Witch Multimeter for electronic hobbyist?

[CharlotteSwiss]

for the series "in the bunch maybe I'll find a decent multimeter" 
 

[ElectricPower]

five multmeters for around 130 dollar is good deal i think. Just for trying out something new

[armandine2]

It might be interesting to uncover your justification [ed. I see now it was economical] for the particular chosen models. I tend to justify new meters if they have a special feature I currently don't have but would like.

I initially got  two of the same model meter that has some good (if expensive) features: diode voltage, external psu, and data logging

after that I got specific meters with particular features

milli-ohm,
insulation testing,
IP rating - rugged,
trend capture,
mean and rms switchable
dual temperature / Harmonic Ratio / Zlow 

   

[ElectricPower]

No justification. I just wan't to try something new. For that price i just don't care. i'm sure i find something to do with them

[CharlotteSwiss]

delivery scheduled for christmas?   

[edfarrington93]

I was going to say something smart about which version of witch is grammatically correct 

[edfarrington93]

Jeez, I was checking these out on Amazon and they even sell them in packs of 2,3, and 4!

[armandine2]

the only loose end now, surely, is why the American witch looks like a boy scout!

[edfarrington93]

 

[Doctorandus_P]

I do understand buying a few cheap meters out of curiosity.
I do not understand buying 5 meters and **only** buy the cheapest low-end stuff.

The Brymen meters start at around EUR60, and with one of those you have a pretty reliable meter that will last for many years and is also safe enough to use on mains voltages.

[Jwillis]

More than one is best . Look for multi-meters that have a high input impedance 1M to 10M . Low impedance DMM can influence what your measuring . Not that Low impedance  DMMs don't have their place in some applications.  Low impedance is better when testing batteries for example . Although Fluke is generally out of my price range they do offer changeable input impedance on some models I believe .
One should have at least one analog multi-meter . DMMs can give weird measurements as they which from one range to the next . An example is when testing a potentiometers resistance range .

[wizard69]

Having been a beginner with nothing in the way of cash I understand your desire to keep costs down.   However you still want a reasonably good meter as your first.   If you have the cash support this forum by buying one of Eevblog offerings.  Seriously why not, as a beginner almost any decent meter will work. 

If the offerings on eevblog are too rich for the budget get on DigiKey and search for meters around $50.   They have more than a few between $25 and $75.  Go with a recognized brand name that meets your requirements.   If you are not sure about your selection post back here.   

Frankly if you are a beginner this is a good way to learn about parametric search on the various vendor web sites. 

As for Fluke, for professional use I wouldn’t use anything else.   I’m not sure why there is so much negativity here.   I suppose the same people would complain about a carpenter using a $40 dollar hammer instead of a $2, discount store special.  You don’t need a Fluke but you shouldn’t dismiss getting one in the future, if you need a tool instead of a toy. 

As for desktop meters unless you can find a deal on a used one, most are too expensive for a beginner.  That is pretty sad really because they are easier to use on a bench. 

One last thing; Alkaline batteries suck and can easily destroy what ever in a weekend.  I strongly suggest meters that don’t use such batteries or can work on rechargeables.  After 40+ years in the technical world I’m finally wising up in this regard.  I buy Panasonic rechargeable AA & AAA batteries for almost everything except for cold weather gear.   

[Mecanix]

My understanding when I had to procure DMM was the min. requirement to get 3 of them. Although I swear by the one with the cute orange sleeve being the most accurate (given its mfg's marketing budget!), the two others are equally important and used for cross-validation...

[ElectricPower]

I never use multimeters for mains. I only use it in the 1-12V range. Maybe 24V some times. But yes, i'm going to order the Brymen 869S.

The only Fluke that looks good, and have big screen cost around 800 dollar. I'm talking about Fluke 287. Insane price to pay for an hobbyist. For that price i can get an very good laptop, AND a good enough multimeter.

[Mecanix]

Love my RIGOL DM3058E... for the price you intent doshing into that orange sleeve you might as well just get a calibrated benchtop one with SPCI and data logging facilitation, etc...
And get two other handhelds ones, with non-orange sleeves ofc ;-)

edit: did I forgot to mention 4-wires/kelvin testing? haha, picky...

[perieanuo]

Witch Multimeter for electronic hobbyist?

indeed, avoid witch ones 
don't cheap yourself, but some fluke, you won't regret
if not, uni-t are fine but all that uni-t like ecosystem relies on being very attentive on measurement process, one mistake, you're fried
with some patience, brand multimeters that resist wrong setups are cheap enough, buy multimeter once in your lifetime, next step is second multimeter or scope or another testing gear you need.
buying cheap stuff serve no purpose

[MarkKn]

I got a fluke 87v some years ago used from ebay and no regrets--used or grey market, I can't recall, but a big discount off list price. Accuracy reliability and auto-ranging were the most important reasons.

I recently bought a siglent bench meter to complement it. I like the accuracy of the siglent and maybe more important the bright self lit display. I wanted a bench meter, and I don't have a rational reason for that, so I indulged myself. I had a somewhat old fluke bench meter that I bought inexpensively on ebay, but I had indications that it was very inaccurate so I got rid of it. Today I would have made more of an effort to see if it could be fixed, but I do tend to prefer measuring equipment I can rely one as a bedrock for electronics work.

I also have an inexpensive fluke clamp-on to measure ac mains current. The visual display is quite small, so I only use it when clamp on ac current is needed. My eyesight is diminishing with age so a big visual display is something I am glad to pay extra for.

It looks like there are some well specified multimeters for a fraction of the cost of what I have, and others here can speak more accurately about them. I see no reason why one of those would not do the job quite well for a person who doesn't want to spend a lot of money for an up market brand.

As a child in the 1960-70s, I had inexpensive 20,000 ohms per volt meters, and I really liked the move to auto-ranging technology and greater accuracy.

[nightfire]

A bit late to the party, but: As with Fluke, you whether are a customer of them or you are not. At work I use a Fluke 179 for all the stuff I do that would involve a multimeter- and there might be the occassional poking in a mains cabinet or doing some measurements in a live device under test when doing safety testing for appliances.
So yes, I want the multimeter to be of proven quality, robust and not to forget, being able to get regular calibrations with a short turnaround time from a standard cal lab.

For hobby use that will not exceed 24V, nearly every multimeter is able to work. Depending on the usage (and how often it will be used) it can pay off to use a good quality multimeter that does not fall apart a year later...

Brymen are some sort of special tip here in west europe for being affordable and good quality.

For me, my portable multimeter at home for electronics stuff (and being able to poke around with mains, if necessary) is a Agilent U1272- got on ebay for a lucky price.
And two old fluke bench multimeters for longer work sessions, mainly also because of their illuminated display...

[wizard69]

I never use multimeters for mains. I only use it in the 1-12V range. Maybe 24V some times. But yes, i'm going to order the Brymen 869S.

In some cases you can implement industrial panel meters to monitor fixed voltage ranges.   You will need to look around but they can sometimes make sense if you don't mind a little bit of work to mount them.   The idea is that a custom installation can avoid a the trouble of hooking up a meter constantly.

As for the Brymen do make  a point to get rid of the alkaline batteries.   Try rechargeable if the unit will operate with them or Lithium primary cells.   I can't over state how disgusting it is to open up a battery compartment and see the result of a massive alkaline battery leak.

Sadly the common practice of pulling the batteries when not in use, is a pain on a lot of multimeters so I'm not sure that is a good alternative with this model.

The only Fluke that looks good, and have big screen cost around 800 dollar. I'm talking about Fluke 287. Insane price to pay for an hobbyist. For that price i can get an very good laptop, AND a good enough multimeter.

Well if you look at a top end Fluke and compare it to a entry level DMM it will look to be expensive.   To get into the hobby I wouldn't recommend a new Fluke, as there are plenty of low cost entry level meters out there.   Get started with a low end meter, just realize that a lot of the check box features that the meter makers market are not used all that often if at all.   The basic features are what you will be using for a good long time.

As others have already said in the long run you will need more than one meter.   When you get to the point where you really need additional meters you will likely be able to justify a higher price.    You will also have a better idea as to what features are important to you.

By the way many of us started out with analog meters.   Shocking yes to the young ones out there, but if you find an operable used one, at at reasonable price, pick it up.    Often people get obsessed to resolution of a reading out to the nano volt but that is rarely needed and never by somebody just getting into electronics.