Forgive me, this topic gets beaten to death, but I have some specific concerns/questions.
I am rebuilding my collection of electronics tools and now is the time for me to get a new multimeter. The last DMM I had was a Protek 506, a higher end budget meter but it met every requirement I had and I never had any reason to complain about it-sadly I no longer have it. The last week or so I have been getting by with an old radio shack analog meter for resistance, DC Voltage and current. It WORKS, but it leaves a LOT to be desired.
Today I stopped by Home Depot and picked up a Klein MM1000. Its a pretty basic auto ranging meter that really seemed to fit my requirements nicely, for $65 and a 2 year warranty. It is not a true rms meter, but the fact is I don't NEED a true rms meter. I got home, unpackaged the meter, and did a few BASIC tests. The general quality of the unit is pretty good, nice backlight, and adequate features, but it's SLOW! So slow, it hurts to use it. I just can't stand the speed being so slow, it's like typing on an old slow computer and waiting for the characters to appear on the screen. I can watch the meter thinking and switching ranges. Even the continuity beep is ridiculously slow, which is kind of a big deal for me. Is slow speed the price that one pays when buying one of the many cheap meters available today?
I am not sure what to do from here. I am thinking about returning the Klein and ordering a Fluke 115 for $153 on amazon. Part of me tells me I don't really NEED the Fluke, but at the same time I tried getting by with spending less and it didn't really work out. I assume the Fluke 115 is fast. Can anybody comment on the speed of the Fluke 115? I want a meter that is a pleasure to use. Any suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated.
Auto-ranging is a feature that sells multimeters - cheap ones too, because there's less switches. It's not a feature that's actually much use for real work. If it's fast then it will be too jittery and changing ranges while you're trying to read the value.
I tend to use smaller pocket size meters more often. I keep a few in different locations. They don't cost a lot if they get lost or the battery goes flat.
I also have benchtop multimeters that are too heavy to lift with one hand. They don't have auto-ranging either. A 4-wire meter is useful for some measurements but rarely required.
^ that
I have used multimeters for 40+ years. Analogue, digital, cheap ones and expensive ones.
I always hated autoranging DMMs. Confused the hell out of me.
I usually grab my 15-year old brandless ~US$60 manual workhorse.
It has Hfe capacitance and inductance. Not found on many meters.
I never needed a true RMS meter.
Leo..
Mind you, my Fluke 67 is pretty slow on the auto-ranging and measuring too. Maybe the Klein is slower.
MorganS:
I tend to use smaller pocket size meters more often. I keep a few in different locations. They don't cost a lot if they get lost or the battery goes flat.
Hi,
I have used Fluke most of my career, any others feel slow.
If you don't like auto range, they have a RANGE button that lets you go manual range selection.
The ability to clip one or both probes to the back of the cover is great, frees up one hand to hold meter and place probe at the same time.
Most Flukes now even beep if you have probes plugged into wrong sockets, eg probes plugged into current socket when selecting Volt measurement.
TomGeorge:
Most Flukes now even beep if you have probes plugged into wrong sockets, eg probes plugged into current socket when selecting Volt measurement.
I have two cheap chinese DMMs. One very old. They both do that.
Problems I had with various cheap DMMs was battery life (even the ones with auto off).
And inaccurate readings when the battery was going down (before the battery warning came on).
Leo..
