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40,000 Count Multimeter under $50 - HoldPeak HP-770D
BillyO:
Yes, the meter under discussion may not be an ideal example of a low cost meter for hobbyist use. And those Klein's you linked to do look nicer. Probably a better choice just for the quality aspect even though they may lack a few features the hobbyist shouldn't really care about anyway.
I've always been the kind of person (and of course this is strictly my personal perspective) that avoids buying a thing because of its whizz-bang features. I'd rather the money I spend go into things that make the basic functionality better. Just like those Kline meters. However, the fact that they have 600V rated fuses and supposedly can actually be used in a CAT III or CAT IV environment really means very little to me. I've never used one of my own meters in those circumstances and I'm nearly 100% sure I never will. I'm 95% a CAT I kind of guy and the other 5% would never go beyond 120V CAT II.
So, why did I buy a Brymen BM786? Well, not for it's nice fuses or CAT ratings. I bought it because they have a reputation for quality, accuracy and stability. But now Dave relates they have higher than expected failure rates with the Brymens. I guess I just have to hope mine's not one of them. In the end, the fuses will probably outlast the meter.
That said, back in the late1970's I bought a couple of "cheap Chinese junk" meter's off of Radio Shack (actually both are made in Korea). A Micronta 22-210 analog and a 22-198A 3.5 digit digital. They both have their original little 250V glass fuses in them and they both work and operate within their specs. The Fluke 8020b I picked up in the 1980's on sale (it was still more than twice the price of those Microntas combined) is long dead. It's little 250V glass fuse survived it. So much for buying expensive stuff.
bdunham7:
--- Quote from: BillyO on September 21, 2023, 04:22:22 pm --- So much for buying expensive stuff.
--- End quote ---
Extreme longevity isn't necessarily a good indicator of quality, especially single examples. Extremely crude and simple things can often survive the longest. Supposedly after the human race has killed itself off, cockroaches will still be thriving. I have a Harbor Freight DT830 that has technically outlasted my first Fluke 289, but that is only because I never got around to making any mistakes that would blow the DT830 up. So I guess the DT830 is the DMM equivalent of a cockroach.
BillyO:
--- Quote from: bdunham7 on September 21, 2023, 04:57:34 pm ---So I guess the DT830 is the DMM equivalent of a cockroach.
--- End quote ---
Your DT-830 must one of the original "good" (consume salt now) ones. The last one of those I saw was without doubt the worst meter I have ever seen. Brand new out of the box the beeper had fallen off and even when re-attached you could not hear it over a gerbil sleeping 3 rooms away. The mA ranges did not work as the shunt resistors measured in the K ohms even though they were marked 1 ohm and 9 ohms. Right on the front it said the mA and lower ranges were fused with a 200mA fuse. On opening it to see what was rattling around it was discovered there was no fuse at all in it and where it was marked "500mA 250V fuse" (yes 500ma, not 200mA) there was just a trace shorting between the two solder pads. To top it all of, there was no socket for the transistor checker, just some bent metal clips on the PCB which could not be made to work.
Yes a cockroach indeed. I ended up fixing everything except the transistor checker "socket", but you are 100% correct. It will survive due to non-use.
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