TME vs Welectron vs ?? for Brymen multimeter to US?

[Stiletto]

I'm considering purchasing a Brymen 869S or 789 with shipping to the USA in the near future.  The two major European suppliers I have run into are TME and Welectron.  Anyone in the US have any comments they would like to share about buying from either of these guys? Does one provide better service than the other? Or would you recommend some other source that I am not aware of?  There seems to be more complaints with TME than Welectron, but that might just be due to my limited research.

I'd also be curious to know if you purchased a Brymen multimeter (or something similar) did you have to pay a US customs import fee to DHL or Fedex when it arrived.

Thanks for any insight you can provide.

[tooki]

Remember that the Brymen meters are sold under the Greenlee name in USA.

[Fungus]

Remember that the Brymen meters are sold under the Greenlee name in USA.

But they're a lot more expensive.

[Stiletto]

Thanks, this is definitely true.  But at a cost of $350 plus tax for the DM-860A model (869S re-badge) it defeats the value proposition of owning a Brymen for me. 

[Gregg]

I purchased a Brymen 869S from Welectron about 3 years ago.  It was shipped DHL and arrived without any customs interference or charges; however I believe that the rules have changed since then.  It took them a while to ship it, but after it shipped it arrived quickly.  It does have Welectron branding on the meter.
Marco Reps may still have a discount code for Welectron.
With the euro almost on par with the dollar right now, you might just get a real bargain.

I once asked a DHL driver what the letters DHL stood for, he replied Dewey, Huey and Louie (as in the Donald Duck cartoons). 

[adam4521]

GBP pretty low right now. telonic.co.uk has stock of BM869s for £159 + VAT. But everything depends on the shipping and import costs.

[rsjsouza]

I am a fan of TME - bought many things there with absolute zero problems.

I never bought anything on Welectron, though.

[Stiletto]

Thanks guys for responding to my question!!  Much appreciated!

Gregg:  Yeah, a friend told me to watch DHL.  Also said they seem to love to send a bill for customs duties after the item has been delivered!  Just for fun I have been trying to verify whether or not I would owe anything using an HS code of 9030.31.00.00 for non-recording multimeters and 9030.32.00.00 for recording multimeters, and a value of like 500 Euros (or $500, I set it high just in case I decide I want a couple of accessories).  The calculators I've tried online all tell me I wouldn't owe any duties here, but not sure I trust them!

adam4521: Thank you for the heads up on telonic.co.uk, I will look them up and see what it might cost there too.

rsjsouza: Good to know you have been a repeat customer with no issues at all, thank you! 


Does anyone know if eevblog has a discount code with TME like it does with Welectron?  I only saw one post on here a while back that mentioned it (but added a qualifier of "if you can find it") but I'm not sure if they were being sarcastic, joking or what.

[rsjsouza]

I haven't seen a discount code for them yet.

One detail about Greenlee: they have lifetime warranty à lá Fluke, although they don't specify what "lifetime" implies.

https://www.greenlee.com/us/en/warranty-and-return-policy

I recall in the past seeing some price differences being close enough that were easily justifiable. YMMV, of course.

I have a DM-200A (BM251S) bought new that is incredibly well built - however, I haven't yet had the need to test their warranty.

Good luck in your search!

[J-R]

I've ordered many items from Welectron over the years, they are great to work with and I think the best price.  Being that DHL is also a German company, there is a small amount of subsidy going on in my opinion, so shipping is a flat 9.99 Euro.  USD=EUR right now, basically.   I'm seeing it's $170 for BM789 delivered,  $195 for BM869s.

My 2nd biggest attraction to Welectron after price is that they seem to always have the largest Brymen selection in stock, including accessories.   Such things like the DMM-specific carrying case, magnet hangar, alligator clips, fuses, computer interface, etc.  Nice to just get it all in one place.

Forgot to mention, I am not aware of any extra charges for shipping from Germany to the US.  My last order was about 10 months ago.

[Stiletto]

rsjsouza: Appreciate that bit of information, always nice to have a local warranty, this is true.  No warranty/no support is definitely a trade off buying outside the market the product is intended for.  The price difference between an 869S purchased from Welectron or TME (~$195) and the Greenlee DM-860A (~$365 inc. tax) is about $170.  Almost the price of buying a new unit.

J-R: Thanks for your feedback regarding your great experiences with Welectron.  I did notice that their pricing was good, especially when combined with the eevblog discount. And they seem to carry all the accessories, as you mentioned. They include the silicone leads with gold-colored tips that Dave raves about in his video, and they offer a "plus" kit for about $10 more, which gets you a carry pouch. 

[Fungus]

J-R: Thanks for your feedback regarding your great experiences with Welectron.  I did notice that their pricing was good, especially when combined with the eevblog discount. And they seem to carry all the accessories, as you mentioned. They include the silicone leads with gold-colored tips that Dave raves about in his video, and they offer a "plus" kit for about $10 more, which gets you a carry pouch.

The Welectron "plus" kits are the ones to go for.

[rsjsouza]

rsjsouza: Appreciate that bit of information, always nice to have a local warranty, this is true.  No warranty/no support is definitely a trade off buying outside the market the product is intended for.  The price difference between an 869S purchased from Welectron or TME (~$195) and the Greenlee DM-860A (~$365 inc. tax) is about $170.  Almost the price of buying a new unit.

Indeed this price is way too high for an individual/hobby purchase. I would go for the Brymen in your case as well.

[BILLPOD]

    Another TME fan here.   Ordered my Brymen 869s about 2  yrs ago.   Shipping was $12 and it was on my doorstep within a week.   I loved the probes so much I ordered 3 additional sets, and same thing.....$12 shipping and on my doorstep within a week.   Happy customer here.