whats ur favorite multimeter?

Fluke 30 since 1990 and it was used by my pop when I got it....I love that thing...

 

just found something I want for Christmas, I somehow always find myself fixing electrical problems for people, plus I install a lot of alarms and stereo stuff. Forget the old talking Tandy Meter, this one even has lighted probes, I can't think of how many times I would be up under a dash and wished I could see the meter face. http://www.mpja.com/prodinfo.asp?number=16562+TE

 

I Ebayed my Fluke 123 Lab Scope for $800 slightly used a few years back. Locally they sell for $1300-ish.
I didn't buy any software, but some is available. Also a CD was included with the scope.
I'm actually going to sit down and build a new battery pack for it this week, just four c-cells and a thermistor....

 

One thing no-one seems to have mentioned here - when using a digital meter while the engine is running, and you are trying to measure voltage, the reading on the screen of mine (I have 3 different meters) jump around like a mad woman on a stick. The meter picks up all the spurious crap generated by the plug leads. Only way I can cure it is to stretch the meter leads out straight as far as I can get them from the motor, but this becomes a pain in the arm. If I can't get a meaningful reading, that's when I reach for the Radio Shack meter (analogue) I built when I was 13. But it's easier to read 13.85 volts on a display than reading a thin needle.
The best old analogue meter was what I used as an apprentice, was an Avometer.
Made in England and look like a leftover from WWII, but bloody indestructable and very accurate.

 

My Favorite is my Simpson 260, I've had it since the late 60's. The one I grab off the workbench is a Fluke 87 that ones only about 20 years old

 

Kevin,

You are quite right, loading down the circuit can make a difference when the connections are bad due to corrosion. I have been fooled many times. However I need to correct what you stated ...... digital voltmeters are high impedance, not low, hence the problem.

 

my favorite one is the one I bought at a hardware store in Mountain Ranch California in the middle of nowhere when my car broke down due to a charging problem 100 miles from home.

keep it in my trunk now.

 

that's because they ARE reading the voltage between the screen and skin.

 

This thread jinxed my fluke 87. I bragged on it, how old it was etcetc And yesterday i turned it 'on' and it went titsup! I am passing this on to the rest of you guys so you won't give a death sentence to any of your equipment - brag on somebody elses' that is an asshole.
My next report will be an appraisal of the fluke repair team.
Oh well, Merry Christmas, oj


Edited: I just read the post preceeding this one about reading the voltage at the screen. The point i was trying to make is that these digitals are so sensitive that they'll give you false readings (not to say the voltage at the screen is false, it is there and measurable - but i cannot accomplish any work, it can't conduct current). Most of the 12v circuits we troubleshoot don't have a load on them and the voltage can be easily distorted, like reading voltage on the ground side of a solenoid or a form of a coil. An inexperienced person not used to the digitals could be easily misinterpret the voltage and spend hours teraing stuff apart that is ok to begin with. The analogs inherently give a load to the circuit and it is easier to tell if you are reading thru a lamp or a short circuit. I use both types, the fluke is the first one i'll grab and the analog is not often used - well, until yesterday.

 

correction noted, it sounded right in my head

 

Another reason to use just a light and 2 wires ...
I love digital meters , they have their place , but not in cars .

 

I have a fluke and a otc, I like my fluke 88.

 

Fluke 88V

 

My OTC digital has been sufficient the 11 yrs I have had it but I use that old analog multimeter a lot also. I can keep a meter a long time but I am hell on test lights, no matter what they cost! peace

 

I suppose anyone owning a Digital meter may learn the notice .... I t s a high impedance thing .
Good to mesure inside amplifiers .
It s unusefull on a car .
On cars you have relays , contacts , etc .
Whatever you measure with a 20 Mo meter doesn t reflect the reality .
Anyone working in electromechanics may say quite the same thing .
This may be one of the reasons why we prefer old analogic meters sometimes