Replace broken multimeter

[Aldo22]

A few years ago I bought a bunch of 1k 1% "metal film" resistors from Ali, and I wondered if they were in spec, so I tried to measure them with my Aneng 8008 which was all the craze back then,  and a bunch of them were out of spec, with deviations of 3% or so. I was ready to give negative feedback and then I thought to repeat the measurement with a real meter, and it turned out that they were all in spec. Then I went back to the aneng, and fiddled a bit with the dial and then suddenly the resistors were in spec too.

That's really bad luck.
I've just tried this with my cheapos and a 10k resistor and within their specifications, they all agree.

EDIT: Attached some more cheap meters measuring the same resistor.
As far as I can see, the maximum deviation between all these devices is about 0.4%. So they should all be good enough to roughly judge a 1% resistor.

[bdunham7]

Also, (17:31 mark) Fluke says DMMs should carry at least 2 independent testing certifications (e.g. UL/ DUV/ TLE) rather simply being designed to meet or conform to standards. I see the BM235+ is UL listed on the data sheet/ front of device, and EEVBlog 121GW is UL certified by ETL as stated on the info page, but I don't see the UL stamp on some Brymen devices such as the BM867s or EEVblog 786. Just conformance statements for CE and/or UL standards.

Is the lack of testing certification an issue for these DMMs?

I think I'd be satisfied with one reliable independent certfication.  Fluke probably always gets two because of where they sell their products and thus they can make that claim as a marketing advantage.  AFAIK, UL certification has to be done for each separate model sold even if is just rebadged or derived from another model.  So considering meters that are reduced-feature models derived from others, say the EEVBlog 786 vs Brymen 789 or 867S vs 869S, if the full-featured model passes then Brymen might consider that sufficient validation of their design and not want to spend the money on the full UL testing for the lower models.  IDK if this is actually the case, just speculating as to why some models might not have an actual UL listing.   

[shapirus]

That's really bad luck.
I've just tried this with my cheapos and a 10k resistor and within their specifications, they all agree.

That's until you hit the right spot with the range selector :).

FWIW, my Brymen BM869s also has an occasional, rather infrequent bug, somewhat similar to that: sometimes, when powered on into the VDC mode, it displays "0.0000" and doesn't update the reading regardless of the voltage across the leads. Have to power it off and back on (or just switch the mode to something else and back, don't remember) to fix this. It can be quite confusing when you try to measure a voltage and see all zeroes. However, the value displayed does not fluctuate in the LSD, as it normally would with floating leads, and that allows to spot the issue quickly and realize that it's the meter that's glitching.
I saw somebody mentioning similar, may be the same, issue with their BM869s too.

And yes, it doesn't have Cat rating certifications from two independent labs, mine just has a "UL listed" sticker. I guess that's good enough, but can't argue that having two would be better.

Nothing is flawless, unfortunately. Or fortunately. But either way can't complain for what instruments we can buy today for any given budget, even the lowest.

[Aldo22]

That's really bad luck.
I've just tried this with my cheapos and a 10k resistor and within their specifications, they all agree.

That's until you hit the right spot with the range selector .

Hmmm, I don't know how to do that.
Especially with the clamp meter, which only has a power button. 

[bdunham7]

Nothing is flawless, unfortunately. Or fortunately. But either way can't complain for what instruments we can buy today for any given budget, even the lowest.

The question is are you willing to pay more to get the right answer 99.999% of the time as opposed to 99%.

[Haenk]

I do agree on the Brymen 869S - I have one
Considering the precision and the features, this is really good value for the money.

Considering "rather cheap" mutimeters, that *is* an option, IMHO. If buying, buy a known brand (like from your local hardware store) - very likely, they do care about their brand name and have the meters checked for compliance. For Germany e.g., buying from ALDI or LIDL will get you good (tested) quality and a low price, even with a good set of features.
However, *do not* buy from Aliexpress, Wish or the like - you might buy a "chinese edition" (same model number, but little to no protection).

[Aldo22]

Considering "rather cheap" mutimeters, that *is* an option, IMHO. If buying, buy a known brand (like from your local hardware store) - very likely, they do care about their brand name and have the meters checked for compliance. For Germany e.g., buying from ALDI or LIDL will get you good (tested) quality and a low price, even with a good set of features.
However, *do not* buy from Aliexpress, Wish or the like - you might buy a "chinese edition" (same model number, but little to no protection).

Do you really think that Uni-T or Fluke produce special crap versions for Aliexpress?

On the other hand, the German company Conrad sold e.g. Voltcraft VC-11 with CAT III rating printed on it and pretty much zero input protection (Attachment).
Any Ali-Aneng / Zoyi etc. is better in this respect or at least no worse, if only because they write CAT II on it, as is the case with my new Aneng ST212, for example.

[rhizome]

I finally settled on the BM786 EEVBlog version which arrived yesterday. At $194 CAD (140 USD) (not incl shipping, tax and DHL admin fee) it stays within my $200 CAD budget and was cheaper than going through welectron.
After using a $30 DMM it’s a serious jump in quality - really solid feel to it Still reading the manual and watching a few review videos to get my head around it.

Thanks to all for your input and insights!

[BillyO]

I finally settled on the BM786 EEVBlog version ..

Good choice!  Now there are at least 2 in Canada.

[wizard69]

Some suggestions:

• Buy one of the meters that Dave sells and support EEVBlog.   Seriously Dave offers a good selection and if you want this site to remain free a little support goes a long ways.
• Go to any electronics vendor with a web based retail system and list all of their meters in your price range.    Fairly decent meters start at around $40, but it might pay to go a bit higher to start a search, as at around $80 name brand meters of higher quality become available.   Many meters sit between $80 and $200 but avoid meters that try to sell useless features.
• Finally if you car mostly focused on bench work, you might want to look into the cheaper bench meters that exist today.   For example: XDM1041 Mini  Digital Multimeter from Owon.   These start at around $200.   
  

Unfortunately a good Fluke is above your price range.   However as mentioned there are numerous quality manufactures under $200.     Modern online suppliers make it easy to compare hardware and make sure it meets you needs.    By the way there is a good argument to be careful with your budget and buy two meters as having multiple meters is very useful in the lab.

Beyond that if you want to do any high voltage work, make sure the meter is CAT rated from a credible company.   A meter that actually meets its advertised CAT rating will be safer than one that doesn't.   However if you limited usage to low voltage systems you can skip CAT rated meters.   I'd still suggest having at least one CAT rated meter because temptation is a powerful factor in screw ups.