I recommend Multimeter with limited budget

[marck120]

@erwets

Perhaps the aneng an870 is slightly higher, yes in my case it would also be fine for the electronic boards, it may happen to carry out some checks in the home system which is at 230v, however even in the electronic boards such as in the power supplies there is always the high voltage part at 230v

I think the Bryman BM786 exceeds the budget, I don't know if there is a shop that ships to Europe.

@Fungus

As I said on aliexpress I have never purchased, I have no judgments about it and I do not know their return policies and guarantees, I do not like the fact of waiting two weeks to receive the goods.

Yes, the reviews are very important, as long as they are all authentic, even on amazon if I'm not mistaken they have withdrawn some tacklife products because there have been problems with the reviews.

If I buy a product that costs € 50 and pay € 25 for it and I have no guarantees, I still lose my money in case of problems, and I have to buy the product again, I repeat that I do not know the aliexpress return policies, I do not know how it works, I think that by law there are guarantees otherwise no one would buy. In Europe we have a 2-year warranty, at least in Italy it is like that.

@rsjsouza

Yes, the use of the multimeter in my case is light, the high voltage part at 230v is still present above all in the power supplies:



If I'm not mistaken, the ICEs are an Italian company located in Milan, they are truly exceptional multimeters, someone has complained that those recently manufactured no longer have the quality of those produced in past years.

https://www.amazon.it/MULTIMETER-ANALOGICO-MOD-680R/dp/B00B22CP26/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=tester+ICE&qid=1636030830&sr=8-3#customerReviews

I agree, I have to be careful what I measure and how I set the multimeter otherwise I risk damaging it.

Yes, the choices to climb with price and quality are these:

-Brymen BM257s

-Gossen metraline DM

-Uni-T Ut61e

-Aneng AN870

-Richmeters

On Aliexpress and Banggood I have never purchased, I have to inform myself well, there is also the question of customs, it depends on the type of shipment, inside there are many shops, it is a bit like ebay I think, on ebay I have protection from paypal, I usually only buy products shipped by amazon, some even say that on Aliexpress they are better than amazon

[Trader]

I usually only buy products shipped by amazon, some even say that on Aliexpress they are better than amazon

Amazon is much better than Aliexpress.  Check this DMM:

https://www.amazon.it/Multimetro-Elettrico-Temperature-Continuit%C3%A0-Retroilluminazione/dp/B07KSRPHZ5/

https://www.amazon.it/LOMVUM-T28B-multitester-amperometro-identificazione/dp/B07FVT5HVX/

[CharlotteSwiss]

A person I know (professional electronic) who works in Ticino has always used an Italian brand: HT

https://www.ht-instruments.it/it-it/prodotti/multimetri-digitali/

From what he told me, they are of good quality at a fair price.

If, on the other hand, you want decent quality at a low price, I have to repeat myself: UNI-T

[rsjsouza]

If I'm not mistaken, the ICEs are an Italian company located in Milan, they are truly exceptional multimeters, someone has complained that those recently manufactured no longer have the quality of those produced in past years.

https://www.amazon.it/MULTIMETER-ANALOGICO-MOD-680R/dp/B00B22CP26/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=tester+ICE&qid=1636030830&sr=8-3#customerReviews

ICE is a Milanese company and they even have a website with replacement parts.
https://www.icericambi.it/

That said, I wouldn't purchase an analog meter, unless I had a very specific requirement or was feeling nostalgic.

On Aliexpress and Banggood I have never purchased, I have to inform myself well, there is also the question of customs, it depends on the type of shipment, inside there are many shops, it is a bit like ebay I think, on ebay I have protection from paypal, I usually only buy products shipped by amazon, some even say that on Aliexpress they are better than amazon

At least here in the US, Amazon sells some garbage products, but the Amazon machine has a great deal of power to influence and can be very helpful to solve problems. A similar story happens with eBay and Paypal.
As for Aliexpress and Banggood, I personally never lost money with a transaction but I had much more failures with their sellers than with the other two. Not to mention that, depending on conditions of international freight, packages can take quite a long time to arrive (or not arrive at all).

[tunk]

Yes, the use of the multimeter in my case is light, the high voltage part at 230v is still present above all in the power supplies:

Just remember that 230Vac is an average - when rectified
and smoothed in that power supply, it will be ~330Vdc.

[Trader]

I really wonder how unsafe is a DMM, I mean, around the world (most in poor countries) there are thousands of people working for years with just a simple DT830 in several electric/electronics areas with 600V+ (I don't recommend this).

I think the Aneng AN870 or the Uni-T UT161 are pretty ok for a 600V-1000V range, and the most important is the Probe (20A probe is pretty safe).

[bdunham7]

I really wonder how unsafe is a DMM

And then you post a video showing a cheap DMM literally exploding and flames coming out of the power strip that it is connected to.....

Yes, the worldwide DMM mortality rate is probably pretty low.  However, I see no reason that someone willing to spend 100 Euros should buy cheap junk.

[Trader]

I really wonder how unsafe is a DMM

And then you post a video showing a cheap DMM literally exploding and flames coming out of the power strip that it is connected to.....

Yes, the worldwide DMM mortality rate is probably pretty low.  However, I see no reason that someone willing to spend 100 Euros should buy cheap junk.

I said "I don't recommend" that DMM, I just want to show that even if you try to measure the "current in your mains", only the DMM will be harmed (most of the time).

The main point is about the AN870 and UT161, both are safe; the AN870 has a strong rubber protection, the UT161 has a high brand fuse and several PTCs.

I had a similar accident with a cheap chinese DMM and just the fuse exploded. The DT830 has no fuse, maybe this is the reason the DMM exploded (the DMM is the fuse, LOL).

[Bobson]

I found an Excellent DMM, the best option you can find for that price, and it's on Italy.

This is the Same Mastech MS8218, for Only 50 euros!!! A bargain.

Check the datasheet, it can't measure high capacitors, but all other measures are like a high end DMM.

As a previous owner of this piece of s*t, I can say it is in no way Excellent or like a high-end DMM.
It is incredibly slow, bargraph is ultraslow, PC connectivity software is a nightmare.

[rsjsouza]

I really wonder how unsafe is a DMM, I mean, around the world (most in poor countries) there are thousands of people working for years with just a simple DT830 in several electric/electronics areas with 600V+ (I don't recommend this).

The major issue with ultra-cheap meters is that you can't always guarantee what you are getting over the years. The Mastech M830 clones such as the DT830 you mentioned have been through so many iterations of price reduction that you can't really know what you are getting. Check the thread below for details about these meters over the years:
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/harbor-freight-cen-tech-90899-small-teardown/

Even Uni-T was caught doing that with their UT61E meters (the precursor to the UT61E+ discussed here).

The issue with the video is that the meter not only failed to contain the explosion but such event will scare you enough to cause a good injury in case you are on top of a ladder measuring a lightbulb socket, for example. By the way, the guy in the video should not be holding the already very frail probes with both hands - any issues and his heart will take the impulse.

I think the Aneng AN870 or the Uni-T UT161 are pretty ok for a 600V-1000V range, and the most important is the Probe (20A probe is pretty safe).

Just be careful that, apart from vacuum tube circuits, those voltage levels are mostly present in systems with quite a large power delivery (a three phase system, distribution panel, etc.)

[Fungus]

If I buy a product that costs € 50 and pay € 25 for it and I have no guarantees, I still lose my money in case of problems, and I have to buy the product again

True, but you're completely missing the point.

If you buy two products at that price and one of them breaks then you're still ahead by $25 even though you had to buy another one.

I repeat that I do not know the aliexpress return policies, I do not know how it works, I think that by law there are guarantees otherwise no one would buy. In Europe we have a 2-year warranty, at least in Italy it is like that.

Imagine there aren't any, if that helps.

[marck120]

@Trader, @CharlotteSwiss, @rsjsouza, @tunk, @ bdunham7, @Bobson, @Fungus

Thank you very much everyone, I received a lot of advice, it is a wonderful forum.

I thought DMM was a brand instead it means digital multimeter

Yes Amazon as guarantees and support is unbeatable, of course I only buy products shipped from Amazon, yes it is true there are many junk products

On Aliaexpress they do not always cost half, it depends on the products I think, you have to see how much you pay to send them back, all the time that is lost then, if a product is defective I prefer to be reimbursed, there is also the risk of customs, not always obviously, many people who bought it were happy, there is a minimum of risk everywhere.

Regarding the budgeted HT multimeters I found these:

https://www.amazon.it/HT-Instruments-Compatto-multimetro-misurazione-temperatura/dp/B019ZFIIE0/ref=sr_1_5?__mk_it_IT=%C3%85M%C3%85%C5%BD%C3%95%C3 % 91 & crid = 2MOLNCYE2YM6T & keywords = multimeter + ht & qid = 1636057541 & sprefix = multimeter + ht% 2Caps% 2C196 & sr = 8-5 # customerReviews

https://www.amazon.it/HT-Instruments-estremamente-multimetro-digitale-integrato/dp/B01F5DAUHY/ref=sr_1_14?__mk_it_IT=%C3%85M%C3%85%C5%BD%C3%95%C3 % 91 & crid = 2MOLNCYE2YM6T & keywords = multimeter + ht & qid = 1636057541 & sprefix = multimeter + ht% 2Caps% 2C196 & sr = 8-14

I should deepen my research regarding HT multimeters, from the few reviews I have read they look great, I don't know if they are better than Brymen

Yes it's true ICE is a Milanese company, the analog multimeters I have seen are used to test capacitors:



A technician who repairs televisions uses it a lot:



In the end, with the budget that I have, the winner seems to me to be Brymen, this shop sells everywhere both on amazon and on ebay:

https://www.welectron.com/Brymen-BM257s-Multimeter_2

https://www.ebay.it/itm/273679202038?hash=item3fb88d36f6:g:eE8AAOSwBdJc7csN

https://www.amazon.it/Digital-multimeter-Bargraph24-segm-40x-BM257S/dp/B01M0B4W6B

[Fungus]

On Aliaexpress they do not always cost half, it depends on the products I think

Maybe.

The cheapest Aneng 870 on amazon.es is 52 Euros and delivery "2 - 14 of december" (One month)

In the Aneng official store on Aliexpress it's 33 Euros + free 12 day shipping.

you have to see how much you pay to send them back, all the time that is lost then, if a product is defective I prefer to be reimbursed,

You still don't see the big picture. 

You don't pay to send them back. Ever. If it arrives broken you file a complaint and usually get your money back, or a partial refund.

Then you order another one.

a) It doesn't usually happen, so why worry?
b) In the long term you come out far ahead in terms of money.

there is also the risk of customs

Not since June 2021. Aliexpress now charges VAT/IVA directly so there's no extra customs charges.

Plus you get an invoice. Try getting an invoice out of Amazon. They'll send you one from Luxembourg or something.

[marck120]

On Aliaexpress they do not always cost half, it depends on the products I think

Maybe.

The cheapest Aneng 870 on amazon.es is 52 Euros and delivery "2 - 14 of december" (One month)

In the Aneng official store on Aliexpress it's 33 Euros + free 12 day shipping.

you have to see how much you pay to send them back, all the time that is lost then, if a product is defective I prefer to be reimbursed,

You still don't see the big picture. 

You don't pay to send them back. Ever. If it arrives broken you file a complaint and usually get your money back, or a partial refund.

Then you order another one.

a) It doesn't usually happen, so why worry?
b) In the long term you come out far ahead in terms of money.

there is also the risk of customs

Not since June 2021. Aliexpress now charges VAT/IVA directly so there's no extra customs charges.

Plus you get an invoice. Try getting an invoice out of Amazon. They'll send you one from Luxembourg or something.

The Aneng 870 that is on Amazon is sold from an external shop, I usually only buy products shipped from Amazon, usually the goods arrive in 4-5 days.

On Amazon I have always been happy, if there are problems you can choose whether to replace the product with another or return it and get a full refund, some time ago I bought a pair of scissors, unfortunately it was damaged, the courier went to your home to collect the package and finally I was refunded the full amount of the item.

I explained that I have never bought on Aliexpress and that I do not know their rules, so I cannot give a judgment, I have no experience in this regard.

The important thing is to receive a full refund or even replacement is fine in case the item arrives damaged, I have to understand even if there is a guarantee, for a valuable item I think there is a guarantee.

About the Aneng 870 I found some reviews:

https://www.pieraisa.it/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3825

https://lygte-info.dk/review/DMMAnengAN870%20UK.html

[Trader]

The cheapest and good Brymens I found are these:

https://www.ebay.it/itm/273321048791

https://www.ebay.it/itm/273679202038

For me the best option (cost-benefit) is the Unit-T UT161 (Aliexpress 11-11), it will cost less than half of these prices. Or Kaisi K-9033 or Aneng AN870, less than 1/3 or 1/4 of Brymens.

But if you can increase your budget: https://www.ebay.it/itm/273321049022

[marck120]

The cheapest and good Brymens I found are these:

https://www.ebay.it/itm/273321048791

https://www.ebay.it/itm/273679202038

For me the best option (cost-benefit) is the Unit-T UT161 (Aliexpress 11-11), it will cost less than half of these prices. Or Kaisi K-9033 or Aneng AN870, less than 1/3 or 1/4 of Brymens.

But if you can increase your budget: https://www.ebay.it/itm/273321049022

Thanks for the reports, very kind.

The Brymen shop is always this: https://www.welectron.com/Brymen-BM257s-Multimeter_2 sells on ebay and on Amazon: https://www.amazon.it/Digital-multimeter-Bargraph24-segm-40x-BM257S/dp/B01M0B4W6B

Yes, for the Brymen bm867s I would have to increase the budget, I don't know if it suits me, in the end I could also take the Brymen bm235, the Brymen bm257s is only 25 € more.

I did not know the Kaisi K-9033: https://www.aliexpress.com/i/1000008353803.html

The UT161 should be this: https://it.aliexpress.com/item/1005002717433552.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.28d813a3qet3wL&algo_pvid=952820c1-020d-4e26-b8af-0a55b829-4e26-b8af-0a55b829-4e2202_expc26-952-9520-852-35829-exp829-502 -0a55b829b554-0 & pdp_ext_f =% 7B% 22sku_id% 22% 3A% 2212000021840472942% 22% 7D

Now I decide what to do, I just have to choose between the models in question. The Brymen is certainly the best, the choice is only a matter of price.

[Neutrion]

A person I know (professional electronic) who works in Ticino has always used an Italian brand: HT

https://www.ht-instruments.it/it-it/prodotti/multimetri-digitali/

From what he told me, they are of good quality at a fair price.

If, on the other hand, you want decent quality at a low price, I have to repeat myself: UNI-T

Now this Italian brand seems interesting, not heard of it before, and not much discussion about it on eevblog either.

I reccommend you and marck120 to check Joe Smith's chnannel on Youtube. If someone has the money, it is worth to buy the Brymens because it is both mechanically and electrically more robust. It will just last longer.
So it is not only about safety, or features, but longevity as well.

On the other hand once I read an interesting sentence from an honourable member, which could be interesting for the very few ladies here in the forum   :

Can some one tell me what a 87V can do that a BM789 can't?

Get you past security if you're casing a site for a robbery.

Also the floozies know you're not a cheap ass 

Also the floozies know you're not a cheap ass 

If you find a floozie that knows what a Fluke 87V is then maybe she's a keeper.

OTOH if you find one that knows what a Brymen BM789 is, she's definitely a keeper.

Charlotte I just wanted to know your oppinion about the dresscode you could recommend if someone would like to make an impression on ladies when showing up in an event with a Fluke. Ladies around me could never really ansver the question, and I did not dare to open a topic for this.
And I am still undecided whether the Brymen could make the same effect. I think indeed that the Brymen owners could very welcome some encouragement, that theirs would do it as well, and the extra money to spend it on Fluke is not that much needed!

 

[DW1961]

If you don't need to measure amps, why not go with a Fluke?

FLUKE 15B+ F15B+ $127.00

https://www.amazon.com/FLUKE-15B-Range-Digital-Multimeter/dp/B00QRQHLVC/ref=sr_1_54?crid=27AM9ENQ7X2KA&keywords=Fluke&qid=1636143810&sprefix=fluke%2Caps%2C181&sr=8-54

Or,

Fluke 17B+ $162.00

https://www.amazon.com/Multimeter-Temperature-Frequency-CARRYING-INCLUDED/dp/B00VURQDHQ/ref=sr_1_70?crid=27AM9ENQ7X2KA&keywords=Fluke&qid=1636143898&sprefix=fluke%2Caps%2C181&sr=8-70

If you don't need to measure amps:

Fluke 101 $45.00

https://www.amazon.com/Fluke-101-Multimeter-Equipment-Industrial/dp/B01IB9S6WK/ref=sr_1_85?crid=27AM9ENQ7X2KA&keywords=Fluke&qid=1636144072&sprefix=fluke%2Caps%2C181&sr=8-85

[rsjsouza]

About the Aneng 870 I found some reviews:

https://www.pieraisa.it/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3825

https://lygte-info.dk/review/DMMAnengAN870%20UK.html

The discussion in the forum above is a typical discussion when the AN870 is mentioned: reasonable for the price but, despite the possibility of a multi-kV event in a lifetime to be minimal, don't expect any safety at all if you are unlucky. My main issue is not with the rare event where a transient can make sparks fly, but the event where you are distracted and you slap 230V with the meter on ohms or temperature - the Aneng and the Richmeters are the ones with the least chance of survivability, followed by the Uni-Ts and at the top it would be the Flukes, Brymens, Gossens, Hiokis, etc.

That said, Fungus has a point where you can throw one in the trashcan while buying the second one in case of any failures - something that can happen with any meter, really, but the cheaper one would save you money in this event. As you said yourself, the decision hinges on what you value the most on your new equipment. The main suggestions you summarized in one of your previous posts will serve you well.

I did not know the Kaisi K-9033: https://www.aliexpress.com/i/1000008353803.html

Just be careful with this model in particular: years ago I reviewed the same meter from another brand (Surpeer AV4) and it was a very unfinished product - bad bargraph, several non-working functions... For the price you are much better served by the AN870.

A person I know (professional electronic) who works in Ticino has always used an Italian brand: HT

https://www.ht-instruments.it/it-it/prodotti/multimetri-digitali/

From what he told me, they are of good quality at a fair price.

If, on the other hand, you want decent quality at a low price, I have to repeat myself: UNI-T

Now this Italian brand seems interesting, not heard of it before, and not much discussion about it on eevblog either.

This brand is an OEM for Mastech. They used to be the king of ultra cheap low quality meters, but were supplanted by Zotek and its OEMs (Aneng, Richmeters, Zoyi, etc.). I have a couple of their meters and they are not great.

If you don't need to measure amps:

Fluke 101 $45.00

In my experience with two Fluke 101s, I had quality control issues with both and would not personally recommend as I don't think the legendary Fluke quality is present in this meter - besides, it lacks several functions and for the same price I think any other meter is a better choice. For the 15B+ and the 17B+, unfortunately I never had them but people praise them a lot - however, as with all Flukes, the features are quite scarce when compared to the other models discussed here in the same price range.

[Trader]

You should also consider the UNI-T UT210E Pro Clamp Meter.

Is a very good DMM and very precise current meter.

UNI-T UT161E and UNI-T UT210E will be around $100.

[marck120]

@Neutrion, @DW1961, @rsjsouza, @Trader

In particular, the FLUKE 15B + is very interesting, it falls within my budget:

https://www.ebay.it/itm/123770864016?hash=item1cd1518190:g:oBsAAOSw3QpZbFpG

https://it.aliexpress.com/item/33045309725.html?src=google&src=google&memo1=freelisting&albch=shopping&acnt=494-037-6276&slnk=&plac=&mtctp=&albbt=Google_7_shopping&albagn=888888&isSmbAutoCall=false&needSmbHouyi=false&albcp=9317477424&albag=97096040627&trgt=536572975094&crea=it33045309725&netw=u&device=c&albpg=536572975094&albpd=it33045309725&gclid=Cj0KCQjwrJOMBhCZARIsAGEd4VFBmEXsCX-JxT_-6AHJeErfH0Vg6EsZFqosEo4Vh8sB7cjBby9OcrcaAvW-EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds&aff_fcid=e4b72e6b1ebb4a298c9e07e13adcabf6-1636151252084-02791-UneMJZVf&aff_fsk=UneMJZVf&aff_platform=aaf&sk=UneMJZVf&aff_trace_key=e4b72e6b1ebb4a298c9e07e13adcabf6-1636151252084-02791-UneMJZVf&terminal_id=20595a34fc63406d91c5329d9794bd56

Unfortunately, on Amazon.com the shipping costs are too high:



In this price range it seems important to me to compare the FLUKE 15B + with the Brymen bm257s, with the FLUKE 15B + did you explain to me that I have fewer functions ?

Can't I measure amplifiers with the FLUKE 15B + ? With google translate I can't understand, what is meant by amplifiers ?

How build quality and internal components is the FLUKE 15B + better than the Brymen bm257s ?

In this regard, I found some discussion:

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/brymen-bm257s-or-fluke-17b/

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskElectronics/comments/d1qr2i/brymen_bm235_vs_fluke_17b/

[xbb]

If you buy the Brymen I don't think you'll regret it ever, get one with silicone leads.

You can buy it from https://brymen.eu/, https://welectron.com/ or https://www.tme.eu/

Another cheap option to consider might be this: https://www.amazon.it/AmazonCommercial-Compact-Digital-Mulitmeter-Temperature/dp/B083V7N12H/, but I'm not sure how safe/durable it is

If you want the Aneng, I can tell you that it's safe to buy from the official store in AliExpress

[tautech]

marck120
I have a 15B (not +) and it's an excellent basic DMM however be aware 15 & 17's come from Asia and do not have international warranty. Nearly 10 years back when I got mine and a bunch of them for a customer I brought extras as the local supplier so to offer a replacement warranty but being Fluke of course that wasn't needed. 
Our customer got one of the little US made reference boards to keep an eye on their accuracy and after a year only a couple out of 15 needed tweaking to have the LSD match for them all and of course they were all still in spec despite daily the use by Avionics cadets.
These have some miniature pots in them so you can adjust them if required although again being Fluke that's proven to be unlikely.
If I was to upgrade and I'm not, Daves BM235 would be a likely candidate although I have heard reports the selector switch in Bymens are stiffer than many other DMM's and that might be a  for me. YMMV.
Must try Defpom's one next I visit him with gear to review.

[bdunham7]

Can't I measure amplifiers with the FLUKE 15B + ? With google translate I can't understand, what is meant by amplifiers ?

How build quality and internal components is the FLUKE 15B + better than the Brymen bm257s ?

I'm not sure what "amplifiers" means in this context either, perhaps audio?  The Fluke 15B is a Chinese market only meter AFAIK and would not have any official warranty in your country.  It is also average-responding on AC volts, not TRMS--and has a very limited bandwidth as well.  Someone correct me if any of that is wrong as I've never laid hands on one.  The BM235 and 257s have an on-chip sampling TRMS that is also low bandwidth (under 1kHz) only.  If you want audio-frequency BW on AC volts, you need to go up a few models.

As for the build quality, the word is that they're both perfectly adequate, but I've no personal experience. 

[marck120]

@xbb

I agree with you, the Brymen are high quality multimeters, I was only making a comparison with the FLUKE 15B + since both are excellent, in terms of value for money and functions, perhaps the Brymen bm257s is better

The AmazonCommercial multimeter looks great, there are tons of models, it takes a long time to do research on all models.

Yes, the official Aneng shop should look like this:

https://en.aliexpress.com/item/33004463675.html?spm=a2g0o.store_pc_promotion.promoteRecommendProducts_undefined.13

@tautech

I did not know that the Fluke 15 and 17 came from Asia and as you explained to me without international warranty.

In case you had to upgrade your multimeters you told me you would choose a Daves BM235, a custom Brymen basically, so I assume the Fluke 15 and 17 are quite dated models and you think the Brymens are better than the Flukes in question.

I believe the Brymen bm257s has more functions than the FLUKE 15B +, as build quality I cannot say which is the best. In the end, accuracy is important when it comes to measurements.

@ bdunham7

I also had thought of an audio amplifier, I don't know, if in my country there is no official guarantee for the Fluke 15B then it is better to leave it alone, maybe bought on a European shop the guarantee of the European community is applied, I don't know how it works.

No the BW in audio frequency on volts AC does not interest me also because I do not even know what it means.  Perhaps the Brymen bm257s has more features.