EcoRenovator - View Single Post - Can anyone suggest an decent digital multimeter?

jeff5may · 12-03-16, 03:28 PM

I second the Fluke recommendation. I have owned some and used many, and they are all gold when you are doing testing. Tough as a brick, rock steady readings, and they don't lose their calibration or go crazy on you. When the battery starts getting low, you know WAY ahead of time. In competent hands everywhere, Fluke meters have earned a reputation like the Energizer bunny: they keep working and working and working....

It is actually difficult to make one lie to you. This is not trivial, as many lesser brands of test equipment can lead you astray, chasing your tail for hours or days, until someone tries something else. You can spend as much or as little on tools as you want, but the better they work, the less frustrating and time consuming the project ends up. With tools in general, you can improvise to a certain extent, but accomplishing things is more challenging. With test equipment, an instrument that tells the truth is vital, there is no substitute.

I learned this lesson as part of my OJT in the Navy, from a highly experienced chief. We were testing a generator set for some kind of aircraft on a specialized test bench designed for the purpose, when suddenly, a few gauges started giving strange readings. Rather than just trust this super-expensive government test set, he reached for his trusty Fluke 77. Testing the suspect components revealed that the generator was not at fault, but a part in the control was "spiking" the test set intermittently under load, causing the wild readings. We had the thing fixed in less than an hour. After we were done, he said "That's why I always carry a Fluke, and so should you." I was issued one of the same meters, and became very proficient at operating it. Up until then, I never really appreciated the value of a well-built piece of test equipment.

Over the years, I cannot stress how much time and money these meters have made (and saved) me, and bailed out others of the same. Heck, other techs have bailed me out of trouble with their Fluke instruments! I should have known not to leave mine in the truck (or wherever I did)!

Oh, and they are also a lifetime tool, like Craftsman or Snap-on. So if you drive over one with a bulldozer or something, just send the pieces to them and they will replace it. No hassle, no questions, no problem whatsoever.

12-03-16, 03:28 PM	#7
jeff5may Supreme EcoRenovator Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: elizabethtown, ky, USA Posts: 2,428 Thanks: 431 Thanked 619 Times in 517 Posts	I second the Fluke recommendation. I have owned some and used many, and they are all gold when you are doing testing. Tough as a brick, rock steady readings, and they don't lose their calibration or go crazy on you. When the battery starts getting low, you know WAY ahead of time. In competent hands everywhere, Fluke meters have earned a reputation like the Energizer bunny: they keep working and working and working.... It is actually difficult to make one lie to you. This is not trivial, as many lesser brands of test equipment can lead you astray, chasing your tail for hours or days, until someone tries something else. You can spend as much or as little on tools as you want, but the better they work, the less frustrating and time consuming the project ends up. With tools in general, you can improvise to a certain extent, but accomplishing things is more challenging. With test equipment, an instrument that tells the truth is vital, there is no substitute. I learned this lesson as part of my OJT in the Navy, from a highly experienced chief. We were testing a generator set for some kind of aircraft on a specialized test bench designed for the purpose, when suddenly, a few gauges started giving strange readings. Rather than just trust this super-expensive government test set, he reached for his trusty Fluke 77. Testing the suspect components revealed that the generator was not at fault, but a part in the control was "spiking" the test set intermittently under load, causing the wild readings. We had the thing fixed in less than an hour. After we were done, he said "That's why I always carry a Fluke, and so should you." I was issued one of the same meters, and became very proficient at operating it. Up until then, I never really appreciated the value of a well-built piece of test equipment. Over the years, I cannot stress how much time and money these meters have made (and saved) me, and bailed out others of the same. Heck, other techs have bailed me out of trouble with their Fluke instruments! I should have known not to leave mine in the truck (or wherever I did)! Oh, and they are also a lifetime tool, like Craftsman or Snap-on. So if you drive over one with a bulldozer or something, just send the pieces to them and they will replace it. No hassle, no questions, no problem whatsoever.