Multi-meter Recommendation??

I'm in need of a multi-meter. Sure, I'll use it around the house but the primary duty will be to check the health of my batteries. So I'm looking for something fairly basic but I need to ensure it is accurate.

Most multimeters are accurate, even the cheap ones. For LiIon I will prefer 6000 count display or more, this gives the best precision.

I have being reviewing a couple of multimeters, you can find the list here: http://www.lygte-info.dk/info/DMMReviews.html (If you use a computer with a mouse there are two popup's for each line: Large picture and specifications).

A nice cheap multimeter is the Aneng AN8008/AN8009


Had a bit of fun:
I have added a 6000+ count index now: http://www.lygte-info.dk/info/DMMReviews6000.html

I have had one of these super quality Hioki pocket DMM's for 36 years...



...and it is as accurate as my Fluke! It never fails and is great around the house and car. No Amperage function so no risk of short circuit errors!

https://www.hioki.com/en/products/detail/?product_key=5611



Buy one, never need to buy another...

😎

I have had good luck with the really cheap ones from Harbor Freight. Sometimes free with coupon. No, it's not a Fluke. But they last forever. Accuracy is good enough.

poguy said:

I have had good luck with the really cheap ones from Harbor Freight. Sometimes free with coupon. No, it's not a Fluke. But they last forever. Accuracy is good enough.

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EL' CHEAPO DVOMs CAN ELECTROCUTE YOU!



:0

This looks like a great and simple unit Schermanm. I already ordered another unit unfortunately. I'll pick this one up if the other unit doesn't work for me.

I agree about quality tools. I rarely buy items from Harbor Freight because I don't like to have cheap things laying around. I agree there are some tools that you will rarely use and therefore don't need the best, but if it is something you will use more often it pays to buy a better quality product.

DavidRZ said:

I agree about quality tools. I rarely buy items from Harbor Freight because I don't like to have cheap things laying around. I agree there are some tools that you will rarely use and therefore don't need the best, but if it is something you will use more often it pays to buy a better quality product.

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I highly recommend the Fluke 115 multimeter. I purchased inexpensive meters before and they end up not functioning or going intermittent at the most inconvenient times. This one will cost about $150 but it is of very high quality and will not go on the fritz when you need it most - like when testing components to fix your clothes dryer.

My personal choice is UEi DM393 — nice (old school looks is my weakness), very strong construction, very effective on battery use. 4000 counts only, but for battery and flashlight measurements — sufficient.

Fluke is like the Apple of meters. Lots of fanboys. Lots of biased nonsense. In terms of measurement the cheap meters are good enough. I have a more expensive meter but don't use it. What you really get for more $$$ is ruggedness and other non-measure-related stuff.

EL' CHEAPO DVOMs CAN ELECTROCUTE YOU!

Thinking the Hioki (Hee-o-kee) DT4221 will do it for me. Would not have found it were it not for CPF member Schermann. Thanks!

poguy said:

Fluke is like the Apple of meters. Lots of fanboys. Lots of biased nonsense. In terms of measurement the cheap meters are good enough. I have a more expensive meter but don't use it. What you really get for more $$$ is ruggedness and other non-measure-related stuff.

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I sort of agree that there is far too much hype for Fluke but what these expensive meters do offer is electrical safety. A friend said to me once; "don't be in the water drowning and thinking you should have spent that extra $50 on that quality life jacket!"

KITROBASKIN said:

Thinking the Hioki (Hee-o-kee) DT4221 will do it for me. Would not have found it were it not for CPF member Schermann. Thanks!

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Cheers!

DavidRZ said:

This looks like a great and simple unit Schermanm. I already ordered another unit unfortunately. I'll pick this one up if the other unit doesn't work for me. I agree about quality tools. I rarely buy items from Harbor Freight because I don't like to have cheap things laying around. I agree there are some tools that you will rarely use and therefore don't need the best, but if it is something you will use more often it pays to buy a better quality product.

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You won't ever be disappointing with Hioki, they have been recommended to me by electrical engineers for years as a quality build item.
I saw an old Hioki 3240 in mint condition recently for sale in Canada on fleabay for ~$12 CAD!


My 3240 is a little bit more worn as it lives in the car and does the routine battery, spot lights, V/UHF antenna, stereo, light bulbs, alternator, starter motor and fuse tests with ease. For more in depth under the bonnet (hood) measurements I have an Fluke 88V DMM and that does stuff to manufacturer spec but the Fluke is big and heavy while the Hoiki goes into the shirt top pocket! The Fluke can handle up to a 20 Amp load while the Hioki does not measure Amps. This is good because the Hioki will never put you in any sort of 'exploding DMM' danger with mains current loads.


Melting DMM


DMM Detonations (explosions)


Fun blowing DMMs up by EEVBLOG Dave Jones



So I have 2 x DMMs; Hioki for the general home/car stuff and yes that is often, and the Fluke for the mission critical stuff like battery charging off solar panels...


Fluke 88V

:naughty:

But the Owon B35T+ or the B41T ?
The APP and the data logger (the record with off line bluetooth): the good news.

The Hioki Academic offer is 15% off maximum, and requires form filling.

I'll just betcha that's why part of the offer is for academicians! Need some education to fill out the forms!



Karl

Seems like a person can get a Fluke with a small education discount from a vendor. Buying one of the fancy/expensive units would be worth it though.

My Hioki was shipped today; quite excited.


I was looking for (not too expensive) American or Japanese or Taiwan manufactured that uses a single AA or AAA battery; that can check continuity and volts with a simple one turn-of-the-switch to get to DC measurement. Amperage measurement was not needed or desired. Hopefully I will not try to measure volts off an electric fence again. Never ever again...

HKJ said:

......
I have being reviewing a couple of multimeters, you can find the list here: http://www.lygte-info.dk/info/DMMReviews.html (If you use a computer with a mouse there are two popup's for each line: Large picture and specifications).

A nice cheap multimeter is the Aneng AN8008/AN8009
........

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Thanks for the heads up on the AN8008, I have a similar model under a different brand (Autool DM201) that is a 6000 count meter that makes a good loaner for low dc work. I like that it takes 2 AAA rather than 9V or button cell. The 9999 count is a nice step up. I suspect the same meters sold with 6000 and lower counts may be hackable to 9999 count, but at their price points it makes more sense to just get the 9999 count meter. I typically try to stay away from AAA cells, if I can, but in this case they are a bonus for many usages. This line of meters is great for small projects, and a great first meter for young experimenters. Your analysis of this meter shows it is even better than I expected in terms of accuracy and build. At this price you can keep one stashed in the car, or other places and not worry about it.

StandardBattery said:

Thanks for the heads up on the AN8008

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The meters I have tested in that series are:

Aneng AN8002 6000 count temperature & mA
Aneng AN8008 10000 count uA
Aneng AN8009 10000 count temperature & uA
BSide ZT302 10000 count larger version of the above with uA

The irony is that no multimeter will tell you much about the health of some kinds of batteries. You can usually tell if they're fully charged or fully discharged, but often not much in between. Lead-acid is about the only battery with a fairly reliable correlation between voltage and state of charge. You can get a rough approximation of the state of charge of a Li-ion battery by looking at the open circuit voltage. But you won't find any reliable information about the state of charge (except fully charged and maybe completely discharged) of NiMH, alkaline, or LiFePO4 cells by looking at the voltage.

c_c