Author Topic: Best multimeter for my price range?  (Read 11564 times)

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Offline J-R

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Re: Best multimeter for my price range?
« Reply #25 on: October 08, 2022, 09:07:22 am »
The BM867s has 10 switch positions, the BM869s has 11.  The BM869s combines the diode and capacitance.  So with the BM869s you press a button to switch between those while on the BM867s you change the switch position.  Really no difference here.

The BM789 has the "AutoV LoZ" feature below the Off position, so it's not adding any extra knob turning. Even the BM235 has this feature.  It can be handy.  The other extra features are hardly adding to the extensive secondary functions.

Temperature can still be useful, since you can use it to measure the internal temp of the DMM by shorting the leads.

Checking my order records, I see for the BM869s and BM789 I spent about twice as much on accessories and shipping than by upgrading from the lower model to the highest.  A minimal expense for potentially useful features, but if not can be easily skipped over.

Ultimately, a bench meter is a good solution to all the knob turning.
 

Offline Fungus

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Re: Best multimeter for my price range?
« Reply #26 on: October 08, 2022, 09:41:05 am »
The BM867s has 10 switch positions, the BM869s has 11.  The BM869s combines the diode and capacitance.  So with the BM869s you press a button to switch between those while on the BM867s you change the switch position.  Really no difference here.

I like having a separate range for diode.

A minimal expense for potentially useful features

I really don't need the extra features, I don't feel at all like I bought "second best". I bought the meter I wanted.

The difference in price may not be much in absolute $$$ terms but it's still enough to buy something that will be genuinely useful.
« Last Edit: October 08, 2022, 09:54:26 am by Fungus »
 

Offline BlueAppleTopic starter

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Re: Best multimeter for my price range?
« Reply #27 on: October 08, 2022, 01:03:14 pm »
What about the Fluke 116? It has a lot of good features and is only $145 at Lowe's.
 

Offline Fungus

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Re: Best multimeter for my price range?
« Reply #28 on: October 08, 2022, 01:43:22 pm »
What about the Fluke 116? It has a lot of good features and is only $145 at Lowe's.

It has no current measurement ranges, only a very limited uA range for testing flame sensors.  :-//

nb. Every sub-$400 meter in Fluke's lineup is deliberately designed with something missing so you eventually end up at their 87V (cash cow).

If you really want a Fluke and have about $150 to spend then get a Fluke 17B+. It's not good value compared to an equivalent  Brymen, it has no TRMS, no bar graph display, continuity is a bit slow ... but it's the least crippled for EE work.

https://lygte-info.dk/review/DMMFluke%2017B%20UK.html

The BM235 is better/cheaper though.
« Last Edit: October 08, 2022, 11:25:40 pm by Fungus »
 

Online bdunham7

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Re: Best multimeter for my price range?
« Reply #29 on: October 08, 2022, 02:12:48 pm »
What about the Fluke 116? It has a lot of good features and is only $145 at Lowe's.

It depends on what you need.  The F116 is an excellent meter for household and commercial electrical, things like wiring, appliance repair, HVAC, motors, etc.  I have one just for this purpose and $145 is actually a good deal for one.  They're virtually immune to user error.  But they are limited as a general-purpose bench meter since they deliberately omit current ranges (electricians use clamps) and some other features are limited.  For example, resistance only goes to 6 Megohms.
A 3.5 digit 4.5 digit 5 digit 5.5 digit 6.5 digit 7.5 digit DMM is good enough for most people.
 

Offline BlueAppleTopic starter

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Re: Best multimeter for my price range?
« Reply #30 on: October 08, 2022, 07:29:19 pm »
What about the Fluke 116? It has a lot of good features and is only $145 at Lowe's.

It has no current measurement ranges, only a very limited uA range for testing flame sensors.  :-//

nb. Every sub-$400 meter in Fluke's lineup is designed with something major missing so you eventually end up at their 87V.

If you really want a Fluke and have about $150 to spend then get a Fluke 17B+. It's not good value compared to an equivalent  Brymen, it has no TRMS, no bar graph display, continuity is a bit slow ... but it's the least crippled for EE work.

https://lygte-info.dk/review/DMMFluke%2017B%20UK.html

The BM235 is better/cheaper though.
I was just looking at the fluke for the warranty. :)
 

Online bdunham7

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Re: Best multimeter for my price range?
« Reply #31 on: October 08, 2022, 08:48:53 pm »
I was just looking at the fluke for the warranty. :)

Keep in mind that the (modified) 'lifetime' warranty is only on their fairly expensive industrial line.  The 116 and similar have a three-year warranty.  You can buy Brymen meters through Greenlee and get a lifetime warranty from them, but they don't have the complete lineup and the cost is higher.  I'm not sure precisely how the warranty works if you buy the BM235 directly from the EEVBlog store.
A 3.5 digit 4.5 digit 5 digit 5.5 digit 6.5 digit 7.5 digit DMM is good enough for most people.
 

Offline BlueAppleTopic starter

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Re: Best multimeter for my price range?
« Reply #32 on: October 08, 2022, 09:24:11 pm »
I was just looking at the fluke for the warranty. :)

Keep in mind that the (modified) 'lifetime' warranty is only on their fairly expensive industrial line.  The 116 and similar have a three-year warranty.  You can buy Brymen meters through Greenlee and get a lifetime warranty from them, but they don't have the complete lineup and the cost is higher.  I'm not sure precisely how the warranty works if you buy the BM235 directly from the EEVBlog store.
Oh, I see.
 

Offline J-R

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Re: Best multimeter for my price range?
« Reply #33 on: October 08, 2022, 11:21:28 pm »
Probably time to really lock in what your requirements are, this thread is going sideways...
 

Online bdunham7

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Re: Best multimeter for my price range?
« Reply #34 on: October 08, 2022, 11:36:42 pm »
Probably time to really lock in what your requirements are, this thread is going sideways...

Well, it is a multivariable problem, so it isn't surprising to see it wobble a bit.  :) The OP admittedly doesn't have locked in requirements.  The question really is "what can I get for $150", and my answer is a BM235 and $50 worth of additional stuff.
A 3.5 digit 4.5 digit 5 digit 5.5 digit 6.5 digit 7.5 digit DMM is good enough for most people.
 

Offline J-R

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Re: Best multimeter for my price range?
« Reply #35 on: October 08, 2022, 11:46:32 pm »
Yeah, was mostly talking about the growth in the corner...
 

Offline Fungus

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Re: Best multimeter for my price range?
« Reply #36 on: October 08, 2022, 11:49:58 pm »
The question really is "what can I get for $150", and my answer is a BM235 and $50 worth of additional stuff.

eg. A BM235 and an Aneng - one meter isn't enough for anybody.  :)

(and by "Aneng" I mean a Zoyi...)
« Last Edit: October 09, 2022, 06:25:48 am by Fungus »
 

Offline mqsaharan

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Re: Best multimeter for my price range?
« Reply #37 on: October 09, 2022, 06:14:56 am »
If you decide to go Fluke 17 route, go with 17B Max-02. It is a new offering from Fluke, has some extra features. https://www.fluke.com/en-in/product/electrical-testing/digital-multimeters/fluke-17b-max
It is still average responding, I guess. They haven't mentioned it in the manual (https://dam-assets.fluke.com/s3fs-public/15BMAX__umeng0000.pdf?bJYgDKSn8bhq5XVTwS3aFVT8ehzxQMVw). For some reason, the manual has become even more concise.

I like the TL31 probes that are included in the package. The ones I got from a no name were garbage.

Attached pictures were taken from the following youtube review.
Review with complete teardown:

 

Offline electricMN

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Re: Best multimeter for my price range?
« Reply #38 on: October 09, 2022, 06:27:01 am »
TME has an online store in the US now. In Atlanta, Georgia.
TME carries the Brymen meters.

https://www.tme.com/us/en-us/

 

Offline BlueAppleTopic starter

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Re: Best multimeter for my price range?
« Reply #39 on: October 11, 2022, 09:50:49 pm »
Are B&K Precision multimeters good? I've seen a few of them that have the specs I'm looking for. (Mainly the 388B and 2709B)
« Last Edit: October 11, 2022, 10:13:18 pm by BlueApple »
 

Online bdunham7

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Re: Best multimeter for my price range?
« Reply #40 on: October 11, 2022, 11:38:32 pm »
Are B&K Precision multimeters good? I've seen a few of them that have the specs I'm looking for. (Mainly the 388B and 2709B)

They're OK, but not typically a good value at full price.  Some models may be on the list of meters that don't meet their listed safety specifications, but I haven't seen any that looked dangerous.

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/a-list-of-multimeters-that-do-not-appear-to-meet-their-claimed-safety-specs/

The 388B is pretty basic and not a good value, IMO.  It lacks TRMS, MIN/MAX, autoranging and a backlight.  It also is only 4000 count.  I'm not sure what its redeeming characteristics would be.  I had a 391A from the same series and it was pretty good overall, but I got it for 1/3 the retail price. 

The 2709B seems a much better value, with 6600 counts and having all of those features and a 3-year warranty. 
A 3.5 digit 4.5 digit 5 digit 5.5 digit 6.5 digit 7.5 digit DMM is good enough for most people.
 
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Offline David Hess

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Re: Best multimeter for my price range?
« Reply #41 on: October 12, 2022, 03:57:16 am »
- Amprobe AM-530 has a lot more features but is only 4,000 count, which is really bottom of the barrel.

The number of counts is rarely more important than the accuracy.

Fluke 107   6000   0.5%+3   10V +/- 80mV
Fluke 110   6000   0.5%+2   10V +/- 70mV
Amprobe AM-530   4000   0.8%+1    10V +/- 90mV
EEVblog BM235   6000   0.3%+2   10V +/- 50mV

So when measuring 10 volts, the Amprobe AM-530 is only barely worse than the Fluke 107.  I would look for other features to make a decision.

The Fluke 110 has no current measurement.

The EEVblog BM235 is by far the best meter of these four, at least for electronics.

 
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Offline J-R

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Re: Best multimeter for my price range?
« Reply #42 on: October 12, 2022, 06:26:09 am »
4,000 counts is a loss of one digit of resolution at 5V compared to 6,000 counts. A valid negative in that specific circumstance and others.
For example, a lot of popular bench power supplies have a 10mV resolution display, so it is very nice to have a DMM that can exceed that, such as 50,000 count.

Published accuracy specs are not as reliable a metric as it would appear.  Some companies are conservative while others push it to seem better than they are.

Checked some reviews on the AM-530 and two big negatives are it defaults to ACV when powered on and the continuity beep is very slow.

The BM235 is fine if you're on a tight budget, but if you have any money to spend on your electronics hobby, it could quickly become a toy compared to what else is out there.
 

Offline james_s

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Re: Best multimeter for my price range?
« Reply #43 on: October 12, 2022, 06:41:18 am »
For circuits capable of making high voltages, how about a high-voltage probe?  There are some of the Fluke 80K-6 probes on ebay right now for under $50.  There are also older Fluke DMM kits with two high voltage probes included, such as the Fluke 27.
How do those work?

They're just a resistor voltage divider in a long HV probe housing, the divide the voltage down by factors of 10 so you can read high voltages as much lower DC voltages.
 
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Offline Fungus

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Re: Best multimeter for my price range?
« Reply #44 on: October 12, 2022, 08:06:54 am »
Probably time to really lock in what your requirements are, this thread is going sideways...

Yep. Two pages in and we have no idea what the meter will be used for.

(and I'm beginning to suspect OP is more interested in buying at Lowes than the meter's abilities)
 

Offline BlueAppleTopic starter

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Re: Best multimeter for my price range?
« Reply #45 on: October 12, 2022, 12:27:42 pm »
For circuits capable of making high voltages, how about a high-voltage probe?  There are some of the Fluke 80K-6 probes on ebay right now for under $50.  There are also older Fluke DMM kits with two high voltage probes included, such as the Fluke 27.
How do those work?

They're just a resistor voltage divider in a long HV probe housing, the divide the voltage down by factors of 10 so you can read high voltages as much lower DC voltages.
I see, thanks!
 

Offline J-R

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Re: Best multimeter for my price range?
« Reply #46 on: October 12, 2022, 05:20:42 pm »
To clarify, the Fluke 80K-6 is rated for AC as well, 1% up to 500Hz and 2% to 1kHz.
 

Offline David Hess

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Re: Best multimeter for my price range?
« Reply #47 on: October 12, 2022, 08:59:54 pm »
For circuits capable of making high voltages, how about a high-voltage probe?  There are some of the Fluke 80K-6 probes on ebay right now for under $50.  There are also older Fluke DMM kits with two high voltage probes included, such as the Fluke 27.

How do those work?

They're just a resistor voltage divider in a long HV probe housing, the divide the voltage down by factors of 10 so you can read high voltages as much lower DC voltages.

Keep in mind that they depend on an accurate load resistance.  If the multimeter input resistance is *not* 10 megohms, which is common with autoranging handheld meters, then accuracy will suffer.  Fluke even has a warning about this in the manuals for their high voltage probes.
 
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Offline BlueAppleTopic starter

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Re: Best multimeter for my price range?
« Reply #48 on: October 26, 2022, 04:35:27 pm »
Does TME ship from the US?
 

Offline mwb1100

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Re: Best multimeter for my price range?
« Reply #49 on: October 27, 2022, 03:28:57 pm »
Last time I ordered from TME the shipment came from the EU (Poland I think).  But I didn't order through the US site if I remember right.  If no one here knows, you might need to ask TME.

I wonder if TME having an office in Georgia means they will need to start charging US sales tax?  One advantage to ordering from TME to a US address was no VAT and no sales tax.  But you did have to worry about the Euro to USD exchange rate and fees your credit card would charge.
 


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