fried my multimeter... which one do you suggest?

[marrstians]

i need a new dmm... what one's do you guys like? i don't want to spend an arm and a leg, but i do need a decent one... but i like the small profile meters... what do you use?

[petemoore]

  I got mine for 388, now they're 499 or out of stock though.
   I like 'em real cheap because they have leads/contacts and a spare ...
Allows me to tell if the way-off readings are a bad multimeter
   Measure DC and AC at the same time, ohms and voltage alternately [with less meter mis-setting or setup].
  Have testclip leads on a meter, probes on the other meter, and a meter with black-wire-clip and red probe wire.
   A meter for the gigbag, one for the toolbox, a couple on the bench.
  I never felt an impending need for a fancier meter, I'd love to get a scope sometime, perhaps even some other 'super-test' equipment.

[Bill Mountain]

Where are you from?

I was in a pinch for one and the only store I could get to was Home Depot (I'm in the US).  I picked up one of the electrician models for $50 and it has turned out fantastic.  It might not be as precise as the ones engineers use but it's quite sturdy because it's meant to be used by a tradesman.

[digi2t]

Wavetek Meterman 235, unfortunately, discontinued. Bought it several years ago, when I was doing quite a bit of PLC troubleshooting. The RS-232 connection is great in this case for datalogging. But, if you can find a Wavetek with most of the features you require, get it. This baby's been tough as nails for me, like a Fluke, without the big Fluke price tag.

It's not slim though... it's big and chunky, but can do serious damage to a home invader. 

[Gurner]

fried my multimeter... which one do you suggest?

Unless you now know what you did that fried your present one...I suggest a very cheap one!

[mattjames]

Might want to check the fuse in it first before getting a new one.... Just a suggestion

[DavenPaget]

Wavetek Meterman 235, unfortunately, discontinued. Bought it several years ago, when I was doing quite a bit of PLC troubleshooting. The RS-232 connection is great in this case for datalogging. But, if you can find a Wavetek with most of the features you require, get it. This baby's been tough as nails for me, like a Fluke, without the big Fluke price tag.

It's not slim though... it's big and chunky, but can do serious damage to a home invader. 

Oh baby , looks like it isn't only me who has a wavetek here !
I have a DM5XL i picked for free  (Low input impedance = FAST , big sized digits , comes with stand , smooth rotary too . )and a small $11 multimeter for portability and transistor testing

[ask4tristan]

Mastech MS8268... Its Auto Ranging! Less thought and more action.

[boogietone]

For the OP, I would check the fuses as well. It is not too hard to blow one.

I was also looking at a new DMM and am interested in datalogging capability. Are there any with USB connectivity or is RS232 the only option? What kind of software/driver is needed? Recommendations?

[marrstians]

not the fuse... i accidently used it in my amp, instead of my bigger meter, and it was too much voltage for it... i have a decent fluke meter, but it is an electritians model and doesn't read ohms and some other functions i'd like to have... it was just a cheap radio shack one.... so no big deal...

[DavenPaget]

not the fuse... i accidently used it in my amp, instead of my bigger meter, and it was too much voltage for it... i have a decent fluke meter, but it is an electritians model and doesn't read ohms and some other functions i'd like to have... it was just a cheap radio shack one.... so no big deal...

Look at the Smallbearelec's range .

[tubelectron]

Hi,

FLUKE FL87-III and 87-V : I have them for years of use and abuse...
These can measure when and where all the others are fancy or lost.
True RMS AC from 50Hz to 20KHz at 4 measurements / seconds.
One drawback : the price.

A+!