Archived from the Tools In Action forum (Hand Tools). This thread is read-only.
Hi all,
Im not an electrician but am a remodeling contractor so i find myself getting into all sorts of stuff.
Ive had a basic no frills multimeter for years and honestly it has always served me well but its time for an upgrade and im hoping for something nice and compact
I will primarily use it as a continuity tester, some testing of voltage ac and dc and once in my career i needed to test ohms on radiant floor heat wire
Size is a major concern of mine as i want it to always be in my main tool bag, the smaller the better! I have been considering the Fluke T-Pro for its size, high quality and features this is definitely the max size it would want as i still think it is a little large.
I have a Milwaukee non contact voltage tester that works ok but sometimes it gives me false hot readings when the circuit is actually off.. kind of annoying so i may be in the market for a new non contact also.
http://en-us.fluke.com/products/electrical-testers/fluke-t-plus-pro-electrical-tester.html
any and all suggestions are welcome and appreciated 🙂
I have a Klein MM6000…..it is one of the very few “Made in USA” multimeters & runs around $200. It is a very nice multimeter & comes with a soft case & temp probe. Check it out here — http://www.kleintools.com/catalog/multimeters/electricians-hvac-trms-multimeter
Other than that, I also have a Fluke 87, and some el-cheapo varities.
I guess it depends on what you have to spend….but my vote would go with the Klein.
That certainly looks like a nice meter, 1 it is definitely bigger than I would like and 2 I just don’t use it enough to justify that price point
Sub 100 would be great, I would be willing to spend more for tiny
Thanks for the reccomendation!
NER, when the UTB gets in ill let you know about the MM500 from Klein. Eric and Dan did a review on it and it is their favorite one. Also it’s just under $50 at HD! I think Regopit has one too!
humm i never looked into that one. i must have looked over it 100 times at HD, ill take a closer look next time im there. seems promising.
keep um coming guys!
Thanks for all the input so far
I have a cheap one I got from Menards that has served me well. Dont recall the brand but it was like $30. I can look tonight when I get home. Lots of cool options plus a temp stick
Cj, is it small? thats my main priority
That Klein one looks like the right tcket. I might pick one of those 1 up myself.
NERemodeling wrote:
Cj, is it small? thats my main priority
Unfortunately no. Its a well fed girl but not overweight. Although that Klein is looking pretty good to me as well 🙂
cjanderson_90 wrote:
Unfortunately no. Its a well fed girl but not overweight. Although that Klein is looking pretty good to me as well 🙂
haha gotta love those thick chicks
as of right not my top contenders are
Fluke T-5 600v; amperage jaw, narrow, probes store hidden in back, both can come out or click one forward for use, around 1.25x2x8″ around $100
Fluke T+Pro; cool GFCI test feature, built in flashlight, narrow, probes store hidden in back, both can come out or click one forward for use, around 1.25×2.25×7.5″ around $85
Fluke 101; basic no frills, thinnest, cool removable magnetic kickstand thingy 1×2.5×5″ around $60
Klein MM500; simple, durable, widest and (thickest) of them all 1.25x3x5.5 around $50
does anyone know of a good “pen style” multimeter?
I use the Klein MM200. It’s like $60 bucks @ HD and has been great over the 3-4 years I’ve had it. Caps at 600V, so unless you need more than that, give it a look.
Quality wise, Fluke is the way to go, but they are a bit more $$$
Conductor562 wrote:
I use the Klein MM200. It’s like $60 bucks @ HD and has been great over the 3-4 years I’ve had it. Caps at 600V, so unless you need more than that, give it a look.
Quality wise, Fluke is the way to go, but they are a bit more $$$
Thanks, just checked it out, looks like a nice meter, just a little bigger than what im looking for
I think im leaning towards the Flukes, i have to go to depot tomorrow so im gonna check out the mm500 and see what i think in person
ChrisK1970 wrote:
NER, when the UTB gets in ill let you know about the MM500 from Klein. Eric and Dan did a review on it and it is their favorite one. Also it’s just under $50 at HD! I think Regopit has one too!
When I was working at the utility is was lets say acquire a few multimeter meters and some how found their way to my house when I retired . I have the Fluke-87-V http://www.grainger.com/product/4EB18?gclid=COanmLWygsMCFalj7Aod2WsARA&cm_mmc=PPC:GOOGLEPLAA-_-Test%20Instruments-_-Electrical%20Power%20Testing-_-4EB18&ef_id=VK1rDAAABBJ4HO22:20150107172116:sThe Fluke 375 and the Klein MM500
The Klein is my go to for quick and easy testing. As for the non contact tester they all do give false readings at times. I found that they pick up bleed over when the box is packed.
regopit wrote:
When I was working at the utility is was lets say acquire a few multimeter meters and some how found their way to my house when I retired . I have the Fluke-87-V http://www.grainger.com/product/4EB18?gclid=COanmLWygsMCFalj7Aod2WsARA&cm_mmc=PPC:GOOGLEPLAA-_-Test%20Instruments-_-Electrical%20Power%20Testing-_-4EB18&ef_id=VK1rDAAABBJ4HO22:20150107172116:sThe Fluke 375 and the Klein MM500
The Klein is my go to for quick and easy testing. As for the non contact tester they all do give false readings at times. I found that they pick up bleed over when the box is packed.
Those are some sweet meters to have “inherited” ahh.. the perks of working for a big company!!! Nice score!
so i grabbed mine and it is a Mastech RSR MAS830 like i said, nothing fancy but it has got the job done thus far.
I measured it and with the rubber case in place it is 1.5x3x5.5″ without the rubber case it is 1.1×2.6×5.25
so i guess without the case mine is smaller than the klein and just a touch bigger than the Fluke 101… im thinking those are ruled out unfoutunetly
the only think the other two Flukes have going for them is some nice features and a little narrower (height i dont care about)
I keep leaning towards the T+Pro.. any suggestions one way or the other?
I ended up pulling the trigger on the Fluke T+Pro kit with the 1ac non contact voltage detector.
The spot I want it to fit in my toolbag meant that it needed to be thinner and more narrow than my current one which this one is.
Other than that it had all the features I wanted, I really like the flashlight feature and the gfci test feature.
I’ll let you all know what I think when I get some use on it but for now here are some pictures
You Can never go wrong with fluke, but for a tick tracer (pen tester)I prefer the Milwaukee as it has a very handy led .
Tyler is right, you can’t go wrong with fluke. I have a fluke 115 and the only thing I don’t like about it is that you can’t zero it out for measuring resistance.
TylerDama wrote:
You Can never go wrong with fluke, but for a tick tracer (pen tester)I prefer the Milwaukee as it has a very handy led .
I have the milwaukee now and while i really like it, and love the light feature, i have had several scenarios where it gave me false hot readings.. i ended up seeing a comparison video on youtube of about 6 or so detectors, both the fluke and the milwaukee were in it.. in that video the milwaukee gave a false reading where the fluke didnt which is why i went for it..
hopefully i dont regret loosing the light, i wont get rid of my milwaukee so i guess if i ever want to switch back i can
I have a Victor 88E DMM and a Fluke 179 DMM, and a,couple of clamp style and a Wiggy as well, love all of them. I got this case from Zeikos and custom cut the foam to fit all my meters, keeps them all in place.
And I keep my meter leads in a roll up tote
I think you made a good choice man.
Conductor562 wrote:
I think you made a good choice man.
Thanks! im excited about it for the limited electrical work i do, and really only in residential AC situations, this should be more then enough meter for me.. to be honest 90% of the time i use a meter is for the continuity test feature!! haha little overkill for tht
MikeyB wrote:
I have a Victor 88E DMM and a Fluke 179 DMM, and a,couple of clamp style and a Wiggy as well, love all of them. I got this case from Zeikos and custom cut the foam to fit all my meters, keeps them all in place.
look at Mr. Fancy posting pictures!!! nice job man, i guess the tutorial worked 🙂
great looking set of meters/test equip!
NERemodeling wrote:
look at Mr. Fancy posting pictures!!! nice job man, i guess the tutorial worked 🙂
great looking set of meters/test equip!
Thanks man
I bought the Klein MM1000 to check the electric in my garage + a few breaker which were dead
the preowner or who else put up the pegboards in the garage was so fuking stupid.
2 dead breaker, half of the guest bathroom with no electric. nails and wire don’t chime together.
pics will follow in my new garage rehab post in the next days
Good choice ner.