Is this mutlimeter ok to buy

[riddla 10+ year member]

As per title, something I can use to check my battery voltages and to check the coils on my subwoofers as I have no idea which to choose.

seen this one

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Digital-Clamp-Multi-Meter-Multimeter-Test-AC-DC-Voltage_W0QQitemZ120377651446QQihZ002QQcategoryZ58277QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1713.m153.l1262

Click to read more...

 

[jdawg 5,000+ posts]

this is all you will need

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=90899

 

[soundstreamer 10+ year member]

If you want a clamp meter, you'll want one that says 'True RMS' on it. I'd buy one that does DC amperage too.

 

[riddla 10+ year member]

thanx Guys, I may get this in the morning. Is it cool ?

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=44679

 

[smoka 10+ year member]

Cheap meters are good for car audio, but if you use them in your home or for other electrical work then they are not safe.

 

[badvlvo 10+ year member]

I have a Fluke. It cost me more than what most would want to spend on a meter but it does everything I need and has never failed. It also won't cause me to get electrocuted in the amp function or when working on household current.

 

[dman4486 5,000+ posts]

I have used my $25 meter on cars, at home and on 220 lines at work. It has not failed yet.

I think it the only differences will be accuracy(minimal) and lifespan of the meter(build quality such as the knob)

 

[loopkiller 10+ year member]

THIS is all you need in order do 95% of things you will ever do with electricity if you have to ask the question which one to buy. Now if you were an electrician by trade, you would not be asking this type of question, because you would already own a Fluke.

 

[smoka 10+ year member]

If you use a cheap meter to work on AC circuits you are asking for trouble. The main reason is safety. For instance, if you have a cheap meter and have the wrong setting your meter can actually blow up in your hand.

There is a safety cert that protects against this kind of thing. I can't remember the name (IP67 maybe?), but it comes standard on all Flukes. Basically if you have a certified meter and you have the wrong setting it will just blow a fuse instead of exploding.

But it won't matter for DC in car audio.

 

[loopkiller 10+ year member]

If you use a cheap meter to work on AC circuits you are asking for trouble. The main reason is safety. For instance, if you have a cheap meter and have the wrong setting your meter can actually blow up in your hand.
There is a safety cert that protects against this kind of thing. I can't remember the name (IP67 maybe?), but it comes standard on all Flukes. Basically if you have a certified meter and you have the wrong setting it will just blow a fuse instead of exploding.

But it won't matter for DC in car audio.

In my link above it says:

Fused circuit with diode protection

750 VAC or 1000 VDC max. input

If someone is testing over 750 VAC, then I would assume they have the correct equipment. And the $5 DMM is fused for protection.

 

[smoka 10+ year member]

We had a maintenance guy get burns on his hand from testing 120vac. He forgot the meter was set for DCmA (I think?) and he was using a cheap Craftsman meter. The meter blew up and he had to go to the hospital.

After that I had to catalog all the meters in the plant to make sure they they all met the OSHA Arcflash safety requirements. Again I don't remember the specific standard (CAT #?) but basically all newer Flukes come with that built in.

You can test your meter if you are feeling lucky. Just set it to DCmA or Ohms and put the leads to 120AC. If all you do is blow a fuse then I would be very surprised. Your meter may not explode like the Craftsman but I would guess it would smoke alot and be unrepairable.

http://ecmweb.com/mag/electric_meter_safety_measure/

Cheap meters are great, I have several. But I'm just saying don't use them on AC unless you are really careful.

 

[brokeitagain 10+ year member]

he hooked to 120 ac with a dead ****ing short of course it was gonna pop, maintenance guy= Janitor

Do you know how a MM measures DC amperage?

 

[THUNDERBIRD 10+ year member]

buy a nice meter. i have bought 2 cheap one and they both **** ***. i have a craftsman one and it is ok i dont use it alot because i use my power probe3 for everything at work. but i am going to be buyin a NICE DMM probly a fluke. well worth the money

 

[DammitJames 10+ year member]

fluke is the way to go best meters hands down

 

[loopkiller 10+ year member]

OK, can we put this issue to bed with a sticky or something?

We all know that Fluke makes the BEST meters in the world. No one will ever question that fact. If you are going to work on multiple electrical projects, they are worth the investment.

Now what most people on these forums need is not a $100+ DMM. They are only trying to check simple DC voltages, check the resistance of their speakers, and possibly set the gains on their amps. The $5 (or less) cheapo DMM from Harbor Freight will do them just fine.

Not everyone needs to be pushed into a $100 DMM that will be used only a couple of times ever.