Looking for either a "budget" home multimeter OR an upgrade to my work meter

[dait]

Hello there, I am new to this forum although I have been trying to read up on this question before posting.
Unfortunately there's so much info here (and elsewhere on the internet) that I'm more confused now than before I started my research!

My background: I'm a heavy duty mechanic (diesel, road equipment etc). That being said, in our shop we work on "anything engine" so that includes everything from suitcase generators to motor graders and everything in between. Would I say I'm a great mechanic? No! But always trying to improve, especially on electrical issues, CANBUS etc.
I bought a Fluke 117 as an apprentice as that's what other people in my shop had (well they mostly use 115s but I found the 117 on sale at the same price at the time of purchase).

I recently have had need of a multimeter at home. Girlfriend's alternator was dying and I needed to check it. Checking the battery on a dead car in the neighbour's driveway. I needed to change an outlet in our rental house. After plugging in a lamp and flicking breakers until the light went off, I still wanted to probe the outlet and make sure nothing was going on because the wiring in our house is old and... quirky.

Each of these times I ended up going to work to get my 117 out of my toolbox and bring it home - not so annoying the first time but more annoying each subsequent. And even more annoying when I forgot to bring it back to work and ended up borrowing a colleague's for the afternoon!

So I'd like to get a meter for home. I thought I would just jump online, pick something under $100 (Canadian) and be done with it but then I made the same mistake I always do... I typed something along the lines of "Klein mm320 reviews" into google and 2 weeks later I have no idea what I want, or need, and am no closer to deciding than I was at the start.

I would like to go one of 2 routes:

1. Spend around $100 CAD on a meter for home that I feel safe checking an outlet 110V (nominal), or maybe occasional 220v (nominal). If it can do that then it can probably also tell me if a car battery is bad or an alternator is charging.

2. Spend around $300 CAD or less on something that would be an upgrade at work, and then bring my 117 home permanently.


Route 1 would be my preference and this is where most of my time researching has gone. Some candidates:

Fluke 101 ($80 on Amazon) or 107 ($124 on Amazon)
 - I feel "safe" with the Fluke name. I understand that you pay a lot for a name, but I feel like I'm paying for peace of mind. I've never heard of Uni-T or Brymen or Amprobe or blah blah blah. Then again, there was a time where I'd never heard of Fluke either! Then again, these sellers on amazon.ca are "grey market".... So is there a chance that they're NOT legit/safe?

Fluke 15B+ ($150) or 17B+ ($200)
 - See above but: A bit more than I wanted to spend, but also not grey market.

Klein MM450 ($100) or MM720 ($130)
- Klein is a "brand I've heard of", although I can't find much in terms of reviews other than the inverted display might mean poor battery life... Which is really not that big of a deal to me as it won't be used that much.

Greenlee 200A ($129)
- Have read Greenlee are rebadged Brymen but I can't find if that's true for this model/all models, and if so what this corresponds to.

Brymen (various)
- There aren't any Brymen sellers in Canada. This site's store is OoS, and a BM235 shipped from TME to Canada would be about $190 - and that's if I don't get charged with duties at my door (which is likely). So it's sort of above budget for this category.

And then there are all the Chinese/AliExpress brands, Uni-T for example. I've ordered from AliExpress in the past, odds and ends, bike tools, 3d printer parts etc. Never something I've needed to trust sticking into an outlet! I'm not opposed to going this route but would appreciate a guiding hand. There are so many variants, from so many sellers it's hard to know what's real or fake. I've read about fake CAT ratings, not meeting advertised standards etc. I found that the UT161E is supposed to be reliable, and from a store called "Uni-T Official"... but it rings up to $235 so why wouldn't I go with the Fluke!


And then Route 2 which I'll keep short because this has post accidentally turned into a novel... I haven't spent as much time researching this route. Is my 117 holding me back as a mechanic? Will a different meter make me a better troubleshooter? Probably not! I don't even know what features I could possibly be missing out on because most of the guys in my shop are using the same tool.
One feature I would like an improvement on... When I set my 117 to continuity to check a harness end to end it beeps. That's great. That's the intended purpose. But it always gives a zero (or very low) number on the screen. It's caught me out before where I OK'ed a wire and moved on... But it turned out the wire had a high resistance (lets say 5ohm) and that's where my problem was. I spent a while chasing that one until I changed the switch from Continuity to Resistance and realised my error. If I could find a meter that gives a true resistance reading while also a continuity beep that would be great. But I don't want to spend $700 on an 87V just for that.

Apologies again for the long post. You can see where my "analysis paralysis" has now stopped me from buying anything. I could have just walked into the hardware store and bought a no name $50 meter and probably would live to tell the tale... But that's not how my brain works unfortunately!


Edit: In case anyone is wondering (probably not), I ended up checking eBay every day until I found a used 87v. Seller had the "Best Offer" enabled and I was able to get it shipped for $220 USD. Looks to be in good condition, will have to put it through its paces. My 117 with NCV will be coming out of my work toolbox and home with me permanently.

[Grandchuck]

I think Greenlee DMMs are made by Bryman.  Have you looked at those.

A question:  Would a clamp-on meter be handy in your work?

[dait]

I think Greenlee DMMs are made by Bryman.  Have you looked at those.

A question:  Would a clamp-on meter be handy in your work?

Looked at a few Greenlee models but couldn't always figure out what the OEM equivalent was. DM200A ($129) can't find much info. Found that the DM-510A is the same as the BM257, but the Canadian pricing skews quite expensive (over $400!)

As for a clamp meter... Probably? I have not run into any situations where it's held me back. Sometimes knowing what amperage an alternator is putting out would be helpful... But in my experience it's always been a bad winding (<14.0V, dead battery/no dash lights) or a bad voltage regulator (>14.0V, boiling batteries) and an amperage reading at that point is purely academic because I already know the component is faulty!

[BILLPOD]

Good Morning Dait, If you like the Fluke 117, then Uni-T makes the UT117C, which is a clone of the Fluke,
and can be had on Ebay for $150 USD.   I have one and love it.  Or go to the top of the Test Equipment
page and find the 'Multimeter Spreadsheet' that will give you all kinds of info on just about any decent mltimeter out there.  Good luck in your search.

[GigaJoe]

For home i would get something  like this :
https://www.amazon.ca/AstroAI-Digital-Multimeter-Ranging-Measures/dp/B071JL6LLL
personally i like range 20K or more  , so like this:
https://www.amazon.ca/KAIWEETS-HT118E-Auto-Ranging-Capacitance-Temperature/dp/B0B7WFPB4T

I would leave fluke at work, as i may suspect, it better protected to voltage spikes from a working engine.
option as used market like,   Facebook marketplace , Kijiji , ebay.ca

[KungFuJosh]

He still needs protection at home, so I would skip those cheapo meters. The Brymens, Flukes, etc are a better choice. You can still get some of the EEVBlog version meters on Amazon also.

ETA: My suggestion is upgrade the work meter (tax write-off) and take your Fluke home.

[GigaJoe]

what kind of protection ?
There is no high energy 6kV spikes at household wall sockets ...
even my 30Y old uni-t perfectly display 1000V DC from my high voltage source , without sparks ...

Transient spike potentially exist on high voltage feeders if it long enough to absorb from nearby lighting ...
it dampen by transformers protection , and transformers itself as high front wave.

But frankly this forum full of spooky fair tale, that everyone literally dying if it probe a wall plug by non CAT4 DMM  ...   

But engines generate nasty spikes from spark plug ...
reason of automotive grade chips exist, vs commercial, and it not only temperature range.

[themadhippy]

measure the resistance of the mains at your live socket outlet  and come back and tell us about not needing suitable protection for domestic use.
Anyways back to the question at hand if its simple voltage and continuity  hows about forgetting about a multimeter and get something like the fluke T90

[GigaJoe]

CAT III and CAT IV are electrical measurement categories that indicate the level of safety and protection against electrical hazards when using testing equipment.
Not operator mistakes

sometimes i need to work with electrician in diff. data centers, to complain, I purchased used Klein Tools MM2000 for 30CAD  as CAT4, and LowZ  option..

[KungFuJosh]

CAT ratings only matter if they're not lies. Those cheap meters will happily lie about it.

[neverendingstudent]

So you've laid out what your money budget is - but what is your time budget?

If you can afford a fair amount of time (not in a hurry) you can get some version of a Fluke 87 within your price range.  The 87 is kind of the classic all-around good field multimeter.  Takes a beating and keeps on ticking.  Better overall specs than the 117.

If you're willing to keep an eye out for a month or 3 and watch eBay / FB Marketplace / whatever local online markets you have in your area, I'm pretty sure you'll be able to pick one up for the price you want to spend.

For contrast: if you wanted it right away then eBay prices for the 87 are at the ~$200 range, in terms of a known-working unit in good condition, with yellow bumper and test leads.

[KungFuJosh]

I'll probably never sell it, but I was patient and bought a 289 for $150. Patience pays.

[Aldo22]

CAT ratings only matter if they're not lies. Those cheap meters will happily lie about it.

It's not about the price, it's about the certificate.
My cheapest DMM (7.99) has a GS certificate (CAT III, TÜV Rheinland).
But even Aneng, Zoyi, Owon, and Uni-T won't kill me in the household, I'm pretty sure about that. 

[neverendingstudent]

I'll probably never sell it, but I was patient and bought a 289 for $150. Patience pays.

That was a good get.  I paid ~$450 for mine, though it did also come with extras (soft case/leads/thermocouple/mag-hanger/software/IR-USB dongle).  Just checked my records, that was back in October of 2020.  It's still my primary field meter, still going strong.  Love that thing.

[bdunham7]

Greenlee 200A ($129)
- Have read Greenlee are rebadged Brymen but I can't find if that's true for this model/all models, and if so what this corresponds to.

The DM200A is a Brymen-made model that is similar to but not exactly the same as the 257s.  It will come with a lifetime warranty through Greenlee and is probably a pretty decent choice.

[shabaz]

The MP730624 is a reasonably feature-rich 1kV CAT-III 600V CAT-IV multimeter that's from a US distributor, comes with croc-clips so you can attach to wiring such as a car battery, while turning on the ignition and monitoring on your mobile phone.
It also comes worh a temperature probe (thermocouple). It is great value for money (about $80) for DIY home/motorcycle/car maintenance.



Secondly, from the vocational kind of work you mentioned, perhaps you might be interested one day in investigating whether a Picoscope oscilloscope instrument could also help you in your work. They are used a lot for automotive type applications, but talk to them or a distributor so they can identify the appropriate model for your actual needs.

You use it to chart voltages or current over time (this can reveal things like changing sensor levels, or noise, or momentaty voltage change when things are switched on, and it can do CAN bus analysis at a low level.
I use a low-end $200 model (I don't need an isolated higher-cost model for my needs) along with a small rugged PC.

There's a learning curve to using an oscilloscope if you've never used one before (and there's a small learning curve with the Picoscope software too). I think it would become empowering to have a tool like that if you're into automotive or industrial work, and it's not too difficult to get going with it.
If there is a trade show for your line of work, you may find PicoScope instruments being demonstrated there so you can ask for advise (at least, they are often present at the few automotive trades shows I've visited).

[GigaJoe]

reasonable price and shippin to the north
https://www.ebay.ca/itm/267081100574

CA newark MP730624
https://canada.newark.com/multicomp-pro/mp730624/dmm-w-bluetooth-trms-20a-1kv/dp/93AH0320

and here Canadian brand, IDEAL
https://www.tequipment.net/Ideal/61-337/Handheld-Multimeter/
https://www.tequipment.net/Ideal/61-357/Handheld-Multimeter/

all this above, about the same , IDEAL tend to be more electrician , especially -357 with LowZ ,  MP730624  from my view more electronics  and need 9V battery ...  ideal - 3xAAA

[shabaz]

Ah thanks, sorry I forgot to look at the OP's flag. Thanks for locating the link.

[J-R]

A lot of those "brands" like Klein, Multicomp Pro, Ideal, etc. are typically rebrands of another company's cheap DMMs.  I have a handful of the Multicomp Pro handheld products that I picked up during a Newark.com fire sale and they are actually Uni-T or Owon.  Quality and performance are inconsistent.  One I really did like and bought a stack of at $17ea was the MP760991 AC/DC fork meter, which is the Uni-T UT256.  The tiny forks fit into breaker panels quite nicely.

The Multicomp Pro MP730624 is actually the Owon OW18E.

The Greenlee 200A is essentially the Brymen BM251s but with the backlight added back in.  I can't see getting this as it's a bit crippled (no capacitance! really??).

The Greenlee DM-45 is not made by Brymen.  I personally would avoid it.  The quality is going to be lower. (What is the deal with the jack and dial labels and colors?  Terrible!)

I would suggest upgrading the budget for the Greenlee DM-510A, which is the Brymen BM257.  Compared to the Greenlee DM-200A, you'll get LoZ/AutoCheck, capacitance, true-RMS, min/max/crest and temperature.

[dait]

Thanks everybody for the incredible amount of replies. I will continue my search with these new insights in mind

@neverendingstudent
I'm not in a huge hurry and can absolutely look at the used market. I live in a pretty small town so the locally used marketplace isn't swimming with options, but I should have a good long look at what's on eBay.

@bdunham7
Thanks for the info on the 200A, will help me vet it a bit better.

@shabaz
I will look at your video/review of the MP730624 this weekend when I have time.
The company owned OBD scan tool allows for some slight degree of scope work over the OBD port... Probably very limited compared to a full fledged scope but at least I can monitor O2 sensors and the like and see how they react to RPM etc.

@GigaJoe
Thank you for the Canadian links, very helpful. Oftentimes Google won't pull up sites such as Newark.

@J-R
Definitely a lot of re-badging going on. Makes me think there's a great deal hiding out there somewhere, just have to find it!



Edit: In case anyone is wondering (probably not), I ended up checking eBay every day until I found a used 87v. Seller had the "Best Offer" enabled and I was able to get it shipped for $220 USD. Looks to be in good condition, will have to put it through its paces. My 117 with NCV will be coming out of my work toolbox and home with me permanently.