How to choose a multimeter for electronics use

How to choose a multimeter for electronics use

How to choose a multimeter for electronics use

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Me: Paul, 49 from USA
Education: United States Navy, University of California at San Diego B.S. E.E., University of Pittsburgh M.S. E.E.
Experience: United States Navy STS, Bayer Intnl Process Engineer, C.C.A.C AP of EE
Current: Retired
Health: BAD (Congestive Heart Failure)
Hobbies: Electronics, flying, amateur radio, music (classic rock)

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50 Comments

  1. Dale Marcell on May 17, 2020 at 4:00 pm

    8008 is on order from Amazon.CA. For $ 36.oo plus tax. Not a bad deal. with your help I feel I got what I need. Last month my old $200. MM died and I was unable to find the problem. As a retired bench tech I couldn’t justify buying a more expensive unit. Your video came along just at the right time. Thanks for sharing. I’m now a subscriber and hope to find more interesting videos.👍

  2. Mim Tirona on May 17, 2020 at 4:01 pm

    You are fantastic professional.

  3. xray364 on May 17, 2020 at 4:01 pm

    Great video, but why did you rule out the last full sized meter. The video cut off. Did you eliminate just based on price? Also many meters claim to read diodes, but some cannot light LEDs. The other thing is you kept the Master that had 6,000 counts yet El minted the two oWon which also had 6,000 counts. Why did you do this or was the Master a higher count unit and you accident y said 6,000

  4. James M K on May 17, 2020 at 4:01 pm

    It is so important in electronics to have a temperature reader. I can check temperature in my US. How about ammonia meter?

  5. disabled submarine vet on May 17, 2020 at 4:02 pm

    i spent 7 years in the navy on submarines during the 80 i got out after getting hurt . I am a nuke electronic tech but on a sub you get to know everybody so i do know some sonar tecks.

  6. weerobot on May 17, 2020 at 4:04 pm

    Cool just video looking for….

  7. Global Digital Supply on May 17, 2020 at 4:04 pm

    Very clear as well as excellent presentation. Thanks!

  8. John Michael Stock on May 17, 2020 at 4:07 pm

    The AnENG 800X series are great cheap DMMS. The UNI-T UT61E is a good cheap mid0-high end DMM as long as you don’t care about input protection or work with dangerous energy levels.

  9. Tech29 on May 17, 2020 at 4:09 pm

    I want data logging, and uploading to a PC. Sorry you eliminated B35T+ that had data logging because it only had 6000 counts. B41T+ with with 4.5 digits would make the cut?

  10. Brian Thompson on May 17, 2020 at 4:09 pm

    This is a great video. Nice concise recommendations prioritizing features. I like it!
    After much research, I almost bought the EEVblog BM235, but decided to order a BM257s because it has a couple of features over the 235s that I liked. I am very satisfied with the meter. So much so that I decided to keep the BM257s at work and then bought a BM829s for home use. I don’t need 50,000 count, and the BM829s has almost the same feature set as the BM869s for a lot less money. (I repair/restore arcade games and pinballs. The dual display comes in very handy for some applications)
    I am very happy with both meters and impressed with their speed and accuracy.

  11. Robert Calk Jr. on May 17, 2020 at 4:11 pm

    I love meters and just had to buy the AN8008. Thanks!

  12. listenmullahsb on May 17, 2020 at 4:14 pm

    Very nice comparison video, clear, concise and to the point. I’m getting the AN8008!!

  13. Talonfluff on May 17, 2020 at 4:16 pm

    There is literally a perfect version of the aneng with everything that I’ve ever need.
    I bought Richmeters 102 Just because I could afford it and avoid paying taxes.

  14. William Pietschman on May 17, 2020 at 4:16 pm

    Great Video about a hard choice! I own a waaaay overpriced Fluke 28-II, which is the Fluke 87V on (Blast Proof!) Steroids. Is it the BEST meter money can buy? Sure! But every now and then I need TWO meters. Everybody does for the "every now and then" when you need to measure Volts and Amps simultaneously. THAT being said, I’m not about to invest in a SECOND Fluke 28-II just for these occasions! Now: Just my observation, gravy goes good with toast, but NOT when it comes to meters, and it’s way too easy to turn a meter instantly into toast with just one false move, and if you have fooled with electronics and cheap meters as a kid, you KNOW what easily made "Chump Mistake Move" that I am talking about, because we’ve all done it: Selecting Ohms while you are measuring volts, and leaving the Magic Smoke(TM) out of your meter. Well…ONE of us has done it, anyway! So while yes, they are good for the price, it’s pretty much a Deal-breaker Problem with all meters that have only ONE connection jack for BOTH ohms and volts! So Mastec/Sentec P98674 wins, with the seperate ohms and volts connections. Hard choice though, when Anengs are so cheap, I doubt that you could buy the FUZE for a Fluke at that price of Aneng meter… Have we entered the Era of the Dispoz-A-(True RMS) Meter? As with all things: Middle of Road is best, with Mastec/Sentec being more than Aneng, but (Quite) a lot less than Fluke. Oh, how the Yellow-Jacketed Mighty have Fallen! Thanks for your Videos! As with all things: Middle of Road is best, with Mastec/Sentec being three times more than Aneng, but (Quite a lot!) less than Fluke. Valuing my hands (and life), I also think that for 600/1000 Cat ratings, I just wouldn’t have too much confidence in trusting them to an Aneng OR a Mastec… But how many times do you meet up with those kind of voltages in home lab anyway?

  15. Richard Forester on May 17, 2020 at 4:16 pm

    Nice video but I’m kind of surprised you didn’t mention True RMS or NCV as features. I think these are less exotic and more practical than square wave.

  16. Peter Wang on May 17, 2020 at 4:16 pm

    I own a basic aneng8001 meter and the features serve all my need as a hobbyist. However on some occations I prefer to use a manual range feature because the value will show instantly compared to a autorange meter where the display will jump around a bit before settling down. Strangely if you open the aneng board there is a contact point that allow you to manual select range. There is however no button connection to the outside of the meter. For capacitance I rely on a cheap chinese tester thay show esr value which is more important aspect of ecaps. Thanks for your great videos!

  17. Cody Koala on May 17, 2020 at 4:16 pm

    i want to measure my gf’s sweaty gym panties voltage after 8 hours

  18. Crusader 2.0 _ Loading on May 17, 2020 at 4:18 pm

    Thank you sir, great video

  19. Bob Barker on May 17, 2020 at 4:22 pm

    I just got into soldering and need to test resistors. Will the $10 multi meter do the job?

  20. orcasea59 on May 17, 2020 at 4:22 pm

    Thanks, again, for another great review. I agree about EEv – he has nice stuff and one probably gets a little jaded, but if i hear, "IT’S JUST CRAP!!" again about stuff other people are finding acceptable in otherwise honest reviews I am going to have to start re-thinking how much I value his opinions…

    I have pretty much decided on the UT61E. The UT61D has the back light, but the higher resolution on the UT61E is better for small values. The worst thing I have found about the UT61E is, because it is so highly placed in all these shootouts, the dang price has gone up by $15! People on Ebay are trying to sell them for over $100! I like Ebay over Amazon for most things, but that’s just insane…

  21. Paul Kelly on May 17, 2020 at 4:24 pm

    Voltage,
    current,
    resistance,
    micro-amps,
    capacitance,
    diodes,
    range of readings: counts (resolution),
    features: light-up jacks,
    thermocouples (temp),
    backlight,
    square wave generator … range…
    price.

  22. cassio299 on May 17, 2020 at 4:24 pm

    Jeg kan høre på din vejrtræning at du er svært overvægtig hvis du vil undgå flere blodpropper bør du tabe dig. tak for din video

  23. Fried Mule on May 17, 2020 at 4:25 pm

    Sorry but I do not understand why the Fluke is recommended for electronic? Not hating, just don’t understand.
    The fluke is only a 6000 count meter and is in general of lower spec then lot’s of others. The Fluke is perfect for an electricians and build for it.

  24. Pablo Fragale on May 17, 2020 at 4:26 pm

    sir which multimeter is the best one

  25. GuidoK on May 17, 2020 at 4:26 pm

    I think the function generator is a bit of a gimmick.
    It’s very limited, and if you use it to inject a signal in your circuit, you can’t measure anything…(no signal output and measure at the same time)
    Better buy a cheap $10 signal generator on aliexpress that can do way more and doesn’t occupy your dmm.

  26. Ezequiel Vierma on May 17, 2020 at 4:26 pm

    Great video. I like the elimination by feature process. Very clear, straightforward, down to the chase. Thanks!

  27. MrMartiiine on May 17, 2020 at 4:26 pm

    I just bought an AN8008, thanks for your video!!!

  28. Listen& Learn on May 17, 2020 at 4:27 pm

    Very informative especially for the a first time buyer. Thanks so much!

  29. oh yeah! on May 17, 2020 at 4:28 pm

    Dude. You rock! This was exactly what I needed. Thank you!

  30. Frales on May 17, 2020 at 4:28 pm

    Excellent video! Thanks.👏

  31. tumtuber on May 17, 2020 at 4:30 pm

    Very crisp explanation Paul. Thanks and take care!

  32. AR _T on May 17, 2020 at 4:32 pm

    Could you please put the link of Mastech multimeter at Amazon?

  33. Professor Kroog on May 17, 2020 at 4:32 pm

    Thank you for this video – very helpful

  34. databang on May 17, 2020 at 4:35 pm

    ( ◉◞౪◟◉) Good campfire story video. Watch out though, it could be Brian Steltzer or Don Lemon.

  35. Ali Kasim on May 17, 2020 at 4:36 pm

    What is best for a beginner and for troubleshooting components and circuits

  36. ivan on May 17, 2020 at 4:38 pm

    How about impedance? Very important characteristic.

  37. MrFrazierNation on May 17, 2020 at 4:39 pm

    Can you PLEASE review the Tacklife DM06????????🤔🤔🤔🤔

  38. Paul Kelly on May 17, 2020 at 4:40 pm

    You had me at "gravy". Cheers, good vid ✌

  39. Robert Calk Jr. on May 17, 2020 at 4:41 pm

    Thanks. The Fluke 87V is better suited for an electrician. The Brymen 869s is a MUCH better choice for electronics. I have both of them and use my Brymen the most.

  40. Shaunak De on May 17, 2020 at 4:41 pm

    Hi Paul, thanks for this review. Most other reviews seem to focus on what I consider "professional" features (CAT isolation, fast acting fuses etc) — all of which push the price of the meter up into the $100-200 range. As you point out, for the home guy, that’s not necessary what so ever. Its ridiculous to think that you could buy a decent scope for the price of some of these meters, and that’s what other reviewers push!

  41. Roshan Akthar on May 17, 2020 at 4:42 pm

    and the best way to buy the best multimeter is by how cool it looks. jk

  42. ken cohagen on May 17, 2020 at 4:43 pm

    What about the LG DM-311?

  43. Sunny Frankins on May 17, 2020 at 4:44 pm

    Thank you for the wonderful review, I’ve decided to get the AN8008. This video really helped me out!

  44. ArumesYT on May 17, 2020 at 4:45 pm

    You eliminate the Owon meters because of their 6000 count range, and keep the Anengs. But when you check the accuracy of the Anengs, you see that the last digit between 6000 and 9999 doesn’t give you any usable information anyway because it’s ±0.5% at best, ±1.0% in most cases. I don’t know the Owons, but they might show more usable information despite the lower count.

  45. pspicer777 on May 17, 2020 at 4:46 pm

    Very nicely done. Thank you, not just for the video.

  46. Paul Frederick on May 17, 2020 at 4:48 pm

    Five kill o hurts? That’s a lotta damage! BTW if you’re working on electronics in the dark you need to get your priorities straight. WTF cares about a back light with a bench meter?

  47. SevDev on May 17, 2020 at 4:49 pm

    I had missed the fact that the AN80008 has this function generator while I don’t really need the NCV. Great. But both meters seem to have a gap between μA and mA, I don’t know if this is important and I need to find out if any other cheap meter doesn’t have that gap.

  48. Andy White on May 17, 2020 at 4:52 pm

    I have a good enough £23 UNI-T UT210E clamp, a £3.50 meter that beeps, measures capacitors and rectifiers, and a ridiculously expensive greenlee ($£%&**!) which I daren’t take out of the house.

    To be honest since I stopped running training I haven’t used anything more than the machine that goes beep. If it’s faulty you usually can’t measure the real properties anyway. I’d love an oscilloscope and all the other trimmings but I just can’t justify it to myself, let alone the wife.

    For people who are trying to learn, yours is a nicely balanced and most important, realistic discussion (AvEs "This cost $1,000,000 but when I put this saw down, I’m going to hit it with a hammer (which cost $10,000) to see when it breaks", isn’t much help to beginners.). The dilemma is, if you start simple and buy cheap and then get the bug. Within a week you’ll be lusting after better kit. I’ve seen it many times with computers/tablets… people buy a £20 basic … find the subject is better than sex and end up having to buy better quality within a month.

    My real contribution unfortunately needs the AvE approach. I love the idea of something for nothing. And there is a train of thought that says "if you buy cheap you can afford to replace every year". Anyone who has worked in the field knows the frustration of finding your equipment isn’t working, especially when you’ve taken hours to get there and you are are up high. the cheaper the kit the more likely you’ll be let down by flimsy switches. My £3.50 machine that beeps uses an un-greased, un-sealed display and function selector that uses hair fine alloy contacts – I doubt it would survive a humid day let alone a dusty room. All the functions in the world aren’t worth a tinker’s damn if you can’t select them. Difficult to determine – but worth the effort

  49. macnet83 on May 17, 2020 at 4:53 pm

    cool stuff. all the info I needed. thanks

  50. rapha nunu on May 17, 2020 at 4:56 pm

    The Owon B41T has a 10k resolution and a bluetooth connection. BT is a plus, mainly for logging datas and using a home made HUD. Moreover, my old Fluke 77 died this morning. It was quite old, I loved it since 1994 when true RMS DMM wheren’t that common.

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