Choosing between a $400 multimeter and a $80 one for my Milwaukee kit, I went cheap and haven't regretted it once.

Everyone at the supply house said I was nuts for not getting the Fluke, but after diagnosing a tricky intermittent short on a Samsung fridge board last week with my cheapo meter, I'm convinced the extra cash is for the brand name, not the function. Has anyone else found a budget tool that does the job just fine?

3 comments

3 Comments

reese_fisher12d ago

So it's not like you're doing brain surgery with the thing.

robert_smith3613d ago

Hold on, you got lucky that time. A cheap meter might read a voltage, but will it be accurate in a year? That Fluke is built to survive a drop off a ladder and keep its calibration. You're trusting your diagnosis, and maybe your safety, to a piece of plastic. For a one-time DIY thing, fine, but doing this every day? That's a false economy.

rileyfox13d ago

Yeah... it's like that with so many stuff now. People get sold on the idea that the most expensive thing is always the best, or that you're not a real pro without it. My old man's hand tools from the 80s still work perfect, but the ads make you feel like you need the new titanium version. That meter found the problem, right? That's all that matters.