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I'm after a budget multimeter to use at home but can't justify paying several hundred pounds on a Fluke or something for what I'll be using it for. I'm currently getting by on a cheap Draper one but it just doesn't have the accuracy (obviously) as the Fluke/etc meters I've used. I need something that can measure accurately down to the 10mV range, decent resistance and current accuracy would be useful but not as important as Voltage. So, any suggestions for <£100?
buy a 2nd hand fluke one from ebay and get it calibrated would be the best bet.
Hmm that's not a bad idea actually, I'll go have a look...
I would buy something in the mid range. I use an old 'Precision Gold' for general work or a Uni-T for when I need it to hold minimum/maximum readings etc.Quote:
Originally Posted by watercooled
I don't know how much you know but, It is a common misunderstanding that calibrating a meter makes it accurate - It doesn't it just gives you a certificate telling you what the inaccuracy is.Quote:
Originally Posted by GoNz0
Have a look here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gh1n_...eature=channel He does lots of videos on choosing a meter.
I don't think I'll bother with calibration, it costs about as much as my budget and for it to be worthwhile you have to get it done regularly (yearly normally) to account for drift.
I've actually watched Dave's videos for a while and his multimeter roundups were good - that BK Precision meter looks great but I can't find it for sale in the UK. Last time I looked I think I read it's because it doesn't meet some EU standard or something. :(
The last time I took my AVO to be calibrated cost me almost £100 but, I have not bothered since.
I think the answer is to buy a fairly good unit within your price bracket with the best accuracy as possible.
What sort of money was you looking to spend? I've seen loads of 'fluke' meters on ebay in the past but, I'd be dubious of them being 'Chinese copies'
Yes, Dave Jones is a top bloke.
Ideally £100 or less but I could go a bit over if it's worth the extra. If I used all the features of a high-end multimeter at home I could justify the price but I only really find myself using the Voltage range regularly, and when I do use current/resistance/etc I don't really rely on it being very accurate. I'm bidding on a Fluke on ebay now, a second hand (supposedly unused) one from the UK but I don't have high hopes of me winning the bid with my budget. Like I said that BK Precison looked the business but even if I imported one, I'd probably be able to get a new Fluke with how much I'd give to Customs if they got their thieving hands on it.
I would definitely look on Ebay TBH. I got some industrial Taiwanese multimeters for only a few quid.
I checked the price on some non-UK stores and they were quite expensive too!
Has anyone used uk.digikey.com? The name rings a bell but I've never used them before.
Ended up getting an Amprobe AM-220 for £30ish off ebay. Bit of a bargain really, spotted it on ebay while looking through Fluke meters (was outbid on the last one because I was out when the bidding ended) and remembered Dave from EEVBlog reviewed it - went and watched the review again and it looked ideal for what I need it for, accuracy is fine plus I get capacitance and frequency measurement thrown in. :)
That looks a fair enough unit for £30. seemed to pass most of the tests he gave it on EEV.