Digital Multimeter under 200$

[Prithul0218]

Hello

I’m looking for a decent multimeter for about 180-200 USD for my bench. I am looking for something with good accuracy and possibly good precision on DC volts. DC current measurement capability of 10A or more would be nice.

It doesn’t have to be waterproof or survive drops, I don’t really want to pay extra just for these features since it will just be sitting on the bench, and maybe sometimes used around the house. It doesn’t have to be super safe from AC, with certified CAT ratings and stuff, since I don’t  work with high voltage AC. In fact I will probably only be measuring AC from a 12V transformer once in a while.

I am opening this thread particularly because not only will it help me, but I think there are hobbyists like me who are also looking for something similar, average multimeter, just for the bench, not for dropping from a mountain. There are quite a few new meters in the market but I feel the lack of a fairly recent thread discussing about good multimeters around this budget. I hope others can get help from this thread.

Thank you.

[Prithul0218]

BK Precision 2712 seemed like a good fit for my needs but, it’s a fairly old meter. Maybe there’s newer or better ones around this price.

[maginnovision]

The 121 GW is 290 aus which is ~21k yen which is about $195. 

[Prithul0218]

Oops! When I saw that it wasn’t available on Amazon, I assumed it was discontinued! Sorry for not checking.

However, maybe there’s something better at this price range? Let’s see what others suggest.

[IanB]

$200 is very expensive for a home/hobby meter. $50 or so should get you something perfectly fine for non-professional use. Have you watched Dave's $50 meter shootout video? It's quite old now, but it will give you a good idea of how different meters compare and what kind of features might be useful to you. Many of the same or similar meters will still be on the market today.

[MosherIV]

How accurate?

Sounds like you want a bench dmm. You might get 4 digit at that price.
At the price range for new, you will be looking at Siglent, UniT, BK precision, etc
(Not expensive brands like Keysight, keithley or Fluke).

[beanflying]

As you are in Japan look for used Advantest or ADMCT branded meters. Should be some secondhand ones out there as 2 million count 6871's or maybe 6441 etc. They turn up elsewhere in the world from time to time and my 6871-DC keeps up with my 34401 and 34461A's on DC and Ohms but there is other models out there more fully featured.

[Fungus]

Hello

I’m looking for a decent multimeter for about 180-200 USD for my bench. I am looking for something with good accuracy and possibly good precision on DC volts. DC current measurement capability of 10A or more would be nice.

One word: "Brymen"

You can get a 500,000 count, 0.02% accuracy Brymen meter with that budget.

If you live in Japan you could also look at Hioki meters, they're good/cheap over there.

[Prithul0218]

As you are in Japan look for used Advantest or ADMCT branded meters.

Interesting. Thanks!
Any idea where to buy used meters? Only Akihabara I guess?

[Prithul0218]

One word: "Brymen"

I can't find any way to buy their meters from Japan ://

[beanflying]

As you are in Japan look for used Advantest or ADMCT branded meters.

Interesting. Thanks!
Any idea where to buy used meters? Only Akihabara I guess?

Yahoo Japan is still active I gather for secondhand goods? One of the other members Terraoperative has had some success buying secondhand in Japan. There was also several joint ventures with Tektronix and HP in the past to get into the Japanese market so possible you will find some HP gear badged with Yokagowa for example.

You will also find plenty of gear ex South Korea if you broaden your searches.

[Mechatrommer]

if you are willing to buy used, you can get Fluke 87V at that price or Gossen Metrahit X-Tra or Fluke with hard case for a little bit of addition. if you have #1 DMM, you will not ask again.

[LeonR]

Since he's in Japan, why not suggested Japanese brands? What about Hioki, Sanwa, Kyoritsu/Yokogawa?

[Fungus]

One word: "Brymen"

I can't find any way to buy their meters from Japan ://

TME will ship to Japan, eg: https://www.tme.com/us/en-us/details/bm857s/portable-digital-multimeters/brymen/

Probably some others as well.

Something like that 857S will give you everything you need for $140+shipping.

If you want to explore the full range of meters the Brymen web site is probably best:

https://brymen.eu/product-category/multimetry/

[Fungus]

It doesn’t have to be waterproof or survive drops, I don’t really want to pay extra just for these features since it will just be sitting on the bench, and maybe sometimes used around the house. It doesn’t have to be super safe from AC, with certified CAT ratings and stuff, since I don’t  work with high voltage AC. In fact I will probably only be measuring AC from a 12V transformer once in a while.

If you really, really don't care about that stuff then you can save a lot of money with a Chinese meter.

eg. This one: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33004463675.html

(Get two...!)

[AMR Labs]

Check ebay for an HP 974A in good shape. 4.5 digits, Autorange, 0.05% accuracy, 49.999 count, True RMS AC up to 100KHz, dual display, Min/Max/Avg, Rel/%, dB, Hz, ... They often come up on ebay usually around $100 or sometimes even for less. With all the top features, accuracy even after that many years and excellent build quality in my opinion they are an uncommon bargain being overlooked quite often. Just setup an ebay search and one should come up soon, if not already available.

This DMM can easily stand its ground next to most modern stuff from Fluke, and is way above the generics stuff out there which look like toys next to this one. Made in Japan for HP under contract by Yokogawa, and discontinued around early 2000's.

https://www.keysight.com/en/pd-1000002404%3Aepsg%3Apro-pn-974A/high-accuracy-handheld-multimeter?&cc=SX&lc=eng

I like them so much I've already got 4 of the 974A, plus one 973A which is one model lower in the line but has a bargraph and capacitance.

[don.r]

There are 2 Keithley 197's on eBay in the US for $50 at the moment. $35 shipping to Japan. 5 1/2 digits and better than 0.02% DC voltage.

[nctnico]

I’m looking for a decent multimeter for about 180-200 USD for my bench. I am looking for something with good accuracy and possibly good precision on DC volts. DC current measurement capability of 10A or more would be nice.

It doesn’t have to be waterproof or survive drops, I don’t really want to pay extra just for these features since it will just be sitting on the bench, and maybe sometimes used around the house. It doesn’t have to be super safe from AC, with certified CAT ratings and stuff, since I don’t  work with high voltage AC. In fact I will probably only be measuring AC from a 12V transformer once in a while.

I am opening this thread particularly because not only will it help me, but I think there are hobbyists like me who are also looking for something similar, average multimeter, just for the bench, not for dropping from a mountain. There are quite a few new meters in the market but I feel the lack of a fairly recent thread discussing about good multimeters around this budget. I hope others can get help from this thread.

Look at the Vici 8145 bench meter (4.5 digits). It runs on mains so it never needs new batteries and you can stack other equipment on top.

There aren't many new DMMs on the market anyway so the old threads are still relevant.