I bought an Innova Equus 3320 auto ranging digital multimeter over 4 years ago for about $19 and it’s been both accurate and reliable. It gets good reviews and it’s ranked 3rd on a top 5 multimeter list after 2 Fluke models. I use it at least 1-2 times a week for battery voltage testing, e cigarette coil resistance testing etc. Its good for house and auto and has a lot of functions. Its got thick rubber bumpers on all 4 corners to protect it from drops. Its got an elastic armband on its back so you can mount it on your arm while you do readings on your car.
It has an auto-off function that shuts its screen off after a little while if you forget to twist the dial to the off position. Because of that, and because It runs very energy efficiently, it’s still running on the original AA batteries from when I bought it 4 years ago!
It reminds me of my Nitecore Intellicharger I4 purchase in that both cost under $20 and both have exceeded my expectations.
Are you sure it dosen”t have a backlight as according to this product description it does
“This Meter can measure AC/DC Voltage and Current, Resistance, Diode, Continuity Buzzer, Capacitance, Frequency, Temperature(℃or ℉). In addition to the conventional measuring functions, there is a RS232C or USB standard serial port, data hold, relative mode, peak measurement, low battery display, display back light and sleep mode.”
I am looking to buy a UNI-T UT61E but if it does not have a backlight I might give this model a miss.
You are more than welcome. Technically we should all be a part of the EEV blog forums, they have relevant and useful information regarding home electronics, pcbs, soldering/reflowing, tools, equipment, electronic labs on a budget (ie last nights’ video!) and so on! As you can see they are very professional and quantitative to all these things.
It is a very good forum for flashlight enthusiasts because our interests/hobbies match.
Same with prepper forums, ham radio, RC/fpv, outdoor/EDC, garage forums, DIY (led lights), MTB forums, etc
I found out this meter was coming out this year with massive improvements over previous yeas and I got lucky. You can check anywhere and normal retail is $135.00. I saw one on eBay for 50 bucks and thought it was a fake or stolen but I took a chance. They are 100 percent legit even called and checked with Southwire and registered my warranty. He now has 2 left for less than I paid.
I used this to test voltage of EU plug socket. But I mistakenly placed cable to AMP section. And there was no fuse inside
Then guess what happened
Multimeter’s PCB partly fried and a very big flame appeared while it is in my hand but fortunately there was Residual-current device and it saved my life (I think). RCD cut electricity in just milliseconds and that prevented fire.
When I open its inside I saw this:
I know that in USA, many house does not have Residual current device. Please buy a quality one it will save your life!
@hamedshh Quote was from another forum but not mine. I just thought it worth posting and when I had a chance to do so I saw you had already posted a link to the site I was planning to post.
He “recommends” these two:
UNI-T UT135B
NKTECH NK51E
and after him saying that you have to ignore safety and build quality at this price, you should watch these videos too:
Just picked up the Harbor Freight CEN-TECH 61593 with a tilt up led display a few days ago for 24.00 and change. I have a GREENLEE 93-606 and a FIELDPIECE SC76 and the CEN-TECH seems good so far. Time will tell with cheaper meters, sometimes they work great or there just crap
I'm an electrical engineer and I use a Uni-T UT61E at home (Fluke at work). It's a fantastic low-cost but not crappy meter for electronics hobbyists, and available for <$50. If you're working with mains, I would get a Fluke. Otherwise, the UT61E is fantastic. I would pass on all those really cheap $10 meters, really not worth the worry if the reading is accurate or not, or if it will blow up in your hands :)
The probes which come with the Uni-T are.. OK. But if you want a real upgrade, spend about $20 and get a good pair of Fluke leads and it really transforms the experience :)