Agilent DMM's

[echen1024]

For general hobby work, what would the best Agilent DMM be? My father has a few friends in Agilent who can help me purchase one through their EPP. I like the 1251 series for the frequency counter and the programmable square wave gen, but the cheaper 1272 seems a lot more attractive, being thinner on my space-constrained bench, however the cap range seems screwy. Any input would be appreciated. I do not want the OLED displays.

[nanofrog]

I have a U1252B used primarily on my bench. Quite pleased with it overall (not perfect; there are reviews of it and it's predecessor <A model> for further information in this forum if you search).

Brymen is another one worth taking a look at for value IMHO, the BM869 model in particular (run the numbers, and see what best fits features for price).

[saturation]

For pure bench use the 1252a or b is better as its more accurate, but if you intend to take it outdoors quite a bit, the 1272a is more rugged. 

Beyond basic measurements, both  have specific features absent from each other, so list each out and see if some are more important to you.  I frankly never use the added features. 

I have both as they were given to me. 

If I had to choose one, it would be the 1252a because I don't do field work professionally.