General Purpose Multimeter Recommendations 2024 (with Logging)

[SeanTek]

Hello, first post...

I would like concise recommendations on a general purpose AC/DC multimeter, with or without data logging (one recommendation with logging, one recommendation without logging). By "general purpose," I mean general electrical and electronics testing and measurements around the house and at a rental property, including for hobbyist smart home projects: testing low voltage (24VDC) lights, testing low voltage contacts, sensors, and relays (0.01V-12V), testing continuity and resistance on PCBs, and testing longer runs (30-150 ft) of low voltage wires for lights.

I own(ed) a Redfish Instruments iDVM-510 multimeter and data logger for about ten years. It was good until recently it started making incessant beeping noises. Apparently Redfish got bought out and the product is now '86-ed. I used the continuity and DC voltage modules a lot. I never used the clamp or temperature probes and rarely used the AC, but the latter was useful once in awhile.

I recently decided to get a Pokit Meter for $98. I believe it to be a fun novelty that should satisfy most of my low voltage needs until it dies or until the company goes under and stops updating their mobile apps (like Redfish did). Pokit Meter + iPhone SE = ~$500, which is "reasonable" since I already have the iPhone SE part .

This brings me to my request for recommendations. In a multimeter without a data logger, I am looking for accuracy (for the price point) and ease of getting to my most-used features (i.e., DC measurement modules). TRMS. 600V is enough.

There are mid-range name brands (e.g., Klein Tools), industry-gold-standard name brands (i.e., Fluke), and then a whole bunch of Chinese companies on Amazon that offer terrific features at very low prices. What to get???

Specifically, I think Fluke 117 @ $250 is okay. Fluke 177 and 179 are too much. However, I strongly suspect I can get just as good of a multimeter for my general-purpose needs for considerably less. For example, a lot of people seem to like AstroAI DM6000AR @ $27.

In a multimeter with a data logger, I am also looking for data logging capabilities that are a) standard (export CSV or industry-standard formats, etc.) and b) have an app that is actively maintained, does not necessarily rely on the company's cloud services, and is made by a company that is NOT going to go under for a long time. Fluke is never going to go under, but I looked at their Fluke Connect app(s) and the reviews are not good. However, I am more worried about the dozens of Chinese brands on Amazon, and so forth. On the other hand, it's hard to justify paying the Fluke name-brand tax, and if these other companies have some kind of common app that they all use, then it is less likely the app will die.

I recently came across the Southwire 15190T @ $160, which looks terrific except that I looked closely at the iOS version history and found that the corresponding app was last updated seven years ago. Again it is very hard to distinguish between all the products on the market, so recommendations would be appreciated.

Thank you!

[Dave_g8]

Hi,
With respect to a general purpose multimeter with data logging, it might be worth considering the UNI-T UT60BT.
I recently purchased one for £28 (Incl. VAT and delivery) to the UK.


The build quality seems to be good and there are several on-line video reviews with teardowns.
It seems a bit strange that the “mA” and “A” have been combined, although it does save swapping connections. The low current ranges are a bit limited due to this, but acceptable.
I have tested it with the Android App “UNI-T Smart Measure” (also available for iOS), it uses a Bluetooth LE connection and it seems to work well, allowing export in CSV, XLS, PDF and JPEG formats.
- Example XLX export shown below


There are no in-built Min/Max features, although this is available via the App.
I have noticed that when logging, the range setting at the start of the logging period is locked in for the duration of that capture, so it is best to manually set the range before starting the log.
The message set for UT61E+ has been reverse engineered and most of them appear to work on the UT60BT, which I have tested using a “Serial Bluetooth Terminal" App on Android.
It should be possible to create a custom PC or App based controller.
- Message set shown below

[BeBuLamar]

I never get the Fluke connect to work correctly with my 289 or 287 and the IR3000FC module and Iphone (5, 6, 7, 11 and 12). But they work perfectly fine on my Samsung S23 and the Lenovo P11 Android tablet.

[bdunham7]

By "data logger" do you mean standalone with a download later, bluetooth, connected to a PC or something else?

I'd stay away from brands like Southwire or AstroAI if you want durability and quality.  You might consider the EEVBlog-branded meters, the BM235 and the 121GW.  If you will be data logging with a direct PC connection, look at Test Controller software by user HKJ on this forum.  If you buy a meter supported by that software, data logging on a PC works very well.

Fluke Connect works for me (Samsung S10e) but it is a specialized app that is good at what it is designed for, but that isn't the sort of data logging you're looking to do.  Bluetooth in general isn't great IMO and if I'm logging in connected mode I just use the IR cable and Test Controller.  I have Fluke View as well, it works OK but I never use it.

[SeanTek]

By "data logger" do you mean standalone with a download later, bluetooth, connected to a PC or something else?

Any of those three could work, but I would prefer Bluetooth-to-mobile-device, or record to flash and download later. USB connectivity is less useful because I do not intend the multimeter to be stationary at a workbench.

So it seems that two good recommendations for data logging are UNI-T UT60BT ($39.99 Amazon) and EEVBlog 121GW ($221). With respect to 121GW, I read this review and noted the problem with the inferior quality probes, which apparently has been discussed on this forum:

https://youtu.be/1iqURp-NsdM?si=d_o907bhcMkLZzdE&t=1400

(see 23:20)

For a hobbyist, thinking about replacing the probes is already going way into the weeds but $221.00 for the 121GW meter and $60 for better probes = $281 is still cheaper than the Fluke 3000 FC ($350 Amazon).

And whether I go with Fluke depends on whether Fluke Connect works for me as a technology stack, which sounds like it is not designed for the kind of data logging I am looking to do in the first place.

Does anyone know about the Uni-T UT61+ series? (UT61B+ $49.99 Amazon, UT61D+ $65.99 Amazon, UT61E+ $95.99 Amazon) The series comes with "gold plated test leads" which solves the plating problem for less than buying high quality probes separately (~$60) anyway.

The Uni-T iOS app "iDMM2.0" says it was last updated 3 weeks ago in the Apple App Store, which at least suggests that it is being continuously maintained.

Edit: UT61+ vs. UT161 (UT161B $71.89, UT161D ?, UT161E $115.77). It appears that these are exactly the same products, except that UT161 has "Certifications: CE, UKCA, cETLus". I checked the specs and they are identical otherwise.

A Bluetooth adapter, UNI-T UT-D07B $29.99, is necessary as stated: "Applied with UNI-T UT161 series/UT171 series/UT181 series/UT61+ series multi testers." The product page states that it is Bluetooth 5.0.

There is also the UT117C meter ($149), which has Bluetooth 5.0 built-in and is rated with 60,000 counts. The iDMM2.0 app lists all the compatible Uni-T devices, which presumably all have Bluetooth built-in or available via the adapter: UT161 series, UT171 series, UT181A, UT60BT, UT117C, Clamp UT202BT, Clamp UT219P.

[Dave_g8]

Hi,
Another few points to note on the UT60BT.

- The supplied leads have a relatively high resistance of around 0.2Ω total, so they are not good for high current measurement.

- The meter itself has a relatively low burden voltage on the A/mA ranges.
   Range 9.999 A.   Estimated burden voltage 0.05 V/A.
   Range 999.9 mA.   Estimated burden voltage 0.05 mV/mA.

-  However the burden voltage on the uA range is poor, probably due to the PTC’s that are used for protection in place of a fuse.
   Range 999.9 uA.   Estimated burden voltage 3 mV/uA.

For low current measurements, I already have and external circuit which I built some time ago, similar to that generated by EEVBlog (no longer available).


The EEVBlog 121GW multimeter seems to be very well specified and has many nice features, so definitely worth considering. As noted, the supplied leads are not so good and there have been a few issues flagged with the design, but I am not sure if they still apply. The status of the software (PC and/or App) is unclear, one review stated that although the logging interval for the SD storage can be set to 0.2s, the App could only be set to a 1s interval.

I did a quick check on the App with the UT60BT and the minimum interval that can be set is 0.3s, which aligns with the specified update rate of 3 times per second.

The higher priced UNI-T models have better specifications and more features but require the external UT-D07B Bluetooth adapter. This may be an advantage in that there is a choice of using USB or Bluetooth and there is less current drain on the meter batteries.

On the UT60BT, the measured (average) currents with a nominal 4.5V supply are shown below.