Metex M-3850 DMM good?

[Unix999]

Hi everyone i had the chance to get a Metex M-3850 DMM at a very good price around 20€ it was released back in 2000.

I just wondered if the old chunky DMM's are by far better compared to some cheap China DMMs.

Metex is Korean i read, right?

I would like to hear your opinions.

[Wytnucls]

At that price, another true RMS multimeter with PC interface would be hard to find. It looks sturdy. Input protection is another matter. Crack it open to find out if it is suitable for 20A and high voltages.

[Wytnucls]

At that price, another true RMS multimeter with PC interface would be hard to find. It looks sturdy. Input protection is another matter. Crack it open to find out if it is suitable for 20A and high voltages.

3860 model only is true RMS, but it has the dual display and bar graph.

[dzseki]

The M-3850D is an OK DMM for what it is, I also had one of them but I didn't get right with its two feature:
-I didn't like that it gave sound signal everytime I pressed a button, or changed mode.
-In continuity mode the sound signal is not immediate, and not continuous, it's like you shorting the wires but the sound signal lates about a half second, that could be really annoying sometimes.
Disregarding these it is a fast and precise DMM, its frequency counter feature is also useful.

[zapta]

I have a 3860 for 10 years or so. It's a feature rich DMM with a large display. Never had a any problem with it.  Things I don't like are low display contrast and slow measurements. Otherwise it is just fine.

[Lightages]

For that price, I guess you can't go too wrong. It looks like it has OK build. My concerns:

1. Is it in calibration still? Do you have a reliable way of checking it?

2. It has capacitor and transistor test sockets which seriously compromise its safety for any kind of high energy circuits. If you insist on using the meter on wall sockets, don't hold the meter while doing so. Pu it down and don't touch it while measuring anything above 50V.

[Unix999]

I can only compared it to some cheap DMMs Voltcraft VC820 with True RMS and a Peaktech 2010

I recognize that the Metex is a lot faster than the actual cheap one's from Voltcraft or Peaktech.

I have no possibilitie to check the calibration.

The Testleads are a pain in the ass i should change these immediatly

[Salas]

I had an M-3650 that lasted 20 years of abuse until its LCD finally died.

[zapta]

2. It has capacitor and transistor test sockets which seriously compromise its safety for any kind of high energy circuits. If you insist on using the meter on wall sockets, don't hold the meter while doing so. Pu it down and don't touch it while measuring anything above 50V.

Can you explain it? First, that socket may be connected only when the switch is in HFE position and second, the connections ban be deep inside that socket. Do you say that all DMMs with transistor, capacitor or temperature sockets are less safe?

[Lightages]

Do you say that all DMMs with transistor, capacitor or temperature sockets are less safe?

I can't say that they are ALL less safe. I can say that when a failure does occur, these sockets provide another path for stray currents at high voltages to escape. They also provide a free path for any explosion products like hot gases to escape too. Generally, meters made with transistor tests are also lesser quality meters.

I am not saying that this meter is lower quality, but if you are going to testing high energy circuits it seems reasonable to play it even safer.