DMM choice?

[WrenchGuy 10+ year member]

I have a little Craftsman for checking terminals and setting gains. What kind of DMM should I get for checking everything else? I guess I'm after something with a good internal fuse right? I'm gonna get one from MAC tools so do I need one with true RMS and all that jive?

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[audioarsonal 10+ year member]

true RMS clamp meter with both ac AND dc amps.Craftsman makes one that does 800amp AC/DC true rms for like 100.Seen it at good ol' Sears.Flukes are good as well don't know the MAC product line but just check for the things above.

 

[grassroots 10+ year member]

no, you probably don't need one with all the frills and gadgets... only meters i would buy are either a fluke or greenlee, but they are also some of the most expensive....

what kind of other stuff do you need to check? the majority of meters these days check a/c, d/c voltage, amperage, and resistance and a decent one can be found for under 60 bucks that will do everything you need it to....

there really is no need to go out and buy a $900 fluke true rms clamp meter unless you're an electrician or something. even then, you're paying a lot just for a name... i'd stick to the craftsmans if i were you...

 

[revrider1 5,000+ posts]

I gots me a Fluke and i like it

 

[IgnoreMe 5,000+ posts]

you can get a bluepoint for pretty cheap. couple hundred bucks.

i got one, and it works awesome. bluepoint is a snap on btw, just cheaper

 

[WrenchGuy 10+ year member]

you can get a bluepoint for pretty cheap. couple hundred bucks.
i got one, and it works awesome. bluepoint is a snap on btw, just cheaper

Yeah I know I have three tool guys that come to my work. Snap-on, MAC and Cornwell with good discounts. I just dont want to buy more than I'm gonna need.

 

[audioarsonal 10+ year member]

I say just get the Bluepoint or the craftsman.they make a decent one that will do everything you need without all the frills bout 50.Then you'll have more to spend on something else...

 

[WrenchGuy 10+ year member]

I say just get the Bluepoint or the craftsman.they make a decent one that will do everything you need without all the frills bout 50.Then you'll have more to spend on something else...

Word!

 

[Flipx99 5,000+ posts]

I have the craftsman, but I use a regular one because I can't figure out how to use it.

 

[IgnoreMe 5,000+ posts]

Yeah I know I have three tool guys that come to my work. Snap-on, MAC and Cornwell with good discounts. I just dont want to buy more than I'm gonna need.

yea you definitely dont need a fancy one then.

you can get by with a nice craftsman dmm.

 

[goodstuff 10+ year member]

I have a fluke. Cost about 110. Got it through an electrician though. So i don't know, I'm sure it would cost more retail...works nice for fixing wood pellet stoves and setting my gains. Got all the basics...amp clamp, voltage resistance etc.

 

[sqhertz 5,000+ posts]

i got my craftsman meter for ~ 15 bucks on sale at sears. works for everything id need it to.

 

[johnson 10+ year member]

I use a $3 one from Harbor Freight.

 

[kurtdirt1 10+ year member]

I use a $3 one from Harbor Freight.

X2...I think I got mine for $1 on sale at harbor freight...works fine

 

[Lil Poot 5,000+ posts]

i, and A LOT of people i've worked with have had bad luck with craftsman multimeters. just an //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/fyi.gif.9f1f679348da7204ce960cfc74bca8e0.gif