Thread: Need to buy a multimeter - what is best?

depends on what you're doing...

for most general automotive stuff you need 2 maybe 3....

1. a semi decent multimeter, should cost you about $40 and should have the ability to measure amps up to 10A... but at that price range wont usually do auto ranging or have much in the way of protection from operator idiocy.

since you know you need a meter then you should have enough to know what to use it for.
Cat III Multimeter with Temperature - Jaycar Electronics


2. A 5w test lamp (I just make these as I need them from bulbs and some wire)
the test lamp you use on dumb electrical stuff, interior lights, trailer sockets, starter motor leads. Dont use this straight up if you dont know what sort of eletrikery is hiding on the ends of the wire you're probing you can overload some delicate stuff or blow things out of range.



3. An LED test lamp.
This should be the goto test item for basic automotive fault finding in modern vehicles Flash versions do lots of things like this one

which for autmotive use does pretty much everything you'll need at the basic level

or this one


which is the bare basic modern equivelent of the old school 6-24V testlamp.

We need reliable digital multimeters at work,or we will get fried.

We only use Fluke.Very reliable,pretty drop proof as well,particularly if you have the rubber case.

They do fail occasionally,but are usually at least ten yrs old when this happens,and basically worn out,as we use them all day,every day.

Actually gotta get another one now,but will have to have a good look at them as it appears the models have recently changed.

Some prettty good info here, but to refine it a bit.
The good old fashioned test lamp is probably the best all round test instrument for auto work. Perfect for wiring, switching,lamp/fuse testing etc and cheap. A couple of bucks each from supacheap, get a couple, one for the tool box and one for the workshop. Not to be used on electronic circuit boards etc unless you really know what you're doing as damage to the electronics could result. Steer clear of LED type test lamps for this use as they don't show as much info as an 'analogue' globe.
Old type (low impedance) analogue meters are good for more in depth fault finding on the above as, has been said, they load the circuit slightly so that 'voltage drop' faults can be easier (than using a test lamp) identified. A meter gives an actual reading which can be compared with other readings or used to accurately define a quantity. ie. 13.2 volts as opposed to a lamp glow. Newer analogue meters, such as the Jaycar one mentioned earlier, are a high impedance meter, the same as a digital meter but with an analogue readout, and can be very misleading when used to chase down wiring/poor connection faults. A test lamp (low impedance) does this much better.
A (high impedance) digital meter suitable for auto work doesn't have to be a quality instrument (like a Fluke) but can be a $10 cheapy, again one for the workshop and one for the tool box is a good idea. Having said that my Fluke 8020B is now 25 years old and still going strong. You get what you pay for. A high impedance meter is ESSENTIAL if you are going to do measurements on circuit boards or electronic equipment.

Deano

I'd take a Fluke any day over the cheap crap. Bought an el-cheapo recently from Supercrap Auto because my good one was in the other car and not at home - the cheap crap didn't even last a day before giving up the ghost. Looks pretty but.

My good one is actually not a Fluke - it's a brand called "Finest". Made in the same factory as a Fluke and looks identical to a Fluke - even has the same yellow protective case. But it cost only about half the price of the same model Fluke (still not cheap though). I've had it for at least 15 years now and other than the occasional flat battery - has never missed a beat.

Like a lot of other things - you get what you pay for.

Have to agree with the comments about analogue though. In certain applications, you can't go past them. I have a very old analogue meter in my shed (was my father's). Only use it once in a blue moon, but it still works and is better than the Finest in some applications.

Got a Fluke 27 digital, had it for the last 15 years.... gers calibrated every couple of years and is great, but i also have a "university" brand analogue, feels cheap and nasty, but just as accurate as the fluke

The only real problem I have with the cheapie meters is their test leads, they contain virtually no copper and are quite fragile. They aren't much use for 10A current measurement and their resistance needs to be taken off the dispalyed ohms reading. They are also quite fragile. I went to Jaycar and their cheapest set of test leads is considerably dearer than their cheapest multi meter! Or you make your own with a couple of banana plugs and suitable clips.

Also I would view their high voltage specs with suspicion.

Originally Posted by bee utey

The only real problem I have with the cheapie meters is their test leads, they contain virtually no copper and are quite fragile. They aren't much use for 10A current measurement and their resistance needs to be taken off the dispalyed ohms reading. They are also quite fragile. I went to Jaycar and their cheapest set of test leads is considerably dearer than their cheapest multi meter! Or you make your own with a couple of banana plugs and suitable clips.

Also I would view their high voltage specs with suspicion.

Buy fluke leads

Agree with the comment on the leads. The cheap leads are indeed rubbish.