Best DMM (under $100 US) for CRT Monitor Repair Work

[WolfgangFox]

Hello all!

I repair Arcade CRT Monitor Chassis' and I have a Fluke 77-IV (brand new), the TRUE RMS Radio Shack Meter, and a Fluke 114 (no diode test).

The RS meter and Fluke 77-IV work well, but I'm looking for another meter for a 3rd jobsite.  I need an extremely accurate voltage test (not usually above 200 volts and just down to .1 of a volt accuracy is ok), reliable resistance and diode test functions.  I need to be able to test diodes, and transistors in and out of circuit (I understand the unreliability of testing them in circuit), but just having a reliable voltage drop function would be nice.

Oh!  And also:  IT MUST HAVE A STAND TO BE ABLE TO PROP IT UP!

I bought a nice fluke 114 on ebay not realizing it didn't have a diode test.  I also bought a used Fluke 116 that as long as I can verify it's "calibration", it would be perfect also.

Are there any other meters that are as reliable as the Flukes for under $100, or should I just buy another 115,116,117 on ebay?

-Pat

[KungFuJosh]

Take a look at some Amprobe meters.

[J-R]

Start here and go down the list of Brymen DMMs until you can't handle the pain: https://www.welectron.com/Handheld
BM829s or BM785 if you can stretch the budget, otherwise BM257s or BM235.
All will be a bit tippy, but otherwise stand up well enough.

[Demon Xanth]

I DD a BM235 and regularly work with 72-96VDC without concern. It's a good size and has a good feature set. I haven't found much that I pine for, and for the rare time I need something special I usually have to jump all the way to my 34401A to get that feature (eg: 4 wire resistance).