EEVblog #75 – Digital Multimeter Buying Guide for Beginners
EEVblog #75 – Digital Multimeter Buying Guide for Beginners
Who else in the industry can give you 52 solid minutes of beginner advice on buying a multimeter?
Dave of course!, who started out wanting to give some “quick” advice, but as usual Dave likes to rant…
So you get a feature-by-feature breakdown on what makes a good general purpose multimeter. It turns out there is a surprising amount of stuff to talk about on the humble multimeter.
The other video on meter counts & accuracy:
And this is what happens to cheap meters when you overload them:
http://gossenmetrawatt.com/english/seiten/cautiondangerousmultimeters.htm
A hertz feature is nice if you are tracing wires connected to a fire alarm system that has DC voltage to power devices and voltage to communicate with devices, both running through the same type of fire alarm cable. The Fluke 87 shows you that the voltage source is not a steady DC source.
Quick buyer’s guide summary:
2:00 – Good meters are > $100, decent ones are > $50
2:29 – Get auto-ranging multimeters
4:58 – 200Ω – 20MΩ at least
5:21 – Input impedance of at least 10MΩ
6:22 – Recommended (A, mAμA, COM, VΩ) input jacks, GOSSEN METRAWATT good at this
8:00 – Get meters that measure μA
8:56 – High Rupture Capacity (HRC) fuses recommended, no glass fuse
11:09 – Diode measurement function, at least maximum test voltage of 4V
11:54 – Continuity test function must be quick and produce constant buzz (not scratchy)
14:50 – Transistor test functions are gimmick, don’t bother
15:51 – Battery door and fuse door access are recommended, metal threaded inserts if not
16:50 – Battery life, at least 300h
17:50 – Input jacks must be good quality. The best ones are one solid piece of metal
18:56 – Shrouded input jacks and probes
19:58 – Capacitance measurement can be handy, but safety hazard on professional meters (at least have one meter that has it) 1% accuracy is pretty good, also minimum measurement of around 20-40nF at least
22:05 – Frequency measurement not essential, good range is MHz.
23:05 – Relative measurement is useful, compensates for resistance of probes
23:42 – MIN MAX mode is useful, records the minimum and maximum value
24:18 – Touch-hold or auto-hold function is pretty useful (pioneered by fluke)
25:55 – Temperature measurement is useful
26:42 – Good display and backlight recommended
27:26 – General purpose and datalogging meters <- not good everyday multimeters, short battery life and not as many features
28:24 – Get two good multimeters and a pocket multimeter at least if you’re serious about electronics
29:58 – Measurement safety is important. Choose CAT III if you’re dealing with mains or high voltage (Darwin resistant)
32:15 – Safety for probes as well. Make sure they have finger guards and silicon rubber for measuring mains or dangerous stuff
33:58 – *ACCURACY*, this one’s important
36:59 – 0.5%, 2000 count meter is enough
37:51 – mVDC range usually more accurate range, Ω accuracy close to VDC accuracy. Amps accuracy <1%, mA most accurate
39:19 – True RMS AC measurement if you wanna measure non-perfectly sinusoidal waves, true rms accuracy of 1% is good enough
40:55 – Good AC bandwidth, >20kH
42:13 – The more counts the better, but not at the cost of accuracy (4000-6000 counts is usually good)
43:12 – Display updating speed (at least 3 updates per second)
43:43 – Auto range speed (Generally <1 second)
44:50 – Ruggedness of meter (the more rugged the better)
45:42 – Burden voltage of 1mV/mA or 0.1mV/μA
46:04 – handheld meter > bench meter
46:33 – Circuits of cheap meters vs expensive meters (Fluke 28 II best input section design, 49:21)
50:51 – Good OEMs to buy meters from
EDIT: I already bought 2 multimeters, in fact both were sold by Dave (EEVblog’s owner) himself. He made these customized multimeters and sells them on his EEVblog store. I bought the BM235 and BM786. He also sells a 121GW multimeter but that was definitely out of my price range. The cheapest sells for about 120 USD or 100€. Though because I live in Spain the export fee was something to be scared of.
He’s also got videos repairing some defective multimeters, (no manufacturer’s perfect, about 1 in 1000 or so seems to be defective, pretty good) which is great to see how they work and if yours has the same problem. Mine had no visible problems and it has since worked perfectly (I’ve had it for 2 and a half months).
Anyway, if you’re not looking for a cheap multimeter nor are you looking for a professional one, this is perfect. It’s got everything that Dave in this video thought every multimeter should have and then some. It’s not expensive and it’ll last you that’s for sure.
I’ll put the links to some videos reviewing the multimeter and the store I mentioned earlier in the replies to this comment.
If you are only doing automotive work do you need the expensive meters with the safety features?
Hi Dave,
First and for most I want to thank you so much for this awesome video. It helped me a lot.
It has been some time now that I wanted to buy a meter but never got around to do the proper research until my TV broke.
So after watching the video twice, and with many pauses and replays to make sure I understood what it is you are conveying. I narrowed it down to Fluke.
Apart that it is made in the USA which I support. Fluke is the only company that gives you a limited life time warranty other then the 100 series that are made in china. ("disappointed I must say. But surly understandable that no manufacturer would give a life time warranty when they produce their shiit in China").
I really would of liked to buy a German or Japaneses brand as they manufacture top notch products almost in any field. Especially electronics. However their warranty is for 3 years only, Gossen, Yokogawa etc. the ones you mentioned in the video. Please correct me if I’m wrong on that one.
With that said. I narrowed it down to Fluke 87V, 28ii and 88V. And here is my dilemma.
I know the 88V can be helpful as I do most of my car repair myself. "not that it brakes a lot". But the 88V its not a True RMS meter.
On the other hand. I do like to play with electronics, and not so much as a hobby. But like fixing my TV and other electronics when they fail. Also small electrical work here and there, like new switches, outlets, networking, alarm etc…. So should I go with the 87V or the 28ii since they do have True RMS. Please help.
Ones again thank for the great video.
I’m a hobbyist, I work with DC > 30V. Will a Fluke 106 be fine? It’s about $80.
Hum. I still have my fluke 83 bought back in the 1980’s. Had a 77 before that, and there were analog meters, including tube driven, before that. (Analog meters are inherently true RMS!)
But I’m guilty of using a decent looking but crap little miniature meter kept in my toolbox for checking house wiring. Now I’m wondering who makes a great miniature, lightweight meter. There are even handheld probes that light up when you put your finger on a contact (useless though).
Cheapest multimeter from lazada https://youtu.be/6NNeSAQzDe4
thank you Dave
This should be revisited for 2020
What about mastech?
"Dave" of course! https://plantsvszombies.fandom.com/wiki/Crazy_Dave
Just got a Gossen Metraline DM62. Damn it, Dave, I was not planning on spending this much =O
If the price of these expensive multimeters keeps you from enjoying your hobby, then buy the cheap meter first, recognize its limitations (e.g., don’t measure high currents), and enjoy your hobby. For $10-20, you can have quite a bit of functionality and build quality. Upgrade when money does not matter. Working with Arduino at 5V and 20 milliamperes, for instance, will not create a huge safety risk. A cheap meter will do nicely.
Thanks for this very educationnal vid. I’m one of these fools who measured mains power with a crap Mastercraft el cheapo 20$ multimeter. It’s my birthday on october 14th and I’ll be buying a decent multimeter this time. My budget is 300 $ (canadian dollars). Hopefully I can get a decent Fluke. I checked the Fluke 87 but it’s 800 bucks !!! Any suggestion for a particular model with my 300$ budget ? I also have an old analog 15MHz Tektronik oscilloscope I like to lay around with from time to time. I’m the kind of guy who does a bit of electronic, soldering, playing with ebike batteries, inverters, boostconverters, etc..
I use a Vici VC99 digital multimeter. I really like it.
Wonderful, informative and very greatly appreciated. Great to see such passion with the in depth knowledge to explain. Thank you very much.
I work on cars and sometimes i get cars with electrical problems
What multimeter is perfect for me
I’m satisfied with my Fluke 187
Needs an update its 11 yrs old now 😉
Creo que no editó el inicio doble porque se dio cuenta que no valía la pena en un video de casi una hora….
apparently if you watched most of youtube it will start recommend 10 year old videos 🙂
Don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed watching a guy rant about stuff as much as I enjoy Dave’s! It’s not that he’s hateful, he’s funny and his points are right on the dot. Now I have to go take my meters to bits to find out which ones are crap. (Here’s a clue… the one’s that aren’t made by Fluke!)
This vid made me buy my first expensive meter: A Seaward Solar 600A autoranging Power clamp meter. I need safety nowadays with all the EV lithium batteries in the market: High DC voltage, and power, make for some fgood fun, and I need to know what goes on no matter without doubt and without placing myself in a compromise. All the while having good peace of mind and knowing what to buy is priceless.
First time a (cheap) meter tries to kill you you never forget. Thankyou, Dave. Right from the heart.
I’m going to go play with 10,000 counts of backlit 600v CAT4 600A no touchy fun, on nice lightweight 400v+ lipo graphite NMC622 and 822 packs that can ( are built to) put a few ( hundred? ) kilowatt out… now. Faster than you can blink.
LOL.
Autorange is not so important.
Yeah great Allround review, but what is the best cheapest multimeter that will do the job on building vacuum guitar tubes amps? I’m not spending money on an Adidas brand when Kmart can do job. I need meter to get down to gritty stuff. Oh and yes I’ve watched all your other uploads
a long video but well worth the watch, every point was valid, well done down under dude from Canada.
I hooked up 3 leads onto my meter so I don’t have to plug and unplug whenever measuring voltage and current. But it turns out that the having the voltage lead plug in affects the current reading when measuring current. It doesn’t make sense to me as the terminals aren’t shared. No answers when Google. Anyone know why? My meter is Uni-t ut6e. Thanks
Well explained sir. But I was waiting for you tell about clamp meters for high voltage ac measurements
Ha ha ha! You make me laugh Jonesy. Intense little bugger, aren’t you? Why don’t you tell us what you really think?
Good work young man. Your passion shows . . . big time.
COMMON SENSE COMES BEFORE SAFTY!@
before i stumbled upon EEVBlog’s video in my YT feed one evening involving a mysterious device i now know is called an oscilloscope (no idea why vid showed in my feed), i had virtually zero knowledge of electronics and very little, if any, interest in electronics engineering, save for some interest when i was a boy back in the 1980s. dozens of EEVBlog videos later, i find myself unable to escape an inexplicable desire to build an electronics lab and begin a new hobby journey, with hope of involving my eldest son at some point. thanks a lot, dave! 😀
I can’t even afford a meter
Fluke are no longer top of the line multimeters. Not since they bough their competitors decades ago. They are just expensive. The only time I would recommend a Fluke is if you need a calibration certificate.
Sorry .. This vid is outdated. .. MUCH has changed, since this vid was so carefully and expertly produced. .. This "Title Theme" should be "re-assessed" every year, or two, with the rate of advances (and cost reductions) in this sector (same with O-Scopes). .. There are several "very good" meters for around $35. … Certainly adequate for basic Ed and Hobby R&D.
Am I not getting something, or do you guys get to disassemble your meters before you buy them?
A lot of these features/parameters are only detectable if you actually get to disassemble one before purchase…
wait, why you said in this vid about accuracy in digital counts must be at least like that or is a piece of shit and then 121GW specs is around 0.05%+5 not 0.02% like your formula? are you saying your own EEVblog Multimeter is a piece of shit? bad design? anyways the digits are 4 4/5 and 50000 counts. so how i do search the best portable DMM, is it only fluke?
Too much energy mate. Your mostly talking to adults here so calm down your intensity gave me a headache !
Interesting to watch this after 10 years. Dave has definitely improved in content and editing.
Good advice. But I’m not an electronics expert and have no plans to set up an electronics lab. I was just looking for a multimeter to do simple checks on appliances and automotive. I don’t think I need to spend hundreds for that.
I just realised that I spent an hour of my life watching a video about multimeters, I came here to find a suitable multimeter as I plan to work on my PS3. I also realised that this video is 11 years old 😂
Multimeter guide for a beginner in link go and check out amazing 😍 video he make I loved it you can get more information and knowledge ❤️❤️❤️❤️ check out link
https://youtu.be/zIgU4xKS5FA
Those who are interested in electronic projects ❤️
#nzhcreation
Manual range multimeter is now 40 years old technology
watching this after 11 years later and i have my $35 multimeter and it checks off all the things on your list. We have come so far
well f@ck me mate, now I really don’t know wtf to get!!!
I’ll get flamed for this, but my daily driver for decades has been a Micronta 22-185A.
Battery life? I think I’ve changed the batteries 4 times in 25 years.
It’s got separate fuses for volts and amps. And none of my other meters have as good a continuity or diode mode.
And it has actual insulated current shunt bars for the test probes. Not just traces or thick wires.
Also the rotary switches are wafer, not just a wiper n trace like the cheapies.
It doe sonly have a handful of through hole resistors, not a network.
I’m actually curious who built these for Tandy.
Hi!
10:29 OMG is it really that bad?
would you Please recommend clamp meter that would have high resistance reading capability around 1000 MO
Soviet C series multimeters are manual range multimeters, are dirt cheap(for youra average enthusiast) and are bulletproof. So plz dont disregard manual range bros
I bought Solight V40 multimeter , it have CAT III safety and true RMS .