Must have/be:
- Not "annoying and quirky to use". I want it to be just as convenient as a handheld. (I bought a Rigol DG1022Z a few years ago because of the specs, and I regret it every single time I use it since the UI is so terrible and quirky)
- Reasonably quick auto-ranging. At least so that you'll have to sit and wait for each measurement. Maybe this can be adjusted in the settings with a tradeoff in accuracy?
- 5.5 digits or more
- 4-wire resistance measurement with 1 milliohm resolution or better. I'll use the meter to track down short circuits on a PCB, so this is important. If it comes with decent probes, this is a pluss
- True-RMS
- Reasonably fast boot time or a soft power switch for immediate startup
I can tell you that a Keithley 2015 (which itself is a variant of the Keithley 2000) would likely make you very happy. It’s not a modern color TFT meter, but consequently takes almost no time at all to boot, just a few seconds. (Bear in mind that boot time is not a design priority in bench meters, because for precision measurements, you need to warm them for half an hour anyway. So whether it takes 10 or 60 seconds to boot is immaterial in that context.)
A used Keithley 2000 or 2015 is also cheaper.
Yes, on a bench meter you can set measurement speed vs accuracy, plus add filtering (which slows things down more). But bear in mind that the fastest speeds are so fast as to be functionally useless for your eyes. On my K2015, I normally use medium speed with filtering to give around 10 readings per second, or slow speed without filtering. Medium speed without filtering is 30 per second, fast is 50/sec. You can’t even read the display at that speed! (Slow is 5 readings per second, still faster than the 3-4 readings per second of most handheld meters.) Autoranging in DC volts/amps is specified at <30ms (150ms in ohms, still awesomely responsive). In AC it’s a lot slower, but I’ve done so little with AC that I can’t say how it compares to other meters.
Bench meters in general tend to be more annoying to use because they lack the dedicated function buttons. Switching modes often requires multiple button presses. So you’ll have to dispel yourself of the expectation of a bench meter being “just as convenient” as a handheld. As an example, continuity mode on the K2015 is [Shift][2 wire ohms][Enter] (because continuity is the secondary function of the 2W ohms button, and then enter is needed to confirm the threshold, since you can set what resistance value it beeps below). On many color GUI meters, it’s more complicated still.
I haven’t used the DMM6500 so I can’t comment on its user interface, but given that Keithley is famous for high-speed bench meters, I’d expect it to autorange very, very fast.
I wouldn’t buy a Keysight now. I use a 34465A at work, and honestly I don’t love the interface, but the deal-breaker is Keysight’s newfound disdain for the non-commercial user.
How bizarre: Distrelec has the DMM6500 in stock here in Switzerland, but not in Norway. I’m surprised they don’t ship it from the Swiss warehouse. (They often ship to Switzerland from the Netherlands when something isn’t in stock in the Swiss warehouse, but is available in the Dutch warehouse.)