EEVblog Electronics Community Forum
Products => Test Equipment => Topic started by: Fungus on June 13, 2020, 02:06:37 pm
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Just browsing the LIDL catalogue and the week after next they're bringing us a new multimeter (here in Spain at least). This time it's auto ranging. They're also bringing the other manual-ranging red one so we can choose which to get (I have the other one already and it's a decent little meter for the price).
A fully CAT rated meter for 13 Euros? Let's wait and see...
[attachimg=1]
This is the biggest Image I could get from the web page. It's still not quite big enough to see the CAT rating clearly but it looks like CAT II 300V, maybe CAT III 300V.
[attachimg=2]
Separate selector positions for Ohms, Continuity and Diode? Nice!
I wonder what the diode test voltage is.
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This is the biggest Image I could get from the web page. It's still not quite big enough to see the CAT rating clearly but it looks like CAT II 300V, maybe CAT III 300V.
But you can read the model - Parkside PDM 300 C2 - several hits on Youtube to watch through if you wish.
And if you go to the Lidl website you can magnify the image to read the markings easily
https://www.lidl-sklep.pl/PARKSIDE-Cyfrowy-miernik-uniwersalny-PDM-300/p100285454 (https://www.lidl-sklep.pl/PARKSIDE-Cyfrowy-miernik-uniwersalny-PDM-300/p100285454)
Cat III 300V is claimed.
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Just browsing the LIDL catalogue and the week after next they're bringing us a new multimeter (here in Spain at least). This time it's auto ranging. They're also bringing the other manual-ranging red one so we can choose which to get (I have the other one already and it's a decent little meter for the price).
A fully CAT rated meter for 13 Euros? Let's wait and see...
(Attachment Link)
This is the biggest Image I could get from the web page. It's still not quite big enough to see the CAT rating clearly but it looks like CAT II 300V, maybe CAT III 300V.
(Attachment Link)
Separate selector positions for Ohms, Continuity and Diode? Nice!
I wonder what the diode test voltage is.
It was established last time that it was fully cat rated at 300V and this one is Cat III @ 300V rated, which does separate it from most of its similar priced rivals which do also quote a Cat rating but not quote the certifying authority. The Lidl one does provide proof that the rating is a genuine one. Still a long way from my Brymen BM867 with a genuine Cat VI, 1000V rating.
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Still a long way from my Brymen BM867 with a genuine Cat VI, 1000V rating.
So is a Fluke 87V :P
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And if you go to the Lidl website you can magnify the image to read the markings easily
https://www.lidl-sklep.pl/PARKSIDE-Cyfrowy-miernik-uniwersalny-PDM-300/p100285454 (https://www.lidl-sklep.pl/PARKSIDE-Cyfrowy-miernik-uniwersalny-PDM-300/p100285454)
The Polish web site has a better image than the Spanish one...
Cat III 300V is claimed.
:-+
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You are lucky:
https://www.mikrocontroller.net/articles/Multimeter_PDM-300-C2_Analyse (https://www.mikrocontroller.net/articles/Multimeter_PDM-300-C2_Analyse)
They already wrote a tool to read out the serial data, so you can use it as a data logger. You can even switch off the battery saver for logging: press the red button and switch on. After four beeps the auto off annunciator is off. Using the serial port requires some hacking.
Spoiler: the analysis is in German, but Google translate should help.
More discussion:
https://www.mikrocontroller.net/topic/491973 (https://www.mikrocontroller.net/topic/491973)
I also bought it for my tool bag. Checking it against a Keithley 2000 showed it is good enough - better tha guaranteed.
And it is TÜV Rheinland safety certified - so no worries when measuring mains voltage.
Greetings, and happy hacking!
Rainer
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More stuff: certifications:
https://www.certipedia.com/search/matching_product_certificates?utf8=%E2%9C%93&locale=en&q=EM3801 (https://www.certipedia.com/search/matching_product_certificates?utf8=%E2%9C%93&locale=en&q=EM3801)
Certificate for compliance with the low voltage directive (CE)
EMC Certificate, GS Certificate (TÜV Rheinland Quality check)
Greetings,
Rainer
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I found this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNnOQNSYw6c (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNnOQNSYw6c)
It seems the diode test voltage is very low - it fails on a blue LED. :(
Continuity isn't the fastest either. :( :(
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Sorry, but we´re talking about a meter for 13€...Really ?!
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Yes. Lidl have all of their stuff independently certified by TUV (as do Aldi irrc).
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Sorry, but we´re talking about a meter for 13€...Really ?!
CAT rating? Definitely. These meters have traceable German Government certifications...see above.
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I have some doubts about it, better take the uni-t ut210e - It´s a clampmeter in general, but also a good multimeter.
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I have some doubts about it, better take the uni-t ut210e - It´s a clampmeter in general, but also a good multimeter.
You have some doubts about a meter which is independently tested, so you suggest one which isn't, from a company with a long history of lying about safety specs?
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UNI-T is not good , but you allways get what you pay ... 13$ multimeter is a cheap crap for amateurs , like Aneng ;D
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13$ multimeter is a cheap crap for amateurs
At least LIDL don't lie about the CAT ratings, they even print the certification number on the package so you can go and verify it.
Seriously, it's only a 300V rating, why is that so difficult to believe?
UNI-T is not good , but you allways get what you pay ...
No you don't, eg, this one costs as much as a high-end Brymen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2Tkm21dI1g (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2Tkm21dI1g)
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I have some doubts about it, better take the uni-t ut210e - It´s a clampmeter in general, but also a good multimeter.
You have some doubts about a meter which is independently tested, so you suggest one which isn't, from a company with a long history of lying about safety specs?
You´re right, I´ve meant this only what accuracy at all concerns, the safety thing I didn´t got in mind.
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You´re right, I´ve meant this only what accuracy at all concerns, the safety thing I didn´t got in mind.
Experience has shown that "accuracy" isn't a problem, not even with DT830Bs.
If you step up to a $25 meter then you get this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdGQEVdxmQQ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdGQEVdxmQQ)
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Even £3 panel meters from fleabay are wtf accurate these days:
(https://i49.servimg.com/u/f49/16/28/02/75/low-v10.jpg)(https://i49.servimg.com/u/f49/16/28/02/75/high_v10.jpg)
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The only pain I can see is shared Volts and mA terminals, but it's very far from unique there! I hate that, lay in a supply of 250mA fuses (or just pull the fuse and do without mA).
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Let's be really honest here, the real problem with this meter is not that doesnt meet its claimed ratings, because it does and the certificate proves that fact beyond all doubt, now the real problem is that you cannot believe that a cheap cut-price store like Lidl is capable of having anything as good as this on its shelves at such a low price point. The price alone is putting some people off, for others it's the brand name of Lidl itself.
Why that is I have zero idea, any company that has grown to the size of Lidl cannot be that bad otherwise they would not have the positioning in the market. They operate over 10,000 outlets worldwide and if each outlet takes 50 meters then that means Lidl can command an excellent price with their purchasing power of over 500,000 units, possibly more than a lot of the other meter makes sell in a year or more of a particular meter.
I'd take a Lidl meter any day over a meter which cannot prove its claimed rating, and certainly the Lidl offering will also have proper HRC fuses and not glass fuses and it will have adequate protection to meet its approval rating, thats a given.
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I doubt that a meter made very cheap with low quality materials that will worn really fast could be considered safe ... you can belive any certificates you want .
That Parkside brand is used by Lidl usually to sell cheap ( crappy ) tools .
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I doubt that a meter made very cheap with low quality materials that will worn really fast could be considered safe ... you can belive any certificates you want .
That Parkside brand is used by Lidl usually to sell cheap ( crappy ) tools .
Hmm, well as they come with a 3-year warranty I really doubt that they as crappy as you seem to think they are, do Uni-T give you 3 years peace of mind?
Granted they are not professional grade tools, they never claimed to be, but they are perfectly good enough for the average hobbyist / homeowner working on low power circuits only, as per rating would suggest.
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Sorry, but we´re talking about a meter for 13€...Really ?!
Same thing I thought initially. For starters I've never heard of Lidl, and it's ugly as sin. I'm not against cheap meters but this thing looks like trash. It's probably fine and just looks bad because the photo quality is awful. I already found the holy grail of cheap meters and I don't think I've seen anyone on this forum mention it which is actually pretty shocking.
I'm kind of a weirdo in the sense that I want my test equipment to look good over being safe. I've got zapped with voltages in the 100V-300V and didn't die and overwhelming am messing with voltages under 30 volts. Obviously accuracy, features, and durability are paramount, but CAT ratings don't set my loins on fire.
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Reading TEA threads I can conclude that when a new DMM arrives there are always concerns no matter what. Just open the thread about fluke 87V vs brymen bm869s. It was exactly the same: fear, uncertainty and doubts :). Yet we know how general perception of brymen slowly changed over last 5+ years . Same with siglent, etc. It takes time to accept new brands.
Some people prefer proven tools and there is nothing wrong with that. Problem is, all arguments about reliably (like "it's made of cheap materials") are not arguments, it's just bias. Until one sends a unit to Joe for mechanical reliability testing all speculations are worthless. Still people do it. So, let me jump on this wagon too. I claim this DMM is superior to a fluke, prove wrong :).
Another thing is not all people need a super-reliable DMM. Like I don't, I spend most of my time in spice and cad. As long as the dmm can survive a few thousands switching cycles I'm fine.
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I already found the holy grail of cheap meters and I don't think I've seen anyone on this forum mention it which is actually pretty shocking.
Please say it isn't this: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32880953626.html (https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32880953626.html)
Obviously accuracy, features, and durability are paramount, but CAT ratings don't set my loins on fire.
You just contradicted yourself. Electrical robustness is a big factor in accuracy and durability.
A meter may look tacticool on the outside but if the input circuitry is easy to damage by silly mistakes then it doesn't meet your criteria.
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Ugly or not, great meter or not, I think it's awesome that stores like LIDL are putting safer meters in the hands of the general public. Most of the people that buy these will be amateur "electricians" who go straight home and stick the probes in a mains socket to see if it works.
Contrast this with Harbour Freight in the USA which is responsible for distributing hundreds of millions of DT830Bs to the same group of people.
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Sorry, but we´re talking about a meter for 13€...Really ?!
Same thing I thought initially. For starters I've never heard of Lidl, and it's ugly as sin. I'm not against cheap meters but this thing looks like trash. It's probably fine and just looks bad because the photo quality is awful. I already found the holy grail of cheap meters and I don't think I've seen anyone on this forum mention it which is actually pretty shocking.
I'm kind of a weirdo in the sense that I want my test equipment to look good over being safe. I've got zapped with voltages in the 100V-300V and didn't die and overwhelming am messing with voltages under 30 volts. Obviously accuracy, features, and durability are paramount, but CAT ratings don't set my loins on fire.
Nobody is saying that it's a thing of beauty, or that it is any more accurate than any other meter without a traceable certification. What we are saying is that in the event of it being switched from one function to another while still connected to whatever you are measuring, that subject to it being used correctly within its certified area, then there is not going to be any safety issues, the fuses and other input protection will safely clear the fault and protect you. In most cases, you just need to replace the fuses and you're good to go again.
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Ugly or not, great meter or not, I think it's awesome that stores like LIDL are putting safer meters in the hands of the general public. Most of the people that buy these will be amateur "electricians" who go straight home and stick the probes in a mains socket to see if it works.
Contrast this with Harbour Freight in the USA which is responsible for distributing hundreds of millions of DT830Bs to the same group of people.
Yes, its this all day long, safety counts, because we all sooner or later make mistakes, thats a fact.
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It is funny being in the US I had never heard of LIDL until last year as they recently built a store near my home and now I go there all the time. They dedicate like 1/5 of the store to random rows of stuff like that meter in the first post to yard tools besides being a grocery store. I go their for food items and come home with assorted bits and bobs that I had no plan of ever purchasing when I went in.
They recently had some 'TRONIC ENERGY' brand NIMH AA and AAA batteries that seem to have similar capacity to other NIMH like eneloop or Amazon rechargeables. I ran them through a couple of test cycles using my battery charger/analyzer and they met or exceeded their rated capacity rating. They could start exhibiting higher self discharge rates but as of now they seem to be doing fine.
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It is funny being in the US I had never heard of LIDL until last year as they recently built a store near my home and now I go there all the time. They dedicate like 1/5 of the store to random rows of stuff like that meter in the first post to yard tools besides being a grocery store. I go their for food items and come home with assorted bits and bobs that I had no plan of ever purchasing when I went in.
Yep, and the 'random' stuff changes every few days to make sure you go back for more...
They're doing awesomely well here in Europe. I didn't know they'd expanded to the USA.
Over here there's another store called ALDI which does the exact same thing as LIDL so if you have both you get double the bits and bobs.
My nearest LIDL is about 200 meters away from my house. My nearest ALDI is a couple of clicks away so I mostly go to LIDL.
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Now that you mentioned ALDI will stop by there as one is literally 5 minutes away from the LIDL location. I haven't ever been there but I like browsing through the random items at LIDL so if they have something similar it is a double win. :)
LIDL has been doing some very aggressive marketing here in ATL, GA as I receive at least 1 to 2 full color multi-page mailings every week. I was checking their location count and apparently they are opening the 100th. location soon here in the states. https://www.supermarketnews.com/retail-financial/lidl-set-open-100th-us-store (https://www.supermarketnews.com/retail-financial/lidl-set-open-100th-us-store)
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Oh, that reminds me, Lidl have had their 20V lithium batteries (2AH and 4AH) in again since Sunday in the UK. They usually have loads of them in. Useful power sources and chargers - you could even buy some tools to plug them into (garden tools too)! :D
Teardown: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/teardown-lidl-20v-2ah-lithium-battery-pack-and-charger/ (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/teardown-lidl-20v-2ah-lithium-battery-pack-and-charger/)
https://www.lidl.co.uk/en/c/diy/c1492/w1 (https://www.lidl.co.uk/en/c/diy/c1492/w1)
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Oh, that reminds me, Lidl have had their 20V lithium batteries (2AH and 4AH) in again since Sunday in the UK. They usually have loads of them in. Useful power sources and chargers - you could even buy some tools to plug them into (garden tools too)! :D
Teardown: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/teardown-lidl-20v-2ah-lithium-battery-pack-and-charger/ (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/teardown-lidl-20v-2ah-lithium-battery-pack-and-charger/)
https://www.lidl.co.uk/en/c/diy/c1492/w1 (https://www.lidl.co.uk/en/c/diy/c1492/w1)
Weird. Here in Spain I can buy them online at any time (no need to wait for them to come around in the stores) but you don't seem to have LIDL online in the UK.
https://www.lidl.es/es/bateria-4-ah-20-v/p2596 (https://www.lidl.es/es/bateria-4-ah-20-v/p2596)
FWIW I think selling the tools, batteries and chargers separately is an awesome idea. You can buy as many tools as you want and only as many batteries/chargers as you need to keep them fed. The tools are cheaper that way and you don't end up up with a house full of rarely-used batteries sitting on the shelf losing capacity.
The LIDL power tools are also very good.
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It is funny being in the US I had never heard of LIDL until last year as they recently built a store near my home and now I go there all the time. They dedicate like 1/5 of the store to random rows of stuff like that meter in the first post to yard tools besides being a grocery store. I go their for food items and come home with assorted bits and bobs that I had no plan of ever purchasing when I went in.
They recently had some 'TRONIC ENERGY' brand NIMH AA and AAA batteries that seem to have similar capacity to other NIMH like eneloop or Amazon rechargeables. I ran them through a couple of test cycles using my battery charger/analyzer and they met or exceeded their rated capacity rating. They could start exhibiting higher self discharge rates but as of now they seem to be doing fine.
I have been using these batteries for a few years now and I'm very happy with them. I use them in my Uniden UBC125XLT scanner which I use for monitoring the comms for various air force bases for ground to ground, ground to air and air to air comms.
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Oh, that reminds me, Lidl have had their 20V lithium batteries (2AH and 4AH) in again since Sunday in the UK. They usually have loads of them in. Useful power sources and chargers - you could even buy some tools to plug them into (garden tools too)! :D
Teardown: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/teardown-lidl-20v-2ah-lithium-battery-pack-and-charger/ (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/teardown-lidl-20v-2ah-lithium-battery-pack-and-charger/)
https://www.lidl.co.uk/en/c/diy/c1492/w1 (https://www.lidl.co.uk/en/c/diy/c1492/w1)
Weird. Here in Spain I can buy them online at any time (no need to wait for them to come around in the stores) but you don't seem to have LIDL online in the UK.
https://www.lidl.es/es/bateria-4-ah-20-v/p2596 (https://www.lidl.es/es/bateria-4-ah-20-v/p2596)
FWIW I think selling the tools, batteries and chargers separately is an awesome idea. You can buy as many tools as you want and only as many batteries/chargers as you need to keep them fed. The tools are cheaper that way and you don't end up up with a house full of rarely-used batteries sitting on the shelf losing capacity.
The LIDL power tools are also very good.
Indeed, I buy a few of their power tools, battery and mains powered too, never had any issues with them. I have a 18V power drill that must 10 years old at least for which I can no longer buy the battery packs for but if I charge them up just prior to using them usually provide enough power complete the job in hand. It even has a 2 speed gearbox and the low speed is very good for driving screws, it has a clutch and forward and reverse control and shortly I think I'll be buying its replacement, again from Lidl.
I think the problem that most people have is with the brand name and the shops perceived image in the marketplace, but those that can see beyond that can see with a 3 year warranty and their certification where required provide peace of mind. Yes when they are compared to the better known brands of Bosch, Makita etc they are cheaper, but they are not intended to be professional grade tools, just good value for the handyman / hobbyist.
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Indeed, I buy a few of their power tools, battery and mains powered too, never had any issues with them. I have a 18V power drill that must 10 years old at least for which I can no longer buy the battery packs for
Me too. My drill is perfect but the battery no longer holds a charge and there's nowhere to get a replacement. It's a big brand name, too. Built-in obsolescence...
The way LIDL sells their batteries/chargers makes me feel like they'll be available for a long time.
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couldn't you strip the pack apart and replace the individual cells?
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Indeed, the Lidl packs seem to use half decent Samsung cells.
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Indeed, I buy a few of their power tools, battery and mains powered too, never had any issues with them. I have a 18V power drill that must 10 years old at least for which I can no longer buy the battery packs for
Me too. My drill is perfect but the battery no longer holds a charge and there's nowhere to get a replacement. It's a big brand name, too. Built-in obsolescence...
The way LIDL sells their batteries/chargers makes me feel like they'll be available for a long time.
I hope they stick with their current 'X 20V Team' battery format for a while, it does seem to be a winning formula. They keep bringing out additional tools using this format so hopefully it still has a good while to run.
I can recommend the current £20 2 speed drill, no hammer action, but lots of torque and control range, and a nice all-metal chuck. I picked one up last year, very solid.
P.S. Finally something I need a 3D printer for! |O https://www.yeggi.com/q/parkside+x20v+battery+adapter/ (https://www.yeggi.com/q/parkside+x20v+battery+adapter/)
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one piece of advice if shopping at aldi,avoid the racer biscuits (snickers clone). Their highly addictive and 1 is never enough.
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This is one i found in Lidl a few months ago. I never knew power was measured in farads.
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This is one i found in Lidl a few months ago. I never knew power was measured in farads.
LMAO, that is clearly a case of poor proofreading before sending the file to printing.
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Manuals at lidl service.
https://www.lidl-service.com/cps/rde/xchg/SID-3B86BEAE-A41B1535/lsp/hs.xsl/product.html?id=4143252997&title=Digital+Auto-Range+Multimeter+%2F+Digital+Auto-Range+Multimeter+PDM+300+C2&count=1 (https://www.lidl-service.com/cps/rde/xchg/SID-3B86BEAE-A41B1535/lsp/hs.xsl/product.html?id=4143252997&title=Digital+Auto-Range+Multimeter+%2F+Digital+Auto-Range+Multimeter+PDM+300+C2&count=1)
Has microamp range. Basic DCV accuracy 0.5%+5. Square wave generator. Chip on board. I like the 9V battery.
Manufacturer TARGA Gmbh. Facilities in Soest Germany and Shenzhen China.
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one piece of advice if shopping at aldi,avoid the racer biscuits (snickers clone). Their highly addictive and 1 is never enough.
Do you find those chocolate coated fake bananas in your countries?
They used to sell them at Lidl in France many years ago, I was surprised to still find them in Croatia last I knew.
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one piece of advice if shopping at aldi,avoid the racer biscuits (snickers clone). Their highly addictive and 1 is never enough.
Do you find those chocolate coated fake bananas in your countries?
In LIDL? Only at Christmas/Easter.
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Just got this puppy. Jesus, it is huge. For some reason I expected it to be small, like aneg 8002.
Some immediately obvious downsides (apart from cheap leads): continuity test is slow, and no capacitance measurement. Also, the banana slot is very tight.
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It didn't claim that it had capacitance test on it. The plug being a bit tight is a good thing, it ensures a superb contact. It won't perform as fast as a premium meter, but for the money it is perfectly acceptable surely?
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I'm not criticizing or bitching about it, just sharing my experience. I leave up to the reader to decide what is acceptable, but I agree the price is hard to beat if a proper CAT meter is needed.
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Just got this puppy. Jesus, it is huge. For some reason I expected it to be small, like aneg 8002.
Some immediately obvious downsides (apart from cheap leads): continuity test is slow, and no capacitance measurement. Also, the banana slot is very tight.
Let's hope it's the contacts and not the plug shroud that is tight...
Teardown time? (https://www.picgifs.com/mini-graphics/mini-graphics/smileys/mini-graphics-smileys-248196.gif)
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Just the other day my 1282a had the uA/mA shroud break off the meter so let's definitely hope that's not what's tight.
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Just got this puppy. Jesus, it is huge. For some reason I expected it to be small, like aneg 8002.
I got mine last week. Haven't had time to open it yet... :scared:
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okay, I'll film a tear down today... But don't expect too much, I bought it to use, so no destructive testing, I'm not Joe Smith :).
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Here it is: https://youtu.be/9wQdiaUCHu4?t=394 . You can safely switch sound off, I was mostly talking to myself.
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Basically as expected. I assume the fuses are marked 300V instead of the usually 250V.
I will neither call it bad or good, it is a cheap meter and with the fairly low CAT rating it passes the tests.
With only a single chip and no EEPROM or trim pots it looks like a fairly new design and will probably be true rms (I have reviewed a couple of meters like that).
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I thought the cheap meters in fluke 10x class didn’t bother with true RMS. Even the low end Gossens don’t have true RMS.
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I thought the cheap meters in fluke 10x class didn’t bother with true RMS. Even the low end Gossens don’t have true RMS.
That changed with the DT0660 chip, a cheap DMM chip with build in RMS and a external EEPROM with calibration and operating modes in it. Since then another cheap chip has arrived without external EEPROM, also with true RMS.
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This one is RMS of sine wave - see full specs in manual. (Link earlier in thread.)
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I hooked it to my siggen (singlent 2042x unlocked to full potential, calibrated at factory ~3years ago), here is what I have.
Sine wave: 1Vpp
0.354V@100Hz
0.354V@1kHz
3db point (amplitude 0.247) is at 4.2kHz
0.19V@10kHz
Square wave 1Vpp, 50% duty:
0.504V@10Hz
0.552V@100Hz
0.508V@1kHz
0.461V@2kHz
0.411V@3kHz
0.332V@4kHz
PS checked fuses, they are rated for 300V, which is good.
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I hooked it to my siggen (singlent 2042x unlocked to full potential, calibrated at factory ~3years ago), here is what I have.
When I check meters to 95% reading most cheap meters can go up to 2kHz to 3kHz. Your results looks very similar to that.
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I'm the original author of the ParksideView datalogging software. If you find any bugs or need any additional features, feel free to ask ;)
For English instructions, see my GitHub: https://github.com/benedikts-workshop/ParksideView/blob/master/README.md (https://github.com/benedikts-workshop/ParksideView/blob/master/README.md)
There's also a nice video done by Asser's Lab who went from there and wrote a Python version for the Raspberry Pi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YlhSKf9n0c (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YlhSKf9n0c)
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ETL tested to UL standard??
https://ramuk.intertekconnect.com/WebClients/ITS/DLP/products.nsf/4c8700f3b75987a08525777700583333/d5d354608eda0e6e862583ad0033d0cc?OpenDocument
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I just noticed that Lidl have a couple of meters coming up on Easter Monday. Both look aimed more at the electrical market. One is a pen type and the other a clamp meter (AC current only). They've upped the odds on these two with Cat III 600V ratings, both are GS marked and TUV certified so there's good reason to believe these. Not bad for £12.99 UK.
https://www.lidl.co.uk/en/p/diy-tools/parkside-digital-clamp-meter-or-pen-multimeter/p41447 (https://www.lidl.co.uk/en/p/diy-tools/parkside-digital-clamp-meter-or-pen-multimeter/p41447)
The pen meter certainly looks the part, with tool accessible batteries, decent finger guard and GS38 shrouded probes. With the enhanced ratings, it might make a useful partner for a average low Cat rated DMM for mains / higher voltage use.
The clamp meter probably fairs badly against the UT210E as it only has AC clamp ranges, but there again, it does have a 600A range without EEPROM mods and is half the price.
There's a very brief teardown of the pen multimeter in the YouTube video below - 13 mins in. Melf attenuator resistors, Fusible through hole resistor, single PTC and plenty of clamp diodes in evidence. I'm not keen on having shared sockets for the uA and mA ranges on a Cat III meter, but at least it does have a proper 250mA 600V ceramic fuse. At least there are no higher Amps ranges, which ought to reduce the drama of accidental current range selection. The IC is glob top.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iq9yATeQq00
P.S. They have their 20V 2Ah and 4Ah batteries in again on the same day, together with a spare charger sold separately for once (it's usually bundled with a 2Ah battery).
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PS checked fuses, they are rated for 300V, which is good.
From microcontroller.net picture (https://www.mikrocontroller.net/articles/Multimeter_PDM-300-C2_Analyse)it seems these have 5HF 300V marking which indicates it might be: Holly 5HF (http://www.hollyfuse.com/cpzxKQ/info_87.aspx?itemid=220&lcid=135)
If so, these are IEC60127 compliant. Link (https://lcsc.com/product-detail/Others_HOLLY-5HF-100H_C356455.html)to LCSC 10A version (250mA not available currently). These are not standard ratings, interchangeable or available from other manufacturers, typically such fuses are rated just for 250VAC, not for 600VAC and 450VDC as in this case.
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If I can find one I'll try to buy two, with an eye of shipping one to Joe Smith.
It's about the same money as my last 8060A catch :-DD