto power off (battery lasts 2+ years), and most important for me instantly responsive beeper. I'm convinced you can run over these with a truck and will last forever. Very compact too, actually does fit in a shirt pocket.

To be honest I use cheaper units most of the time because they are even smaller but mostly because I've got them scattered all over the place and one always in reach.

[rob77]

i bought one UT33C just out of curiosity... (and use it for unimportant auxiliary measurements - and it also does temperature).. it's built to a price... squared...
the 10 ampere input is not fused at all , input protection is almost zero.. i wouldn't go with it anywhere close to mains.

[atferrari]

They are made very cheaply and worth maybe $8. I purchased one at basically the same price here in Chile. They work, and well enough for general testing in the car or on the bench but keep them away from anything like the wall socket or other high energy sources. Think of it as a disposable meter that you use in where you on't want to expose your good meter to dirt and grease around a car. You have to open the case to access the battery and the only fuse on the mA range and the screws are very small self tappers. Because of this it is likely you will change the battery 5 or 6 times and then not have a meter that stays together well after.

$8? In Argentina and Chile it is a steal for a simple kick around multimeter. Get two or three. Just remember keep it away from high energy stuff.

Gracias LA

The 8 USD price is for the DS1820 (temperature sensor).

The rest, duly noted.

[Lightages]

OK, so how much is the UT33 series in Argentina?

One other thing I love, is the manual back light switch. I hate, HATE, when multimeters only have a back light that times out under CPU control, and has no option to keep it on until you turn it off.

[atferrari]

OK, so how much is the UT33 series in Argentina?

One other thing I love, is the manual back light switch. I hate, HATE, when multimeters only have a back light that times out under CPU control, and has no option to keep it on until you turn it off.

Around 180 pesos. About 20 USD depending what exchange rate you look at.

[smjcuk]

Two UT33As here. No complaints. Good general purpose meters for the money. I have poked the mains sockets in my house with mine if I'm honest. I wouldn't go dangling off a three phase line transformer or something though with one.

[paulie]

Yes, I always use the Fluke when testing the 10 million joule 20kv impulse generator in my basement or base jumping 500 foot waterfalls before work every day. Everything else the UTI is great.

[smjcuk]

So true

[Lightages]

OK, so how much is the UT33 series in Argentina?

One other thing I love, is the manual back light switch. I hate, HATE, when multimeters only have a back light that times out under CPU control, and has no option to keep it on until you turn it off.

Around 180 pesos. About 20 USD depending what exchange rate you look at.

At this price, not such a good deal. Can you get things imported from Hong Kong and China through ebay without paying big taxes?

[atferrari]

OK, so how much is the UT33 series in Argentina?

One other thing I love, is the manual back light switch. I hate, HATE, when multimeters only have a back light that times out under CPU control, and has no option to keep it on until you turn it off.

Around 180 pesos. About 20 USD depending what exchange rate you look at.

At this price, not such a good deal. Can you get things imported from Hong Kong and China through ebay without paying big taxes?

you never know what they could be asking you to pay when the goods are here.

[rob77]

Yes, I always use the Fluke when testing the 10 million joule 20kv impulse generator in my basement or base jumping 500 foot waterfalls before work every day. Everything else the UTI is great.

till the day you forget your probes connected in the unfused 10amp input and will try to measure the mains voltage... if you'll do that in the distribution box you'll most probably end up with 3rd degree burns in hospital... if unlucky then 6 feet under.

[jimon]

IMHO they are fine for low voltage and low current auxiliary stuff, like tracking some voltages or some small currents. I even used it once to track 4 amps (but low voltage) I even tried to poke mains in a socket couple of times, but then I use proper probes (Fluke TL175 or similar) and put device far away from myself. Just be concision and know exactly what are you doing. And yes, invest in proper probes.

My main problem with them - they are slow as hell (almost any handheld DMM is slow, so my go to tool is benchtop DMM ).

[paulie]

till the day you forget your probes connected in the unfused 10amp input and will try to measure the mains voltage... if you'll do that in the distribution box you'll most probably end up with 3rd degree burns in hospital... if unlucky then 6 feet under.

Typical internet naysaying and brandboy hyperbole. Back in the 90s it was lithium batteries burning down the neighborhood. Anyone reading other posts here might know I've done exactly that (more than one occasion too) yet here to tell the tale:

Oh yeah... I forgot about the "unfused" situation. One big difference is the cheapies have very little copper in them probe leads. Not so great when your probes have half ohm drop and you must subtract from every low resistance reading. The good news is they tend to be the first thing to go in 10a setting.

Ahhhh... I love the smell of burnt PVC in the morning !!!

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/how-much-sould-a-hobbiest-spend-on-a-multimeter/60/

Those videos of exploding meters in that thread were very entertaining but not very real world oriented. Individuals with access to that kind of high energy equipment are unlikely to own hobby grade meters. Fuse ratings and other safety features are just a matter of degree and under the right conditions even the expensive meters will behave similarly. IMO those scare tactics are at best little more than scientific curiosities, or worse, dealers drumming up business for higher margin product.

Admittedly top line meters behave better in un-typical high voltage high current incidents. But not "probably" or even very likely to result in serious physical harm at line levels.  Burnt leads or PCB runs yes, hospital visit unlikely. I would definitely prefer to screw up like that with my Fluke but since it is rarely used I'm personally ok with trashed leads on the cheapie. Obviously we are each responsible for our own risk assessment so note this is just my own opinion as you are entitled to yours.

[Fungus]

Typical internet naysaying and brandboy hyperbole.  Anyone reading other posts here might know I've done exactly that (more than one occasion too) yet here to tell the tale:

Those videos of exploding meters in that thread were very entertaining but not very real world oriented. Individuals with access to that kind of high energy equipment are unlikely to own hobby grade meters.

Anecdotes are not evidence.

You're missing at least two points:

a) We're human and sometimes get the dial setting wrong (or half way between two positions). If you do that you might be feeding mains through a low impedance path in the meter or even directly into the battery. Ordinary household mains is plenty to set fire to the meter if you do that.

b) Plenty of people live in areas where huge mains spikes happen on a daily basis. Even in big cities you're not 100% safe. A couple of months ago a mains spike took out the telephone exchange board at my wife's company (this was confirmed by the electricity company and claimed for under their insurance).

[rob77]

till the day you forget your probes connected in the unfused 10amp input and will try to measure the mains voltage... if you'll do that in the distribution box you'll most probably end up with 3rd degree burns in hospital... if unlucky then 6 feet under.

Typical internet naysaying and brandboy hyperbole. Back in the 90s it was lithium batteries burning down the neighborhood. Anyone reading other posts here might know I've done exactly that (more than one occasion too) yet here to tell the tale:

sure, then try to short the mains with the UNFUSED 10Amp shunt of the UT33C.... you'll notice the hyperbole for sure...

[Zbig]

sure, then try to short the mains with the UNFUSED 10Amp shunt of the UT33C.... you'll notice the hyperbole for sure...

Yes, what then? You do realize that the house wiring is designed with handling short circuit conditions in mind and that's what the circuit breakers are for, right? I'll tell you what you'll notice: you'll hear a reasonably loud bang, see some flash, you'll get startled and will have to walk to the circuit breaker box to reset the tripped fuse. A bang and a flash. No drama, no deaths, no life flashing before your eyes. Honestly, you haven't EVER tripped a breaker by mistake?

[paulie]

sure, then try to short the mains with the UNFUSED 10Amp shunt of the UT33C.... you'll notice the hyperbole for sure...

Maybe read more carefully. That is exactly the point of the last few posts.

Unless for some strange reason you are talking about literally removing the shunt from the meter and shorting to mains. Like those previous high energy experiments it would indeed have spectacular result. But like those not a reasonable or realistic situation. In this universe thin probe wires or PCB runs give out long before the shunt.

I'm convinced there are far more likely and dangerous aspects to playing with line voltages like electrocution from grabbing exposed wiring or dropping a screwdriver.

[Muxr]

till the day you forget your probes connected in the unfused 10amp input and will try to measure the mains voltage... if you'll do that in the distribution box you'll most probably end up with 3rd degree burns in hospital... if unlucky then 6 feet under.

Typical internet naysaying and brandboy hyperbole. Back in the 90s it was lithium batteries burning down the neighborhood. Anyone reading other posts here might know I've done exactly that (more than one occasion too) yet here to tell the tale:

A car battery definitely has enough current to singe the leads of an unfused meter in your hands. A pretty common application for a meter, to check the car battery voltage.

People make mistakes, I've used multimeters all my life but I still occasionally forget to change a setting. It's kind of ironic that those who are experienced get the safest gear because they don't spare expense on quality gear, and the beginners who definitely should get safe gear, get less than safe gear, because it's cheap entry level stuff.

There is also an issue of giving out unsafe advice on a public forum read by thousands of people. I'd rather be overly safe in my recommendations than think that my recommendation hurt some kid who just got into electronics.

[paulie]

A car battery definitely has enough current to singe the leads of an unfused meter in your hands. A pretty common application for a meter, to check the car battery voltage.

Yes, but not likely to cause the meter to explode. Twice in my life I have seen near life threatening events involving car battery. Both times caused by dropping a tool across the terminals where it gets instantly welded in place. Lots of steam and battery acid everywhere. On the other hand regarding DMM from a couple personal experiences and dozens 2nd hand no explosions or even sparks or fire. Worst case a small section of melted cable plastic but usually just hot then open circuit.

There is also an issue of giving out unsafe advice on a public forum read by thousands of people. I'd rather be overly safe in my recommendations than think that my recommendation hurt some kid who just got into electronics.

So best advice would be to avoid all activity related to electricity and stay home in a cotton box. Some gurus do enjoy making noobs shiver in fright and watching them dance with wild goose chase advice.  I prefer a more balanced viewpoint.

[smjcuk]

Amen to that.

Genuine story: My cousin choked to death on some megablocks when he was 15. I suggest you all go and buy Lego instead.

[Muxr]

I could understand if we were talking about saving hundreds of dollars here or thousands. But a decent meter really isn't that expensive. And for a piece of gear that virtually never gets outdated, and lasts a long time, it makes no sense to get an unfused meter. my 2c.

[paulie]

Oh yeah... I forgot to mention how free some are with other peoples money.

Also note the difference IS hundreds of dollars. My Fluke listed at $475. My $12 Uni-T has more features and performance and adequate safety yet 40 can be purchased for the cost of one Fluke. In a professional setting where hundreds of thousands for salary and property are involved a few hundred extra may be reasonable. Not the case in most of these discussions. People do like to project their own situation ignoring actual requirements hence a lot of what I consider to be bad advice.

BTW all meters are fused, even if we are talking about super skinny PCB trace. Personally I do not even replace the glass fuses. Instead a hair thin strand of wire. Sure it blows at much lower current but I can live with the additional safety margin. I'll use an external  shunt for real high current. IMO when you can get several complete hobby meters for the cost of a single replacement fuse on a "real" meter maybe time to draw the line.