What Is The Best Inexpensive Multimeter?
When I set out in search of the best inexpensive digital multimeter I could find I ended up doing quite a bit of research in order to find one to suit my needs. I was mostly looking for something to do some on-off type testing around the house and get a look at why some of my breakers kept popping, and I certainly didn’t want to sink my money into something like a more expensive Fluke multimeter for this limited application. I eventually settled on the Etekcity MSR-C600 Digital Clamp Meter & Multimeter
Initial Impressions
While it certainly looked and felt inexpensive, I wasn’t truly concerned about it. I’m not an electrician, but I do like to figure things out for myself. The amperage clamp was an especially nice feature to have in something I’d acquired for so little of a cost. I also certainly didn’t mind the fact that it was auto-ranging which saved me quite a bit of effort in having to determine the controls.
The simple interface was perfect for me, I’m not exactly an expert and it made things a bit easier for me without having to constantly refer to the instructions of the meter.
While I only used it for amperage and voltage, it looks like it can also handle resistance and some functioning with diodes. For such a cheap device, I was rather impressed.
In Action
I’d been having some problems with the circuit on the south side of my kitchen, the breaker kept popping on me and some of the outlets on both sides of the room weren’t functioning consistently.
The meter allowed me to locate the problem with the circuit quite quickly. I ran the amp clamp on all of the appliances on the south side of the kitchen and found out that the new coffee maker was drawing far too many amps and causing the circuit to blow. It only took me about five minutes and a piece of paper to figure out the draw was over the fuse.
I was able to sort out the electrical sockets that weren’t functioning as well. I can’t speak to the accuracy of the meter, but it was perfectly sufficient for the off/on function I was using it for. One of them ended up being tied to the wrong breaker, and the other was simply dated and had worn connections. I figured it out by moving the probes around and was able to replace it.
Overall
I mainly bought this meter for the amperage clamp, to be honest, and I really didn’t know if I expected it to work well considering the price. I really think it might be the best inexpensive digital multimeter on the market.
Overall, I got quite a bit of utility out of the device without any training or trouble. It might be a bit slow and inaccurate for those who actually work electricity professionally, but for troubleshooting around the house I think it’s absolutely perfect.