Brymen BM22S and BM27S Pocket Multimeter Review

[voltlog]

I've done a review of a few affordable pocket multimeters so far (Voltlog #148 - ANENG AN101, ANENG AN8203, MASTECH MS8216, UNI-T UT120C) and although they we're accurate enough they were all lacking input protection. Recently I reviewed the Brymen BM22s and BM27s and I found out they have all the input protection that I like seeing in a multimeter: PTC, input resistor, series resistors, spark-gap, clamping transistors back to back and fuse.

This seems like a very good deal especially for the BM22s (4000 count) which I like the most. The BM27s is more expensive and although it has a higher count (6000count) the Auto function which seems like a key feature for the model is not that useful, particularly because some of the measurements are found in both auto mode and on separate switch selection which seems confusing and also slows down the auto-ranging.

I've also done a spreadsheet where I compare the various pocket meters I reviewed:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1R7XgfX-2dZLdGR8Sm_bRCqH6w36upk7W8DgPi1yoXLs/edit?usp=sharing

And for those interested in the video review here it is:


There is also a 5 EUR discount code in the video description if you decide to order one of these Brymen pocket multimeters.

In an upcoming video I plan to test all of these pocket meters with an insulation tester at 1KV to see how they handle the voltage transient. I think the Brymen meters will do just fine, but I am worried about the other ones as they have insufficient input protection.

[ogdento]

I was researching these little Brymen meters and found your post... great video and write up! 

I wanted to add a couple of points...

- The Autocheck mode on the BM27s gives you a low impedance (LoZ) range which is tremendously useful for eliminating ghost voltages while doing household wiring, or messing with power supplies etc. (something my Fluke 87iii lacks)  For me, having LoZ justifies the added expense.

- The volt ranges you select with the BM27 dial are high impedance inputs... use these ranges for sensitive electronics.  It's great that the meter can do LoZ and HiZ readings!

- The BM22s does not appear to have any LoZ capability

These are both cool little meters and I'm glad to see the input protection... now I've got to get one!

[HKJ]

- The Autocheck mode on the BM27s gives you a low impedance (LoZ) range which is tremendously useful for eliminating ghost voltages while doing household wiring, or messing with power supplies etc. (something my Fluke 87iii lacks)  For me, having LoZ justifies the added expense.

The LoZ mode is rather hard on the batteries, because it uses a electronic relay that requires some mA.

- The volt ranges you select with the BM27 dial are high impedance inputs... use these ranges for sensitive electronics.  It's great that the meter can do LoZ and HiZ readings!

The meter do not have that high input impedance, only 5Mohm.
You can find more technical test/information in my review: https://lygte-info.dk/review/DMMBrymen%20BM27s%20UK.html

[ogdento]

HA, I have read your reviews before!  I recently read the BM27s review as well as the Brymen 235 and the Amprobe 570 reviews.  Well done, lots of good stuff in there! 

My Fluke 87iii has 10M input impedance so yes, 5M it's low but I figure it should be fine for basic measurements?

For sure LoZ is hard on batteries... the spec sheet says this guy draws 6mA measuring voltage with autocheck (which uses LoZ), and 2mA otherwise... I'm glad you can at least use the dial to switch to a V range that has a 5M input impedance. 

Most of the time you don't need LoZ but it's good to have it available... it seems like they modeled this functionality after the Fluke 12/16 types, but maybe they all got it backwards and should have just made you use the dial to enter LoZ mode.  Kindof like how the Brymen235 does it

Looking forward to more of your reviews!

[soren]

I just got a BM27s and have a few observations.

I was hoping that it might offer a smaller alternative to my old Fluke 12, which still has the best usability of any handheld multimeter ever made. The BM27s doesn't quite match the brilliant design of the Fluke 12's main Off-HighZ-LowZ selector, but it is a worthwhile effort.

The biggest annoyance is that it takes about 5 seconds to enter auto mode, whether from power off or one of the non-auto modes, which turn on without delay.

It is easy to to operate the serrated rotary switch with one hand/finger, almost as easy as the Fluke 12 slide switch. I think this is important. The continued use of rotary switches on most multimeters is a cop-out, effectively requiring both hands even on models with "good" rotary switches. I am fine with the rotary switches on my Avo 8 brick, but please, manufacturers, move on!

The LCD is very good. So many meters fall short here.

The leads feel like PVC, not silicone like the very nice Brymen BL21S2-T4SC leads I also got, but they are thin and flexible.

I haven't tried using the µA mode yet. The shunt resistance of about 1.3 kΩ makes this feature of limited use, but I can see perhaps using it to measure standby current in battery-powered devices by having a jumper wire in parallel while powering on the device and then removing it once in sleep mode. Normally, I wouldn't even consider using a captive-lead multimeter with a current range, as it is a recipe for disaster, but the intentional choice of limiting the current range to 2 mA gives me some confidence that Brymen has managed to integrate the meter's transient input protection with current range overload protection.

I don't have much experience with electric field detectors, but the EF mode is clearly more sensitive than that of the Uni-T UT139 series, enough so that it can be used to find wires in walls, although not reliably so.

Interestingly, it has four different continuity modes! All four are latching, but two of them are scratchy as well.
- Full auto mode continuity. Laughably slow (2 seconds to beep).
- Auto mode switched to continuity. Latched only with visual indication. Decently fast.
- 600 ohm range. Faster than the previous mode and also scratchy before the latch triggers.
- Diode test. Fastest latching and also scratchy.
None of them latch quite as quickly as the Fluke 12, but the diode/600Ω mode is pretty good and the additional scratchiness helps make up for the shortfall.

Anyone know where to get the red rubber holsters for these meters?

[ogdento]

I couldn't find a part number for the red holster, but I prefer the one from the Amprobe marketed version (AM47) because it holds the leads.  I got the Amprobe on ebay for $15 shipped which might not be much more than a new holster would cost anyway

I will also add that the Lo-z on my AM47 doesn't work nearly as well as my Fluke 11 (or others with V-Chek).  I do love the Fluke's easy 1-handed control but I favor my Matco MD257 (Rebadged Brymen BM257)... its Lo-z works just as well as the Fluke and it's much better for electronics than the 11/12 - even though it's got a pesky rotary switch

[soren]

I couldn't find a part number for the red holster, but I prefer the one from the Amprobe marketed version (AM47) because it holds the leads.  I got the Amprobe on ebay for $15 shipped which might not be much more than a new holster would cost anyway

I did find the Brymen silicone case on the brymen.eu company's Polish site, but it seems a little pointless in comparison to the Amprobe one.

http://www.biall.com.pl/item,Oslona-ochronna-do-miernikow-mini-BM22-BM27-Brymen,102063.html

So where can I get the Amprobe case? :-)

It's too bad the eBay seller with the cheap Amprobe AM-47's doesn't ship to Europe.

I will also add that the Lo-z on my AM47 doesn't work nearly as well as my Fluke 11 (or others with V-Chek).  I do love the Fluke's easy 1-handed control but I favor my Matco MD257 (Rebadged Brymen BM257)... its Lo-z works just as well as the Fluke and it's much better for electronics than the 11/12 - even though it's got a pesky rotary switch

Yeah, the BM27s Auto mode is rather slow and clunky, making it something that only gets used when the other modes won't do. It would have been better if someone had just cloned the Fluke 10/11/12 in a miniature case. Still, I think the BM27s holds it own against other pocket multimeters on the market.

[J-R]

Agreed, another big fan of the Amprobe AM-47 here.  Some history, over the decades I've picked up the Sperry DM-2A (small), UEi DM5B (5A current), Uni-T UT120C (cheap),  Amprobe DM78C (nice display and bar graph), Sanwa PM300 (quality, I suppose).

I removed the case that came with the AM-47 and use the Amprobe VC3A zippered case instead.  It protects the meter well.  I also cut out the English portion of the manual and folded in half it fits nicely in the case pocket.

Really a great package all together.