I need new multimeter, what do you guys think of the new unit "UNI-T UT89XD Digital Multimeter" or what do you guys recommend for me, preferably under $100?
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I need Multimeter Opinion
- Thread starter Robalo
- Start date
I prefer my 25 yr old Fluke. It's been accidentally rained on and dropped a couple times.. once from height.. it still performs flawlessly.
That's a perfectly good meter if you're nice to it.
Biggest difference between the over a hundred-buck "pro" meter and the cheaper brands is robustness. Both the mechanical toughness and the electrical overload protection. Dave Jones posted a few YT vids on his EEVblog channel comparing high and low cost meters.
So long as you don't zorch it feeding 240 Volts AC into it when set to read "60 uAmps" or drop it too far the lower-price meters are better than the wocka-wocka meters of a generation or so ago. The electrical accuracy depends on parts (chips) that have gotten really cheap. What costs big money is a meter that still works after it gets dropped a few times.
That meter should serve you just fine.
So long as you're nice to it.
73
Biggest difference between the over a hundred-buck "pro" meter and the cheaper brands is robustness. Both the mechanical toughness and the electrical overload protection. Dave Jones posted a few YT vids on his EEVblog channel comparing high and low cost meters.
So long as you don't zorch it feeding 240 Volts AC into it when set to read "60 uAmps" or drop it too far the lower-price meters are better than the wocka-wocka meters of a generation or so ago. The electrical accuracy depends on parts (chips) that have gotten really cheap. What costs big money is a meter that still works after it gets dropped a few times.
That meter should serve you just fine.
So long as you're nice to it.
73
I would get a Fluke. The 101 is a decent basic meter for under $50, but it lacks an ammeter. https://amzn.to/2BxOSH2
106 is similar but does have an ammeter; about $80.
The 101 is a better deal. Personally I prefer using a shunt to measure current anyway, and you can do that with a 101.
I would get the 101 and buy some decent leads for it, and a couple of current shunts. You will still be well under $100.
I have one of those Uni-T meters, and can't remember the last time I used it.
106 is similar but does have an ammeter; about $80.
The 101 is a better deal. Personally I prefer using a shunt to measure current anyway, and you can do that with a 101.
I would get the 101 and buy some decent leads for it, and a couple of current shunts. You will still be well under $100.
I have one of those Uni-T meters, and can't remember the last time I used it.
That will work but after going through a few inexpensive meters I bought a Fluke 179. and wished after I bought the fluke that I had did it sooner. I also keep a analog meter for milliamps because if you forget to switch the cables back after milliamps the fuse you blow costs between $5 and $7. not like my inexpensive meter that used a regular fuse. So I would save a bit longer or keep waiting for a good sale to pop up. I see a couple guys on you tube use a Aligent but wow they are way out of site price wise.
I love my Fluke 376. I even have the iFlex cable for high current monitoring. I REALLY love the fact that the clamp on ammeter also reads DC which the vast majority of meters, especially the cheaper ones, do not.
Reading tea leaves started 
@op what do you expect from multimeter? That will help suggesting you something.
Mike
@op what do you expect from multimeter? That will help suggesting you something.
Mike
Seriously?
I've got a lot more meters than what you see here...
But remember to ask yourself - it is going to be your GO-TO meter for your work...?
Or...
Is it just going to sit on a shelf being something that eats batteries waiting for you to pick it up and use it - only to find it needs another fresh battery because you forgot to change it the last time you held it.
IF you have to do that to the meters you've got, then you seriously need to look into simplifying...
For the more COMPLEX the meter is to help you, the less likely it is to be used because it's too expensive to replace or fix it's fuse...$$$
It's not too critical for cb/ham work, but when it comes to tools I say buy the best you can afford or justify. I use a cheap Extech band meter for most radio stuff.
I use a fluke 117 at work. It's the lower end model but seems to be well built. The leads that came with it were kind of cheesy. I use the nicer leads from my old snap on meter that cost 3 times as much and didn't last.
I use the fluke for checking filament voltage. The "true rms" reading makes me feel better.
Craftsman used to make a small multimeter with an ac/dc amp clamp. Mine is over 10 years old and still working. They probably discontinued it or did something to ruin it when they stopped making good hand tools.
I use a fluke 117 at work. It's the lower end model but seems to be well built. The leads that came with it were kind of cheesy. I use the nicer leads from my old snap on meter that cost 3 times as much and didn't last.
I use the fluke for checking filament voltage. The "true rms" reading makes me feel better.
Craftsman used to make a small multimeter with an ac/dc amp clamp. Mine is over 10 years old and still working. They probably discontinued it or did something to ruin it when they stopped making good hand tools.
With a bit of tlc, cleaning lcd edge connector with alchohol & the switch once a decade flukes seem to last forever & stay in calibration better than cheap meters,
if i had to complain it would be about having to remove the back to change battery or fuses,
they have nothing in them for screwdriver experts to twiddle,
i look for flukes that need the display cleaning at boot sales, segments or full digits missing or only visible at a strange angle,
last one one picked up was a 29 s2 ( yellow 79 ) for £5, reads very close to my 87's,
im sure i will get stung one day so i never pay much for them, most i payed was £20 for a tidy 87 that needed a display edge clean,
cheaper meters often offer more functions or more digits / resoluion for the money,
i have had plenty of those too, imho they are getting better than the early offerings,
just don't expect the same long lasting service.
if i had to complain it would be about having to remove the back to change battery or fuses,
they have nothing in them for screwdriver experts to twiddle,
i look for flukes that need the display cleaning at boot sales, segments or full digits missing or only visible at a strange angle,
last one one picked up was a 29 s2 ( yellow 79 ) for £5, reads very close to my 87's,
im sure i will get stung one day so i never pay much for them, most i payed was £20 for a tidy 87 that needed a display edge clean,
cheaper meters often offer more functions or more digits / resoluion for the money,
i have had plenty of those too, imho they are getting better than the early offerings,
just don't expect the same long lasting service.
I also have a Conway Master Ranger analog meter. It is the FET equivalent of the old VTVM. It will read down to the millivolt level at full scale. It is very useful for working with RF as it has an accessory RF probe that was calibrated to the meter scales itself. Unfortunately I broke the probe many years ago and epoxied it back together. While it is still useful for peaking RF circuits I am not real confident in the accuracy. Trying to get another one or even much info on these meters and probes is like looking for pieces of the 1947 Roswell crash.