BK Precision 2712 vs Aneng AN8008

[Fungus]

When it comes to Brymen multimeters, you can easily buy at TME (They ship easily to the Czech Republic and you can pay in CZK):
https://www.tme.eu/cz/katalog/digitalni-multimetry_112609/?mapped_params=2:258;

Interesting that the BM857s is cheaper than the BM829s on that site.

There's also a "BM857s-WB" which is even cheaper. Anybody know what "WB" stands for? ("White Box"?)

[Fungus]

Whatever meter you get you should budget for some gold-plated leads. 

Luckily, Brymen leads are cheap: https://brymen.eu/shop/silicone-test-leads-bl21s2-t4sc-brymen/

PS: Welectron does a "plus pack" which includes gold leads and a Brymen case for 15 Euros.

[tomud]

There's also a "BM857s-WB" which is even cheaper. Anybody know what "WB" stands for? ("White Box"?)

I'm not sure, but there was probably an explanation in some forum thread. Many people from this forum bought Brymen multimeters from TME, once it was one of the few stores where you could buy them in the EU (offices are in Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Germany, Spain, Italy, Netherlands - you can call and ask about the differences in the WB version)

[Fungus]

There's also a "BM857s-WB" which is even cheaper. Anybody know what "WB" stands for? ("White Box"?)

I'm not sure, but there was probably an explanation in some forum thread. Many people from this forum bought Brymen multimeters from TME, once it was one of the few stores where you could buy them in the EU (offices are in Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Germany, Spain, Italy, Netherlands - you can call and ask about the differences in the WB version)

This guy says it's "Without Battery".

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/brymen-bm857/msg1041954/#msg1041954

I dunno, 18 Euros seems like a big discount for not including a 9V battery.

The price is the same as welectron and brymen.eu though, so I guess the other model is the expensive one.

TME is an expensive place to buy Brymens - their BM829s is about 199 euros compared to 149 on the brymen.eu site.

[tomud]

I dunno, 18 Euros seems like a big discount for not including a 9V battery.

The shipment of batteries/accumulators to the European Union is subject to various restrictions (hazardous materials), so this is probably the reason for such a big difference.
Apparently for this reason, they are currently buying versions without a battery from a manufacturer in Taiwan.

TME is an expensive place to buy Brymens - their BM829s is about 199 euros compared to 149 on the brymen.eu site.

It depends on the currency you want to pay in (in the Czech Republic it may look better as you don't pay for the conversion but pay in the local currency). It is also worth comparing shipping costs to another country. Of course, I am not saying that it is cheaper, but a person living in the Czech Republic can compare whether it is better to pay in CZK or in Euro).

I used to buy the equipment myself in Germany - because there was a lower VAT (19%), after the recent changes, regardless of where I buy in the EU (in online stores), I have to pay 23% VAT anyway, so buying locally it is cheaper (lower shipping costs, etc.). A person buying to the Czech Republic from Germany will also pay more (21% VAT).

[rsjsouza]

There's also a "BM857s-WB" which is even cheaper. Anybody know what "WB" stands for? ("White Box"?)

I'm not sure, but there was probably an explanation in some forum thread. Many people from this forum bought Brymen multimeters from TME, once it was one of the few stores where you could buy them in the EU (offices are in Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Germany, Spain, Italy, Netherlands - you can call and ask about the differences in the WB version)

I recall reading somewhere that WB stands for White Backlight - in contrast with the horrid original green backlight and the slightly newer orange backlight also present in other variants.

[tomud]

There's also a "BM857s-WB" which is even cheaper. Anybody know what "WB" stands for? ("White Box"?)

I'm not sure, but there was probably an explanation in some forum thread. Many people from this forum bought Brymen multimeters from TME, once it was one of the few stores where you could buy them in the EU (offices are in Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Germany, Spain, Italy, Netherlands - you can call and ask about the differences in the WB version)

I recall reading somewhere that WB stands for White Backlight - in contrast with the horrid original green backlight and the slightly newer orange backlight also present in other variants.

The display backlight has been changed in versions marked with the letter "S"

[J-R]

Based on the budget constraints, I would go ahead with a higher count and/or more accurate DMM, but without at least a calibration (cal + data is better IMHO) it would not be recommended to adjust any other equipment based on it.

You could have three DMMs that all agree and disagree with your power supply, but all you "know" is that the three DMMs agree, you don't "know" that they are right.  But for some folks, that is enough for them to adjust the power supply due to the odds, so it's your call.

[Mat219]

I still don't really think the calibration is neccessary for my use case: DIY perfboard electronics, arduino projects and the occasional fixup around the house. Not really like I need it for fixing 100 000$ equipment for a company. I just want to be reasonably sure that I'm not accidentally giving my circuits like 6V instead of 5V. So if it's like 0.0005V out, that's completely ok. I know that it's not properly done, but then again, I can send the meter for calibration afterwards when I have the money/need for it.

The whole point of me getting a more serious meter is that I don't want to rely on a cheap piece of crap (no offense to Aneng) and I think a higher end multimeter will be more stable and trustworthy even without the calibration. Plus the added safety and features mean that I'll finally have something I don't have to be nervous measuring the mains with.

[J-R]

It makes no sense to lump Korea, Japan, China, etc. together, as they are drastically different situations.  Probably best to edit your post.

[J-R]

How about try for the Brymen BM867s or the BM869s?

[Mat219]

It makes no sense to lump Korea, Japan, China, etc. together, as they are drastically different situations.  Probably best to edit your post.

Noted and edited. I didn't mean all asian companies are bad, far from it. But a lot of chinese products give asian products a bad rep.

How about try for the Brymen BM867s or the BM869s?

I was thinking about something like BM857 or BM785. Do you have some experience with those?

[tautech]

It makes no sense to lump Korea, Japan, China, etc. together, as they are drastically different situations.  Probably best to edit your post.

Noted and edited. I didn't mean all asian companies are bad, far from it. But a lot of some chinese products give asian products a bad rep.

FTFY.

[tomud]

I still don't really think the calibration is neccessary for my use case: DIY perfboard electronics, arduino projects and the occasional fixup around the house. Not really like I need it for fixing 100 000$ equipment for a company. I just want to be reasonably sure that I'm not accidentally giving my circuits like 6V instead of 5V.

Let me say that, probably most of the people here use multimeters here for hobby purposes. When it comes to Brymen meters in these applications, you will probably never need to calibrate. I also use my Brymen 869S for hobby, I bought it in 2016 and so far there are no problems with it. There is also no need for calibration.

If you buy a multimeter of this brand, you will have it for a very long time. They are solidly made, retain parameters and are really hard to damage.
When choosing the model you want to buy, consider the features you need. These multimeters also differ in the degree of accuracy, but even those with "inferior" accuracy will suffice for amateur purposes. Personally, I recommend buying such a multimeter, I know it is a considerable expense - but I am happy myself and if I need another multimeter, it will probably also be a Brymen.

[J-R]

BM857s is from Brymen's older design style.

BM78x is a new product line with 60,000 counts, while the BM857s & BM86x for example are 50,000 count.

The BM78x has had some growing pains.  I have the BM789 and it has two known bugs, a clicking sound at power on and no shielding over the speaker so the magnet option mutes the speaker.   Another bug involves hunting between two ranges, but my specific unit isn't affected.

No dual display and no interface option are a couple negatives of the BM78x depending on your point of view I suppose.

60,000 count is an advantage.  It uses 3xAAA batteries instead of 9V and they are easier to replace.

The discussion could go on a bit.  With your use-case in your head, check out all the reviews of the DMMs you're contemplating and see if something naturally falls into place.

[Fungus]

BM857s is from Brymen's older design style.

So? It's older, it's established, it works.

Some people actually prefer the shape. It's also smaller than the huge BM869, et. al.

I don't care about having the 100kHz bandwidth or extra AC functions, of a meter like the BM869s. I know I'll never use them because I own an oscilloscope for that. I'll take a simpler dial on my multimeter with one function per detent* and save some money at the same time. Buy what you need, not what you think you might need one day.

(* OK, two functions on the ohms/continuity position)

The BM78x has had some growing pains.  I have the BM789 and it has two known bugs

Exactly. It's only a few months old.

[J-R]

I didn't pass judgement on the BM857s, I simply pointed out the older design.
The BM869 came out over 10 years ago, so it's "established" as well.

The selector switch on the BM857s is a tiny bit less crowded than the BM869s because it is a lower-end model.  The BM859s is the cousin to the BM869s. (As is the BM857s/BM867s).

I purchased my BM789 in February of 2021, so a year and a half ago.

Perhaps the best approach is to make at some attempt to predict your needs going forward and buy that if you can afford it.  You'll not have to replace things as often and the extra features can stimulate skills growth.


Back on topic, be sure to check out:
https://lygte-info.dk/info/DMMReviews.html
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/multimeter-spreadsheet/

[Mat219]

OK... So I caved, and bought A Brymen BM786 EEVblog edition.

Just one last thing: does the brand of fuses matter? I looked at replacement HRCs for the 10A range and the Bussmann DMM-11AR is a little hard to find and expensive, so I looked around a bit, and found one from SIBA https://www.tme.eu/cz/en/details/5019906.11/fuses-10-3x38mm-super-fast/siba/ with (from what I can see) identical specs. The Bussmann doesn't list the trip time in their datasheet, and I don't want to put in a slower fuse and destroy the meter by accident.

Thanks for showing me Brymen everyone.

[Fungus]

Just one last thing: does the brand of fuses matter?

No.

The Bussmann doesn't list the trip time in their datasheet, and I don't want to put in a slower fuse and destroy the meter by accident.

If your Siba is "super fast" then you'll be fine. In theory you'll never need to replace it anyway, right? 


Remember: Don't ever buy fuses from non-reputable places to "save money". Fake fuses are everywhere.

[rsjsouza]

Between these two brands you should be fine - as Fungus mentioned, fakes are everywhere, so be careful where you buy them.

[Fungus]

The last time I blew a multimeter fuse was on a battery powered device (3xAA). I went to measure volts and the probe was in the mA socket.

Nobody's life was in any danger. It was an Aneng meter so fuses are cheap.

Your Brymen has input jack alert so this mistake is very unlikely.

[Mat219]

In theory you'll never need to replace it anyway, right? 

Let's hope so, I'm trying to be careful around mains, and I'll be even more careful now, knowing how much the fuses cost. (16$ a pop, yeesh)

Remember: Don't ever buy fuses from non-reputable places to "save money". Fake fuses are everywhere.

Another useful piece of info. I didn't know fake fuses were a thing. Don't worry, I'm not buying protection components from Ebay, I'm not that broke (yet)