I have the 390A and I think its a great meter. Its about the exact same size in length, height, and width of a fluke 87 with its holster on. The BK Test Bench line is much better built than their Tool Kit line as far as build quality goes. The 390A can be tossed into a toolbag if need be and take a decent beating. Its reasonably fast and of course very accurate. It just feels nice in the hand and looks like a quality piece of gear. It has a good selection of functions, and each one has a good test range. Also, the data logging is done better on this meter than most others in its price range if you want to go that route. Also, the stand is very easy to use and doesnt wobble when you change settings via dial or the buttons. There is also a textured rubber strip on the bottom of the stand so as to get a good grip on the table. The display is clear and easy to read, but not very large. The intergrated rubber case extends past the display and dial so as to protect the face from drops, and it has nice big feet (or as Dave calls them "dempools" ^_^)when laying on its back.
There are of course some things that arent so great. The worst is the speaker. It doesnt beap every time you change functions like the 2709 in Dave's shootout, but when it beeps, its sounds like the Amprobe 34xr. Not a clean beep, but a real sickly cherp. However, when doing continuity its crisp and clean. So BK decided that sick chirp was something they wanted since it can make a nice clean beep. Go figure. Also the dial feels a bit odd. Not hard to turn, and clean indents for each setting. It just feels mushy between each setting. But it cleanly parks with a good feel once its on a setting. Again, just mushy or spongy inbetween the settings.
On the whole, the Test Bench line is really a good line. I have all four of the meters and find myself using the 390A the most. Infact, the two meters I use the most are my Fluke 87V and the BK 390A. You will be very happy with it if you get one and it will serve you well for a long time. Mine is going on two years old now and still looks like new after regular hobby and work use.
I also have a UT61E like what T4P suggested. Its a fine little meter and I got it to toy with. Well worth the current price, and it will also serve you well. Lets be honest, you could two UT61E's and one UT61D to cover all your bases for the price of the 390A and end up with more meter bang for your buck. But the odds are you will get no warranty, limited saftey (not a biggie for most electoronic stuff), and there currently is no telling how long the 61 series will hold up. They havent been out in the west for more than a couple of years and Uni-T keeps doing revisions and swapping parts and layouts on what seems to be a per run basis. The Test Bench line has been out for a decade now and has had one minor revison that I know of. That just makes me feel a bit better with the overall life I expect out of the meter.
On a side note for anybody here hat has an Amprobe 38XR. You can buy the BK Precision 390A Data Cable kit instead of the Amprobe kit. Exact same interface to the meter but BK offers it in both serial and USB for half the price. Both meters use the same software as well. BK's version has a dropdown list of meters to pick and the Amprobe 38XR is in it. Bk's software is updated (normaly once or twice a year) while Amprobe's software is over six years old. Go figure.
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