Products > Test Equipment

Best Digital Multimeters of 2023

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joeqsmith:
Can you define "best"? 

I know if I was going to go out and buy a brand new DMM for my own use today which one it would be.   That doesn't suggest it would be the best meter for you. 

Also, if I wanted a meter to measure electrical conditions, it would not be the same meter I would buy for my own use.  There are better tools for different jobs.  All depends.   

Common across all my tools, I want reliability, robustness, longevity. 

Fungus:

--- Quote from: joeqsmith on June 27, 2023, 04:05:40 pm ---Common across all my tools, I want reliability, robustness, longevity.

--- End quote ---

How many people here own a cheap 1980s Radio Shack/Tandy/Dick Smith meter that still works perfectly?

joeqsmith:

--- Quote from: Fungus on June 27, 2023, 06:17:12 pm ---
--- Quote from: joeqsmith on June 27, 2023, 04:05:40 pm ---Common across all my tools, I want reliability, robustness, longevity.

--- End quote ---

How many people here own a cheap 1980s Radio Shack/Tandy/Dick Smith meter that still works perfectly?

--- End quote ---

Seems like a rather dumb question to ask me.    I guess you could try and run a poll but you may want to know their specific use case.   Still, seems like you would end up with a lot of bias.   Lets see what you come up with. 

I have some drawing pencils that are pre 80s still perfect condition.  I've never had them out of the box.  I even have a few rounds from my my dad that I bet are from the 50s still in perfect condition.   If you don't ever use things and store them properly, they should last a very long time.  You may want to consider that as part of your poll.  The free HF meter sitting in the kitchen drawer that is used to check some AAAs every now and then will last a long time.   Person may suggest that is a high use case. 

As far as meters I actually use on a regular basis,  I think my CEM lasted about 7 or so.   I had a B&K that made it about that long before the switch went bad.  Had a few Mastechs, one lasted about a year.  I still have one but it's not 100% functional anymore (display problems).   A few years back we purchased several UT210E clamps.  A very high percentage of them have had their switches go intermittent.   Of course, if we include my first DMM, Fluke 8000A, that little princess could be damaged (and was) by the slightest over voltage condition.   

Then again, my two HP meters were purchased after the Fluke died the last time.   The only problem I have had with them is when the lighting storm took out my 34401A. 

Recently I made a few videos where I was wanting to see if applying high voltage DC (>1kV) across a crystal would change its resonance.   I mentioned this would be a typical test condition where I could possibly damage a low end meter.   People always equate it to safety but these are the kinds of low energy transients I want a meter to survive.

https://youtu.be/6u2WSWI1SBc

floobydust:

--- Quote from: Fungus on June 27, 2023, 06:17:12 pm ---How many people here own a cheap 1980s Radio Shack/Tandy/Dick Smith meter that still works perfectly?

--- End quote ---

I have several old digital multimeters mostly 1980's. Some I cherish because I know exactly what they do out in the field, how they read in the presence of hum, noise, water, cold, EMI etc.
Nothing at all to do with "robustness".
One belts out 15V on Ohms/Continuity, another has super fast analog continuity, another big LCD and LED displays. Ones I can read outdoors in sunlight or in the dark, ones that work at -30°C, ones I can use in the rain.
Most are Made in USA, reliable enough given their age, compared to Taiwan and china builds of today which I find not so great for quality/reliability.

Lab testing multimeters, a nice pristine bench- it means nothing to me as they aren't challenged by the real world.
New ones are either expensive and missing features, or the manufacturer is all pride and ego but the quality is poor, or features have degraded gone downhill so they aren't any good out in the wild.

EEVblog:

--- Quote from: joeqsmith on June 27, 2023, 02:51:49 pm ---Kiss analog's electrician's DMM shootout from 2 days ago. 

--- End quote ---

Exactly my point. To compare meters usefully in a shootout you need to limit them to some sort of feature/usage/price category.
Electrician category is one such good example.
I've lost count of number of people that have asked me if the 121GW is suitable for an electrician and I tell them a flat out no, don't buy it.


--- Quote from: EEVblog on June 27, 2023, 05:42:25 am ---I thought you were currently selling the 121GW.   I've had a few people suggest to me that your reputation took a hit for selling such a product.  I'm not sure how you recover from it.  Maybe it doesn't actually have any impact.
--- End quote ---

It sells very well and countless people love their 121GW. But it's not the meter for everyone's needs, surprise, surprise.
I also sell the BM235 and BM786, neither of which I have done a review video for either.


--- Quote from: EEVblog on June 27, 2023, 05:42:25 am ---
--- Quote ---I've limited my metrics to robustness
--- End quote ---
Bingo.

--- End quote ---
You talked about doing something like this at one point.  That's one nice thing about having some standard way of testing them, you remove the bias.  The meters do what they do.   The down side,  sponsor's like Keysight may not like seeing their products do so poorly on so many levels. [/quote]

Exactly what I've been saying. I'll repeat for the 3rd or 4th time, to compare meters usefully in a shootout you need to limit them to some sort of feature/usage/price category. You do robustness, terrific, keep at it.
Do you seriously think I give a shit what "sponsors" think? Really? I've ranted about every manufacturer in the business including showing all sorts of problems in my own products, I'm (in)famous for it.

The problem with doing these shootouts is that they are ahuge amount of work, especially if you want to set up forms of automated testing etc, and I have a dozen other different types of videos that I make. I have limited time and varied interests.

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