Multimeter - Which one?

[eCRX]

Hello, I have low grade multi-meters that i have used and abused on ICE projects throughout the years. I'd like to replace it with something durable that i can trust.

in my area (ontario canada) Fluke meters are used by many professionals, but i'm open to anything decent. can anyone recommend a well rounded model for an EV build?

[PaulUdrea]

Hello eCRX, what did you end up buying? I am at this stage too. I have one from Canadian Tire ( I am in Ontario as well) which works quite well, but it doesn't have DC amp-meter. Home Depot has a model which I am considering, Klein Digital Clamp Meter. Link: https://www.homedepot.ca/product/klein- ... 1001641860, for $148+tax. Any opinion about it?
Cheers,
Paul

[Pete9008]

I've got a few meters ranging from fairly cheap no brand ones to a mid range Fluke (10year old 177 model). The cheaper ones are OK but I never have quite the same confidence in the readings, they never seem to handle the knocks as well either. I trust the readings on the Fluke a lot more than the others. The downside of a Fluke is the cost to replace if it gets damaged; I've blown the fuses in it a few times and they cost as much to replace as a whole cheap meter. It also seems to have lasted a lot better but that may just be because I tend to treat it better!

Have used Flukes at work all my life and never come across one I didn't trust (although they were all calibrated regularly).

When doing electronics I reach for the Fluke but when in the garage working on the car use a cheaper one as it's more likely to get damaged.

If using it on HV circuits make sure that the meter insulation category/quality is up to it (and the test leads too).

I've been meaning to get a DC clamp ammeter for a while too. If anyone has a recommendation for a good one it would be appreciated.

Edit - I think it was the Uni-T clamp meters I was looking at previously which seemed to have a reasonable reputation but I've never personally used one.

[janosch]

If using it on HV circuits make sure that the meter insulation category/quality is up to it (and the test leads too).

Also make sure to plug the leads into the right holes before measuring a HV circuit.

[asavage]

I've a Fluke 23 that I picked up in trade around 2000, with a scratched LCD, and it gets the majority of the general measuring tasks here.

For bench work, I usually use my Fluke 87 (~1998). It was quite expensive at the time, and I bought it new.

The genuine Fluke leads can be expensive, so if you buy used, make certain the leads are in serviceable condition.

[johnspark]

Main thing here is safety, safety, safety...

I have multiple real..l cheap ones for 12volt stuff, but for 300 V @ 5000 amps potential fault current, I use trusted Flukes. Good meters like Flukes have a real HRC fuse installed internally to protect the user.

Sometimes you can get them on Ebay at a reasonable price, but I don't know how you check authenticity before you get it.

I bought a cheap Matlab program on Ebay from the former USSR one time, the photo showed the proper box. When it arrived it was a disk hand written on. I threw it in the bin.

[grgumxlm]

This forum is about OpenSource solutions. But any DIY-Multimeter wont probably be a recommendation if the idea is to do other things then first build an own Multimeter with all functionality you need.
The multimeter that would meet at best all the freedom most people like in this forum and still dont require to build it yourself is the EEVBlog 121GW.
More information about the product with documentation, firmware, Circuit Diagram and so on: https://www.eevblog.com/product/121gw/
Its supported by the OpenSource software sigrok: https://sigrok.org/wiki/EEVBlog_121GW
With 50000counts and many other things its about as good as a fluke. Features like the SD-card logging are something special and could be helpful in many situations.

By ordering the EEVBlog 121GW instead of a fluke you support much more the idea of community development.