ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area multimeter for occasional trouble shooting

Thank you all for your ideas. Wow - it seems like the choice is either fluke or anything else that is not fluke.

Is Fluke really that much better regarding reliability/durability?

Bill Addiss, your comments about the Extech I mentioned were interesting. That all purpose clamp on/combo multi meter seems to do everything (has true RMS, but less accuracy that hand helds). To the novice, "more is better" is appealing, but will it get the job done? It's such a great price. I'm still trying to make an excuss to need a temp probe.

Do the foreign made meters just not last?

Thanks

Treeman, The accuracy issue for basic trouble shooting should not be a factor for you. If you are working on a 120 volt circuit you may find the reading between 110 to 125 volts depending on voltage drop where you are testing but what difference does that make you really want to know is it live or not, a few % of error is no big deal most times. The Extech clamp on 38389 seems like a real good deal at $99.00

In my bag that I always have is a old style solenoid type tester, I still like these to make sure a circuit is dead, sometimes the digital reads voltages from induction that make you think the wire is live.

A non contact tester, good for first testing.

And right now a Fluke 36 clamp meter which will be replaced with the T-5 600.

When I need more range on the ohms scale I go for my 87.

One thing to remember always check your meter on a known live circuit, leads break, electronics fail, batteries go dead etc.

The non contact testers you can check by rubbing them on your arm.


[This message has been edited by iwire (edited 03-09-2003).]

The railroad has a Fluke 12. Pretty nigh indestructable, short of getting run over by a locomotive. Its nice because it's easy to use by those who are on the property when I am not and they need to get something going again.

I have a Simpson 260 that I use when it's nice to have a needle swinging.

TW

Simpson 260 Series 8, if I bring that out people look at it like it is a Dinosaur.

The apprentices (and some licensed guys) I work with have no idea how to read the scales on it.

But it has no Min/Max hold or averaging, so it stays home now.





Mine is the old all black case


[This message has been edited by iwire (edited 03-09-2003).]

I have an old Simpson 260 series 6 that I use on the bench. A traditional analog movement is still better than digital for some things, and the 260 really is a great little meter. They were sold in England over the years, though they're not so well known as in America.