Multimeter spreadsheet (38 brands and 210 meters listed)

[aabbcc]

Hello all,

I am in need of multimeter advice. The spreadsheet is awesome and I certainly can appreciate the time involved to compile that, but I am a bit lost by it all. I don't have a strong electrical background and I have always just used whatever cheap meter I had sitting around.

I am building synthesizer modules, many of which are analog. Some of these are kits and then I am also learning how to construct them from scratch.

My need for a new meter comes from a module that I am about to build. It requires a calibration process in which it is recommended to use a meter that is at least 40000 counts and has an accuracy of 4-3/4 digits. I must confess that I don't totally understand either of those two things and while I do see the counts on the spreadsheet, I don't understand the accuracy.

Anyway, if anybody can just make a recommendation or two, it would be most helpful to me. I don't need the best thing out there and really don't want to spend more than I have to on it. I suppose that if there is an option with an oscilloscope that is worth looking at, I would consider that too.

Thanks for any help!

PS - My apologies if this has been asked in some capacity. I don't have the time to pour through pages of questions and answers. I hope you understand...

I pulled the trigger on a Brymen 267s for the exact same purposes (well desktop synths) based on rsjsouza's recommendation 

[iaso]

In my country we have a saying "Not being able to see the forest because of all the trees".

I'm looking to pull the trigger on a Brymen.

Options are:

BM257S for €109
BM239R for €109
BM829 for €155 (but having to wait 2 weeks and I kind of need it now, but if it is a much better option I can wait)
BM857R for €155
BM867R for €159

I want a meter that I can use for hobby use. Testing diodes is an important factor for me. Looking at the excel the 857 seems to be the most capable, though the 867 beats it on bandwidth.

Of the above I am not sure if the 8-series are worth the €50 extra and since they are around the same price which one I should take.

I hope somebody is able to make me a bit more informed here.

[rsjsouza]

In my country we have a saying "Not being able to see the forest because of all the trees".

I'm looking to pull the trigger on a Brymen.

Options are:

BM257S for €109
BM239R for €109
BM829 for €155 (but having to wait 2 weeks and I kind of need it now, but if it is a much better option I can wait)
BM857R for €155
BM867R for €159

I want a meter that I can use for hobby use. Testing diodes is an important factor for me. Looking at the excel the 857 seems to be the most capable, though the 867 beats it on bandwidth.

Of the above I am not sure if the 8-series are worth the €50 extra and since they are around the same price which one I should take.

I hope somebody is able to make me a bit more informed here.

The BM257S is a good electronics meter, which includes a bargraph (good for sensing variable voltages in DC), peak measurements, frequency meter and datalogging, although the BM235 (Dave's meter sold at this website) has a 3V diode measurement voltage.

If you want to go to the top, the price difference between the BM857S and the BM867S is not significant - I would opt for the 867S.

However, if you are working only with electronics and has no meter already, you may consider getting a pair of UT-61E DMMs, which are useful to perform simultaneous voltage/current measurements. It also has about 2.4V of diode voltage measurements (not bad) and can still lit white and blue LEDs.

[iaso]

In my country we have a saying "Not being able to see the forest because of all the trees".

I'm looking to pull the trigger on a Brymen.

Options are:

BM257S for €109
BM239R for €109
BM829 for €155 (but having to wait 2 weeks and I kind of need it now, but if it is a much better option I can wait)
BM857R for €155
BM867R for €159

I want a meter that I can use for hobby use. Testing diodes is an important factor for me. Looking at the excel the 857 seems to be the most capable, though the 867 beats it on bandwidth.

Of the above I am not sure if the 8-series are worth the €50 extra and since they are around the same price which one I should take.

I hope somebody is able to make me a bit more informed here.

The BM257S is a good electronics meter, which includes a bargraph (good for sensing variable voltages in DC), peak measurements, frequency meter and datalogging, although the BM235 (Dave's meter sold at this website) has a 3V diode measurement voltage.

If you want to go to the top, the price difference between the BM857S and the BM867S is not significant - I would opt for the 867S.

However, if you are working only with electronics and has no meter already, you may consider getting a pair of UT-61E DMMs, which are useful to perform simultaneous voltage/current measurements. It also has about 2.4V of diode voltage measurements (not bad) and can still lit white and blue LEDs.

I ended up getting the 867S. I have some bad experience with Uni-T and didn't want to go that route.

Edit: It arrived yesterday. Very impressed with it so far.

[len_knee]

Great work on  the spreadsheet, have an embarrassing question as to the note placed in the Hioki UL Section denotes (KC). Could someone elaborate, caught between Keysight 1272A and Hioki 4282. My work involves both bench and field in electronics and electrical but rarely do I anticipate the Cat 4 LEVEL, but I do work on installing residential elect. panels so protection is important. Thanks for any feedback, have mt reservations on Keysight given all the flaws/bugs after doing extensive reviewing across the net but perhaps they have finally got it right.

[rsjsouza]

Great work on  the spreadsheet, have an embarrassing question as to the note placed in the Hioki UL Section denotes (KC). Could someone elaborate, caught between Keysight 1272A and Hioki 4282. My work involves both bench and field in electronics and electrical but rarely do I anticipate the Cat 4 LEVEL, but I do work on installing residential elect. panels so protection is important. Thanks for any feedback, have mt reservations on Keysight given all the flaws/bugs after doing extensive reviewing across the net but perhaps they have finally got it right.

I don't have access to the spreadsheet at the moment, but "KC" usually indicates compliance with the Korean Certification Agency (check here).

I have a U1273A and really like it. Mine still has the HW bug but Keysight sent a replacement for free (in my case I could have opted for a repaired U1273A or a new U1282A - I got the latter). The U1272A/U1273A has two critical features the Hioki 4282 does not: Low impedance measurements to track ghost voltages and Smart ohms to measure the ground resistance of installed equipment.

[len_knee]

Appreciate the reply and input, as I currently do not have access to the myriad of calibration/test equipment I use to have , I have to rely on advice from folks in the industry who have the experience and knowledge first hand in order to make a decision before investing a lot of money. Unfortunately I allowed an inexperienced family member borrow an older HP Multi-Meter which after 35years the specs never deviated came back toasted as well as some other test equipment.
Received a quote on the Key-1272A for 360.00, the Hioki DT4282 $469.00 does not offer much in terms of IP but reviews I have seen it lives up to the spec and quality, the Yokogawa TY720 for approx. $431.00 which UL approval is pending the accessories are outlandishly expensive.
Given that I believe the Key -1272a gives you a lot of bag for the buck even though the consensus is the test leads are much to be desired, have you had to change the leads supplied to your unit? If so do you recommend a specific brand? Thanks again for your feedback!

[rsjsouza]

Appreciate the reply and input, as I currently do not have access to the myriad of calibration/test equipment I use to have , I have to rely on advice from folks in the industry who have the experience and knowledge first hand in order to make a decision before investing a lot of money. Unfortunately I allowed an inexperienced family member borrow an older HP Multi-Meter which after 35years the specs never deviated came back toasted as well as some other test equipment.
Received a quote on the Key-1272A for 360.00, the Hioki DT4282 $469.00 does not offer much in terms of IP but reviews I have seen it lives up to the spec and quality, the Yokogawa TY720 for approx. $431.00 which UL approval is pending the accessories are outlandishly expensive.
Given that I believe the Key -1272a gives you a lot of bag for the buck even though the consensus is the test leads are much to be desired, have you had to change the leads supplied to your unit? If so do you recommend a specific brand? Thanks again for your feedback!

I haven't changed the leads on my U1273A, and I really like them. The cables are high quality silicone and the probes are a bit longer than the typical Fluke TL75, mostly because they have fully isolated banana jacks on both ends. Despite Dave disliked this on his review, I love it as I can easily attach several accessories such as alligator clips, clip probes and other accessories (U1162A, U1163A, U1164A). Also, when working on electrical systems the extra length helps keep my hand further away from the voltage source.

That said, many others swear by Probemaster - I can't comment as I don't have them.

[mqsaharan]

I was browsing the spreadsheet the other day and happen to found a little mistake, I think. That is with ACV BW of Fluke 27FM. It is 5kHz as per the only document that I could have found on internet and is attached herewith. I couldn't find official manual or specs from Fluke for this model.

Regards,
Qasim.

[dynastys]

Hello,

which multimeter would you recommend me? My price range is 150€ ( or 200 for veeery good one, but i want rather stick up with 150€ range)

I have looked into Brymen-s multimeters, they looks really good, even internally.
Also i looked into UniT multimeters, but after few hours of searching i decided to stay away off them - they are manufactured very poorly internally.

Other brands i don't really know and there are not very much reviews for them.

The page where i want to order it is tme(dot)eu .

Iam intermediate "engineer" so i don't need lab precise equipment.
Primarily I need to measure Capacitors, Resistors , diodes. For Transistors i've got another multimeter so that's not a very big deal for me, but none of those expensive multimeters doesn't have this function. Also I don't really need to measure high AC/DC voltage. 100V AC/DC is my max in my applications.
 I am working with Hi-Fi equipment so this is important for me, also i want to have better multimeter than my old one.

I'm really desperate because there is lot's of them and no one can give me the "best" solution. I was searching forums for around a week and it is starting me driving nuts. 

Any help is appreciated! 

[tautech]

Hello,

which multimeter would you recommend me? My price range is 150€ ( or 200 for veeery good one, but i want rather stick up with 150€ range)

I have looked into Brymen-s multimeters, they looks really good, even internally.
Also i looked into UniT multimeters, but after few hours of searching i decided to stay away off them - they are manufactured very poorly internally.

Other brands i don't really know and there are not very much reviews for them.

The page where i want to order it is tme(dot)eu .

Iam intermediate "engineer" so i don't need lab precise equipment.
Primarily I need to measure Capacitors, Resistors , diodes. For Transistors i've got another multimeter so that's not a very big deal for me, but none of those expensive multimeters doesn't have this function. Also I don't really need to measure high AC/DC voltage. 100V AC/DC is my max in my applications.
 I am working with Hi-Fi equipment so this is important for me, also i want to have better multimeter than my old one.

I'm really desperate because there is lot's of them and no one can give me the "best" solution. I was searching forums for around a week and it is starting me driving nuts. 

Any help is appreciated! 

Daves DMM from our moderator Simon:
https://simonselectronics.co.uk/product/97/

[rsjsouza]

There is really not a "best" multimeter, but simply one that suits your interests the best.

You didn't mention the brand of your other meter, but if you are working with very high power amplifier systems, the need for a safe multimeter is important. The best model (IMO) that fits your budget is the BM867 and is specified up to 20kHz (just enough for Audio). This meter also measures capacitance, diodes, etc.

However, if you repair Hi-Fi equipment and regularly needs to verify the health of capacitors, inductors, etc. you may be better served by a portable LCR meter such as the very high quality DER EE DE-5000 (this has to be purchased via eBay, though).

This second alternative eats away a good part of your budget, but still leaving some room for the purchase of a safe BM235 (also Dave's version, on sale at the moment) or, if you really want to stretch the budget, move to a more featured BM257.

Also i looked into UniT multimeters, but after few hours of searching i decided to stay away off them - they are manufactured very poorly internally.

Not everything from Uni-T is bad, really. For example, folks here like the UT-139C which is a great meter to complement the LCR that I mentioned before. Also, the UT-210E is a well built choice if you need to measure very high currents using a clamp.

[dynastys]

You didn't mention the brand of your other meter,

i have Metex 3850d, and some cheaper one that i don't remember name of. +  two old Analog ones 

Currently my best favourite is Brymen 867s .
Also Brymen 869s is looking very good, but i don't think it's worth to paying +60€ over the 867s, or is it?
Or should I buy "cheaper" one , and LCR meter? 

I was told that i shouldn't buy a bench meter because all of them within 200€ range are garbage. << I was considering bench table because i don't need to move my multimeter, and i tought it would be better than handheld multimeter because vendors are not limited by size of PCB in handheld ones. ==> bench meter would be better than handheld in same price category.

[rsjsouza]

The Metex is not a bad multimeter (especially because you don't work in high power systems), but certainly is not as nice as a BM867. The BM869 adds more accuracy (which you don't need), temperature (which is quite useful in my opinion) and 100kHz bandwidth (no compromises for measuring audio).

As I mentioned before, a LCR meter would be quite useful if you perform maintenance on equipment. If you only design and build, then it is not as important.

As for the bench meters, that is quite true if you are planning to buy them new. The only model that is on the cheaper side and is praised by a regular expert here is the VC8145. A very thorough review is shown here and it seems to have reasonable specifications for audio. If you are willing to buy used, a few years ago there was a flood of GW Instek GDM-8251A which brought its prices down and still can be had for the top of your budget.

All that said, you can't really go wrong with the BM867.

[Fiveohfour]

This is awesome, does their happen to be a clamp meter resource like this?

[thermeldo]

Hi,
great spreadsheet.

I would like to do some filtering based on features and price, but the spreadsheet is protected. Does anyone know how to ge tthe password to unprotect it?

Thanks

[Doogs]

Hi All:

Not sure if this is relevant but I purchased a Chinese market Fluke 18B+ from an AliExpress seller a while back and it was out of spec on the DC range by 1.2% (see my Avi) not exactly what you would expect but "buyer beware". The 15B+ I purchased later actually exceeds the ratings on all ranges and is one of my go to meters now.

Thanks for the excellent thread wish I found this before I started buying DMM's! I'd have a few less crammed in the back of the cabinet/workshop/toolbox.

[tautech]

Hi Wytnucls
Would you please consider adding the Siglent range of bench DMM's to your list in the first post.
https://www.siglentamerica.com/digital-multimeters/

TIA

[ignislion]

I registered here just to say to You a big thanks!
So thank you, kind Sir, for your work!

[Muessigb]

The spreadsheet looks great
I have just noticed the Siglent DMMs are missing, someone might want to add these too.

[totalnoob]

The list hasn't been updated in nearly 2 years.  I wonder if Wytnucls is still around?

[tautech]

The list hasn't been updated in nearly 2 years.  I wonder if Wytnucls is still around?

Yep he is, his profile page indicates he was last active 26 Feb.

There's a least a couple of update requests outstanding and Dave noted there were some bench units missing from the list too in a recent video.

[Fiveohfour]

very good this here aneng q1
amazing! look
 video brazil

Not sure how or why your spam was left here but safe to say it won’t be for long

I wish a spreadsheet like this existed for clamp meters


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[cjs]

Not sure how or why your spam was left here but safe to say it won’t be for long...

Except that now it's here forever because you quoted it!