| Products > Test Equipment |
| Two €200 meters: Brymen vs. UNI-T |
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| robdejonge:
Candidates: - Brymen 869s + USB kit - UNI-T 171B (includes USB kit) Unique features I'd use: - 2 temp probes on the BM - NCV and data logging on the UT Specs: they are mostly in the same ballpark Pricing: both come out to ~€200 excl VAT Gut-feel says the Brymen is the more reliable device in the long term. Is that fair? |
| Fungus:
--- Quote from: robdejonge on March 28, 2023, 06:08:09 am ---Gut-feel says the Brymen is the more reliable device in the long term. Is that fair? --- End quote --- Yes. NCV is probably useless. I never saw NCV that worked well in real life. An OLED display will eat batteries and has a finite lifespan. It will probably fail in a few years and it doesn't matter if you use it or not. |
| robdejonge:
--- Quote from: Fungus on March 28, 2023, 07:57:42 am ---An OLED display will eat batteries and has a finite lifespan. It will probably fail in a few years and it doesn't matter if you use it or not. --- End quote --- Don't think this has an OLED display. I believe that is the 171C. |
| shapirus:
BM can be used for data logging too, it has an optical interface for that. The adapter costs ridiculous money, however. OTOH, there are DIY implementations. This UT is a good meter with favorable reviews, but my gut feeling tells me, maybe wrongly, that UNI-T meters in general don't really belong in that segment. They are (or rather used to be) best bang for buck in the $50-ish range, but of these two I'd probably pick the BM. I actually own a BM869s. It's a good fast meter, however there are some minor annoyances: - slow update rate (1/1s or so) in the AC+DC mode (and in some other modes, where it doesn't really matter) - usable bottom range of capacitance measurement starts at ~100 pF - autoranging in the resistance mode could be faster: I have to fix the range when I need to hand-pick matched resistors from a bunch, for example - no LowZ voltmeter - can't test white (and blue, at least some) LEDs: test voltage is just not high enough - occasionally, pretty rarely, at power-on into the DCV mode, it's stuck displaying 0.0000V until the selector is switched to another mode and back -- and this glitch is a recent development Overall, it gives a feeling of a platform that shows its age. It needs a facelift. Nothing critical, however. And its continuity beeper is hands down awesome. And the bar graph is actually useful: while I don't use it otherwise, it can show if the measured voltage has ripple at a frequency beyond what the primary display can reflect. Another feature worth mentioning is its CREST mode: peak detection within, I believe, a 0.8ms window, to capture events that the regular min/max mode won't detect. Can be used to measure short pulses or Vpp of an AC waveform, up to a certain frequency. Can also be used to measure inrush current, with a shunt, without using an oscilloscope. Oh, and it uses the 9V battery, none of that leaky AA/AAA crap. Works perfectly on those rechargeable 2s LiPo packaged in a standard 9V case without an output step-up converter. It also has big ass fuses that cost a fortune and all the requisite input protection circuitry, of course. I don't know if the UT is better or worse in any regard. I wouldn't mind having both, I guess. |
| AVGresponding:
I dislike NCV built into a DMM, but that's mainly because I'd find it utterly useless; good luck trying to find the live conductor you want in a 4"x4" trunking full with a couple of hundred cables. Use a decent volt-stick instead. I suppose it has some limited use for finding live cables in a wall, but really I wouldn't trust it. It won't find a cable that's switched off anyway. As for BM869S vs Uni-T 171B, the Brymen is guaranteed to have proper HRC fuses; Uni-T's seem to be a bit random for the same model number in different regional markets. Also, the 869S has been around long enough that most if not all of the quirks of operation are known. Not so sure about the 171B. |
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