Klein MM5000 Electrician’s TRMS Multimeter Review

Look at an electrician’s tool arsenal and you will find a multimeter.  Why do they own this?  Simple, it tells them exactly what’s going on with different electrical environments.  Such as measuring AC or DC voltage, current or resistance.  What’s so cool about multimeters?  They allow the electrician to lighten their tool belt.  Instead of having a bunch of different meters (voltmeter, ammeter, ohmmeter), they can have one handy, lightweight tool that does it all, well almost everything.  A multimeter allows the user to measure batteries, motors, panels, switches and all sorts of items that you need to find out what’s going on.

Klein introduced two new Multimeters, MM5000 and MM6000.   For this article, I am going to cover the MM5000, but I am sure you want to know about the MM6000.  The difference with the MM6000 is it has a little better DC accuracy.  The MM5000 is ±0.3%, and the MM6000 an accuracy of ±0.2%.  The MM6000 has a LED warning that alerts the user when the leads are in the wrong jack.  The MM6000 measures temperature, current, capacitance and frequency.

Okay, enough about the MM6000, let’s jump into the MM5000 which both have these features we will be talking about.  One great thing about these multimeters is they are made right here in the USA, which unfortunately you don’t see much anymore.   While a homeowner can get a lot of use out of this multimeter, it’s truly designed for the professional and has true RMS.  So as you know if they are designed for the professional, they must be designed for the abuse.  As you can see by the pictures, this multimeter has a nice molded case to help protect it from drops of up to 10′.  Around the screen there is a raised rubber boot to also help protect the screen.  Did I mention the meter is double insulated and CAT IV rated (which is the highest)?

  Klein Tools MM5000 Electrician’s TRMS Multimeter

I can’t say I use multimeters everyday or even every week.  However when I need one, I want one that is accurate, easy to work with and easy to read, and the Klein MM5000 fits this profile.  The digital display is large and easy to read.  With the backlight display, you can easily read it in dark environments.  There is also a bar graph which is helpful for measuring fast moving readings.  The MM5000 also includes a low impedance setting to reduce ghost voltage as well as a µA setting for checking flame sensors.  If you are like me, you want easy.  Klein designed this so the fuse and battery compartment (2-AAA) are easy to access.  I am not going to bore you with long paragraphs of what this multimeter can do, so here is a nice bullet point of the MM5000.

• Auto ranging multimeter measures AC/DC voltage (1000V) and resistance.
• Low impedance reduces ghost voltage.
• Tests diodes and continuity
• Includes low battery indicator, auto power-off, 4000 count back lit display and lead storage.
• Data hold, auto hold, range hold, auto ranging, MAX/MIN and micro amps.

 

• Height: 7”
• Width: 3.5”
• Weight: 14 oz
• Included Accessories: Test leads, batteries, carrying case

I have to say this is a great multimeter.  Easy to use, easy to read and tough.  What more can I ask for from a Multimeter?  With a name like Klein, it’s hard to go wrong.