New LIDL multimeter on the way.

[Fungus]

Ugly or not, great meter or not, I think it's awesome that stores like LIDL are putting safer meters in the hands of the general public. Most of the people that buy these will be amateur "electricians" who go straight home and stick the probes in a mains socket to see if it works.

Contrast this with Harbour Freight in the USA which is responsible for distributing hundreds of millions of DT830Bs to the same group of people.

[Specmaster]

Sorry, but we´re talking about a meter for 13€...Really ?!

Same thing I thought initially. For starters I've never heard of Lidl, and it's ugly as sin. I'm not against cheap meters but this thing looks like trash. It's probably fine and just looks bad because the photo quality is awful. I already found the holy grail of cheap meters and I don't think I've seen anyone on this forum mention it which is actually pretty shocking.

I'm kind of a weirdo in the sense that I want my test equipment to look good over being safe. I've got zapped with voltages in the 100V-300V and didn't die and overwhelming am messing with voltages under 30 volts. Obviously accuracy, features, and durability are paramount, but CAT ratings don't set my loins on fire.

Nobody is saying that it's a thing of beauty, or that it is any more accurate than any other meter without a traceable certification. What we are saying is that in the event of it being switched from one function to another while still connected to whatever you are measuring, that subject to it being used correctly within its certified area, then there is not going to be any safety issues, the fuses and other input protection will safely clear the fault and protect you. In most cases, you just need to replace the fuses and you're good to go again.

[Specmaster]

Ugly or not, great meter or not, I think it's awesome that stores like LIDL are putting safer meters in the hands of the general public. Most of the people that buy these will be amateur "electricians" who go straight home and stick the probes in a mains socket to see if it works.

Contrast this with Harbour Freight in the USA which is responsible for distributing hundreds of millions of DT830Bs to the same group of people.

Yes, its this all day long, safety counts, because we all sooner or later make mistakes, thats a fact.

[DEV001]

It is funny being in the US I had never heard of LIDL until last year as they recently built a store near my home and now I go there all the time. They dedicate like 1/5 of the store to random rows of stuff like that meter in the first post to yard tools besides being a grocery store. I go their for food items and come home with assorted bits and bobs that I had no plan of ever purchasing when I went in.

They recently had some 'TRONIC ENERGY' brand NIMH AA and AAA batteries that seem to have similar capacity to other NIMH like eneloop or Amazon rechargeables. I ran them through a couple of test cycles using my battery charger/analyzer and they met or exceeded their rated capacity rating. They could start exhibiting higher self discharge rates but as of now they seem to be doing fine.

[Fungus]

It is funny being in the US I had never heard of LIDL until last year as they recently built a store near my home and now I go there all the time. They dedicate like 1/5 of the store to random rows of stuff like that meter in the first post to yard tools besides being a grocery store. I go their for food items and come home with assorted bits and bobs that I had no plan of ever purchasing when I went in.

Yep, and the 'random' stuff changes every few days to make sure you go back for more...

They're doing awesomely well here in Europe. I didn't know they'd expanded to the USA.

Over here there's another store called ALDI which does the exact same thing as LIDL so if you have both you get double the bits and bobs.

My nearest LIDL is about 200 meters away from my house. My nearest ALDI is a couple of clicks away so I mostly go to LIDL.

[DEV001]

Now that you mentioned ALDI will stop by there as one is literally 5 minutes away from the LIDL location. I haven't ever been there but I like browsing through the random items at LIDL so if they have something similar it is a double win.

LIDL has been doing some very aggressive marketing here in ATL, GA as I receive at least 1 to 2 full color multi-page mailings every week. I was checking their location count and apparently they are opening the 100th. location soon here in the states. https://www.supermarketnews.com/retail-financial/lidl-set-open-100th-us-store

[Gyro]

Oh, that reminds me, Lidl have had their 20V lithium batteries (2AH and 4AH) in again since Sunday in the UK. They usually have loads of them in. Useful power sources and chargers - you could even buy some tools to plug them into (garden tools too)! 

Teardown:  https://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/teardown-lidl-20v-2ah-lithium-battery-pack-and-charger/

https://www.lidl.co.uk/en/c/diy/c1492/w1

[Fungus]

Oh, that reminds me, Lidl have had their 20V lithium batteries (2AH and 4AH) in again since Sunday in the UK. They usually have loads of them in. Useful power sources and chargers - you could even buy some tools to plug them into (garden tools too)! 

Teardown:  https://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/teardown-lidl-20v-2ah-lithium-battery-pack-and-charger/

https://www.lidl.co.uk/en/c/diy/c1492/w1

Weird. Here in Spain I can buy them online at any time (no need to wait for them to come around in the stores) but you don't seem to have LIDL online in the UK.

https://www.lidl.es/es/bateria-4-ah-20-v/p2596

FWIW I think selling the tools, batteries and chargers separately is an awesome idea. You can buy as many tools as you want and only as many batteries/chargers as you need to keep them fed. The tools are cheaper that way and you don't end up up with a house full of rarely-used batteries sitting on the shelf losing capacity.

The LIDL power tools are also very good.

[Specmaster]

It is funny being in the US I had never heard of LIDL until last year as they recently built a store near my home and now I go there all the time. They dedicate like 1/5 of the store to random rows of stuff like that meter in the first post to yard tools besides being a grocery store. I go their for food items and come home with assorted bits and bobs that I had no plan of ever purchasing when I went in.

They recently had some 'TRONIC ENERGY' brand NIMH AA and AAA batteries that seem to have similar capacity to other NIMH like eneloop or Amazon rechargeables. I ran them through a couple of test cycles using my battery charger/analyzer and they met or exceeded their rated capacity rating. They could start exhibiting higher self discharge rates but as of now they seem to be doing fine.

I have been using these batteries for a few years now and I'm very happy with them. I use them in my Uniden UBC125XLT scanner which I use for monitoring the comms for various air force bases for ground to ground, ground to air and air to air comms.

[Specmaster]

Oh, that reminds me, Lidl have had their 20V lithium batteries (2AH and 4AH) in again since Sunday in the UK. They usually have loads of them in. Useful power sources and chargers - you could even buy some tools to plug them into (garden tools too)! 

Teardown:  https://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/teardown-lidl-20v-2ah-lithium-battery-pack-and-charger/

https://www.lidl.co.uk/en/c/diy/c1492/w1

Weird. Here in Spain I can buy them online at any time (no need to wait for them to come around in the stores) but you don't seem to have LIDL online in the UK.

https://www.lidl.es/es/bateria-4-ah-20-v/p2596

FWIW I think selling the tools, batteries and chargers separately is an awesome idea. You can buy as many tools as you want and only as many batteries/chargers as you need to keep them fed. The tools are cheaper that way and you don't end up up with a house full of rarely-used batteries sitting on the shelf losing capacity.

The LIDL power tools are also very good.

Indeed, I buy a few of their power tools, battery and mains powered too, never had any issues with them. I have a 18V power drill  that must 10 years old at least for which I can no longer buy the battery packs for but if I charge them up just prior to using them usually provide enough power complete the job in hand. It even has a 2 speed gearbox and the low speed is very good for driving screws, it has a clutch and forward and reverse control and shortly I think I'll be buying its replacement, again from Lidl.

I think the problem that most people have is with the brand name and the shops perceived image in the marketplace, but those that can see beyond that can see with a 3 year warranty and their certification where required provide peace of mind. Yes when they are compared to the better known brands of Bosch, Makita etc they are cheaper, but they are not intended to be professional grade tools, just good value for the handyman / hobbyist.

[Fungus]

Indeed, I buy a few of their power tools, battery and mains powered too, never had any issues with them. I have a 18V power drill  that must 10 years old at least for which I can no longer buy the battery packs for

Me too. My drill is perfect but the battery no longer holds a charge and there's nowhere to get a replacement. It's a big brand name, too. Built-in obsolescence...

The way LIDL sells their batteries/chargers makes me feel like they'll be available for a long time.

[themadhippy]

couldn't you strip the pack apart and replace the individual cells?

[Gyro]

Indeed, the Lidl packs seem to use half decent Samsung cells.

[Gyro]

Indeed, I buy a few of their power tools, battery and mains powered too, never had any issues with them. I have a 18V power drill  that must 10 years old at least for which I can no longer buy the battery packs for

Me too. My drill is perfect but the battery no longer holds a charge and there's nowhere to get a replacement. It's a big brand name, too. Built-in obsolescence...

The way LIDL sells their batteries/chargers makes me feel like they'll be available for a long time.

I hope they stick with their current 'X 20V Team' battery format for a while, it does seem to be a winning formula. They keep bringing out additional tools using this format so hopefully it still has a good while to run.

I can recommend the current £20 2 speed drill, no hammer action, but lots of torque and control range, and a nice all-metal chuck. I picked one up last year, very solid.


P.S. Finally something I need a 3D printer for!    https://www.yeggi.com/q/parkside+x20v+battery+adapter/

[themadhippy]

one piece of advice if shopping at aldi,avoid the racer biscuits (snickers clone). Their highly addictive and 1  is never enough.

[sahko123]

This is one i found in Lidl a few months ago. I never knew power was measured in farads.

[Specmaster]

This is one i found in Lidl a few months ago. I never knew power was measured in farads.

LMAO, that is clearly a case of poor proofreading before sending the file to printing.

[bluey]

Manuals at lidl service.
https://www.lidl-service.com/cps/rde/xchg/SID-3B86BEAE-A41B1535/lsp/hs.xsl/product.html?id=4143252997&title=Digital+Auto-Range+Multimeter+%2F+Digital+Auto-Range+Multimeter+PDM+300+C2&count=1

Has microamp range. Basic DCV accuracy 0.5%+5. Square wave generator. Chip on board. I like the 9V battery.

Manufacturer TARGA Gmbh. Facilities in Soest Germany and Shenzhen China.

[shakalnokturn]

one piece of advice if shopping at aldi,avoid the racer biscuits (snickers clone). Their highly addictive and 1  is never enough.

Do you find those chocolate coated fake bananas in your countries?
They used to sell them at Lidl in France many years ago, I was surprised to still find them in Croatia last I knew.

[Fungus]

one piece of advice if shopping at aldi,avoid the racer biscuits (snickers clone). Their highly addictive and 1  is never enough.

Do you find those chocolate coated fake bananas in your countries?

In LIDL? Only at Christmas/Easter.

[exe]

Just got this puppy. Jesus, it is huge. For some reason I expected it to be small, like aneg 8002.

Some immediately obvious downsides (apart from cheap leads): continuity test is slow, and no capacitance measurement. Also, the banana slot is very tight.

[Specmaster]

It didn't claim that it had capacitance test on it. The plug being a bit tight is a good thing, it ensures a superb contact. It won't perform as fast as a premium meter, but for the money it is perfectly acceptable surely?

[exe]

I'm not criticizing or bitching about it, just sharing my experience. I leave up to the reader to decide what is acceptable, but I agree the price is hard to beat if a proper CAT meter is needed.

[AVGresponding]

Just got this puppy. Jesus, it is huge. For some reason I expected it to be small, like aneg 8002.

Some immediately obvious downsides (apart from cheap leads): continuity test is slow, and no capacitance measurement. Also, the banana slot is very tight.

Let's hope it's the contacts and not the plug shroud that is tight...

Teardown time? 

[maginnovision]

Just the other day my 1282a had the uA/mA shroud break off the meter so let's definitely hope that's not what's tight.