Is there a better meter for $10.95??

[precaud]

But I think we can assign different weights to them, based on context.

Sure. And the context, for me, is:
I rarely use a meter like this for measuring single AC waveforms of anything other than mains-voltage-related.
My almost sole use for a meter of this size is for basic troubleshooting.
I can set it right next to the point being measured and view it through the Luxo Wave magnifier while I probe around, without looking up or away.
For me, it is more useful (and easy) to remember the meter's -3dB BW. I'll know not to use it to trace signals through a circuit above that freq. And I'll know what the BW limiting is when measuring noise.
For stuff like this, TrueRMS vs averaging converters makes no difference. I'm just looking for the presence vs absence of something, not trying to accurately characterize it with high precision. There are better tools for that.

Your context may be different.

[maginnovision]

But I think we can assign different weights to them, based on context.

Sure. And the context, for me, is:
I rarely use a meter like this for measuring single AC waveforms of anything other than mains-voltage-related.
My almost sole use for a meter of this size is for basic troubleshooting.
I can set it right next to the point being measured and view it through the Luxo Wave magnifier while I probe around, without looking up or away.
For me, it is more useful (and easy) to remember the meter's -3dB BW. I'll know not to use it to trace signals through a circuit above that freq. And I'll know what the BW limiting is when measuring noise.
For stuff like this, TrueRMS vs averaging converters makes no difference. I'm just looking for the presence vs absence of something, not trying to accurately characterize it with high precision. There are better tools for that.

Your context may be different.

So the -3db point doesn't matter to you either it's just a boolean value. I think it's useful to stick to a multimeters traditional ratings when specifying things. Since everything is supposed to be an absolute value in relation to ground it's better to specify error% + counts in reading.

[precaud]

So the -3db point doesn't matter to you either

For how I would use this meter, that is essentially correct. The BW demands are minimal. Your basic 2000-count 400Hz converter would be good enough.
If a meter doesn't offer a dB readout in ACV mode, there's no reason for them to specify its performance in those terms.
But I don't want to memorize (% reading error + counts) vs frequency for every DMM I use. The number that I remember is the -3dB number. That works for me. To each their own.

[Electro Detective]

The realistic better meter is going to cost $21.90

i.e. better buy two of these Anus8xxx or rebadged suss meters to confirm that one, or the other, or none, or both (...wishful thinking) are working

Bonus: you'll have two sets of iffy leads to try and cobble up one working pair that actually mate with the meter (at a certain position and insertion force)
whilst praying for no intermittent strand breaks  ( =>    )


and don't go near electricity or charged capacitors with them, or it's another $10.95 or $21.90 to pry out of the retro piggy bank,   

or take piggy along with you in case the doctor and his brother the eye surgeon next door, want a piece of the '$10.95' action too       


Edit: if you really must buy these OHL meters to prove someone wrong or you just feel 'lucky'  and or uncurable serial cheapskate
at least save some pennies/cents/pick a currency  and buy a real meter (like the little blue EEVblog model) 

and kept in reserve for those times you don't feel like crossing your fingers on a task   

[maginnovision]

The realistic better meter is going to cost $21.90

i.e. better buy two of these Anus8xxx or rebadged suss meters to confirm that one, or the other, or none, or both (...wishful thinking) are working

Bonus: you'll have two sets of iffy leads to try and cobble up one working pair that actually mate with the meter (at a certain position and insertion force)
whilst praying for no intermittent strand breaks  ( =>    )


and don't go near electricity or charged capacitors with them, or it's another $10.95 or $21.90 to pry out of the retro piggy bank,   

or take piggy along with you in case the doctor and his brother the eye surgeon next door, want a piece of the '$10.95' action too       


Edit: if you really must buy these OHL meters to prove someone wrong or you just feel 'lucky'  and or uncurable serial cheapskate
at least save some pennies/cents/pick a currency  and buy a real meter (like the little blue EEVblog model) 

and kept in reserve for those times you don't feel like crossing your fingers on a task   

Thank god I have my an870's then!

[maginnovision]

I want to remind everyone that this is a thread about a $10.95 meter. I shouldn't be, but I am, constantly amazed at how a discussion like this can go down a path about some characteristic, some minor characteristic, in minute detail.

Anyone for whom the -3dB point of a true RMS acV measurement is vitally important isn't going to have this meter as their only option.

It is enough to hope they know enough to not poke it into a mains socket.

I have one and it is incredibly useful for measuring resistors to ensure I put them in the right place. I rarely need to make AC measurements. I have my BM235 for that.

I do agree but I also find characterizing the meters to be interesting. 1. More work is being done than the designer likely did. 2. It's never a bad idea to know how accurate the numbers your meters give you are for when the number matters. 3. It's fun to see how they evolve(and don't).

[GreyWoolfe]

The realistic better meter is going to cost $21.90

i.e. better buy two of these Anus8xxx or rebadged suss meters to confirm that one, or the other, or none, or both (...wishful thinking) are working

Bonus: you'll have two sets of iffy leads to try and cobble up one working pair that actually mate with the meter (at a certain position and insertion force)
whilst praying for no intermittent strand breaks  ( =>    )


and don't go near electricity or charged capacitors with them, or it's another $10.95 or $21.90 to pry out of the retro piggy bank,   

or take piggy along with you in case the doctor and his brother the eye surgeon next door, want a piece of the '$10.95' action too       


Edit: if you really must buy these OHL meters to prove someone wrong or you just feel 'lucky'  and or uncurable serial cheapskate
at least save some pennies/cents/pick a currency  and buy a real meter (like the little blue EEVblog model) 

and kept in reserve for those times you don't feel like crossing your fingers on a task   

I guess it must be nice to have a stack of HP 3458As around to measure everything exactly as you want and as safely as you want.     For some, that may be all that they can afford even after saving for awhile.  May be that some of us have also support the stepdaughter, husband and grandkids.  May be some of us are actually serial cheapskates.  May be that some of us will use one once a year to check some low resistances on a service call and don't see the need to spend the money on the little blue meter when they already have better handheld and bench meters that are simply too big to fit in the toolbag. 

Instead of being an arse about peoples' choices, be kind and make sure that they fully understand the limitations of their device so they don't become another statistic.  Courtesy has nothing to do with what part of the world you're from or what your particular society is about, you simply get more flies with honey than you do with vinegar.

[ez24]

Got my meter.  Cannot tell the difference between it and the 8008.

Ordered another on - thanks OP

[Cerebus]

May be some of us are actually serial cheapskates.

Recognizing something that is good enough is a valuable skill. Buying the cheapest technically suitable ought to be a badge of honour.

You're not originally from Aberdeen are you? 

The trick is to be a patient cheapskate. I have a nice collection of high quality, second hand test gear, plastered with names like HP, Fluke, Keithley, TTi, and so on, with no individual item costing me more than £60 GBP plus postage. The trick is being prepared to wait for the right thing to turn up, at the right price and being passingly competent at calibrating things. This week's acquisition was a Systron Donner 10MHz pulse generator for the princely outlay of £15 GBP plus postage (This one may be a fixer-upper, I'll find out on Monday).

[Electro Detective]

My apologies if my comment offended any serial cheapskates,
chill guys, hey I'm one of you, well a part timer anyway.     

but seriously, I would not recommend these car wheel chocs to young players, DIY-ers, clueless tradies
or cheapskate electronics euthanasiaists enthusiasts

They are not a WYSIWYG item, unless you have a pair to confirm they work properly,
better make that 10, and score a bulk pack discount lol

and whether you choose to accept it or not, one day these pocket sized ticking time b0mbs will be misused in one of the dumbass or brainfart or 'don't try this at home...' methods discussed at many posts at this forum,
either by the owner or an unaware 'borrower' 


Meters and cables/leads are one item I never go cheap on, because I can't SEE or sense if something is amiss or the readings false.
They don't have to be a top shelf Fluke    or a trailing competition brand to be a decent affordable meter

My mid price 'student pocket money friendly' Tandy/RS and Jaycar meters from 20 years back are still going strong and read on the money,
where will these cheapos be in 10 years?

assuming the leads make it past six months without drama, and the 'suspect meter' gets the blame and the lot binned     


Please consider   

[Johnboy]

The realistic better meter is going to cost $21.90

i.e. better buy two of these Anus8xxx or rebadged suss meters to confirm that one, or the other, or none, or both (...wishful thinking) are working

Bonus: you'll have two sets of iffy leads to try and cobble up one working pair that actually mate with the meter (at a certain position and insertion force)
whilst praying for no intermittent strand breaks  ( =>    )


and don't go near electricity or charged capacitors with them, or it's another $10.95 or $21.90 to pry out of the retro piggy bank,   

or take piggy along with you in case the doctor and his brother the eye surgeon next door, want a piece of the '$10.95' action too       


Edit: if you really must buy these OHL meters to prove someone wrong or you just feel 'lucky'  and or uncurable serial cheapskate
at least save some pennies/cents/pick a currency  and buy a real meter (like the little blue EEVblog model) 

and kept in reserve for those times you don't feel like crossing your fingers on a task   

I found this funny as hell and not offensive in the least. My sinuses are still recovering from the onslaught of soft-drink through the nasal passages.

It would be great if we could all afford Gossen M30's, but of course most of us just can't. And having hands-on experience with a variety of meters is valuable to me (even with cheap meters), because if I were to spend money on something more top-end and full-featured, I wouldn't know what to pick. Anyone who buys a Fluke 87V as their first meter (and plenty of electricians do, to say nothing of electronics techs or hobbyists) is unlikely to be interested in the feature set of ten-dollar meters from China.

The main issue with this [unbranded] AN8008, and other similarly priced meters, is that they are not safe to work with the voltage standards they claim for safety on their face, as has been stated here and elsewhere every time they come up in conversation. Putting that aside, they seem fine for low-voltage hobby projects, and possibly might be useful as a throwaway even in some other situations-- but it depends on the individual.

I'm as interested as some others in this thread about where this new market is leading itself. Will we all live to see an Aneng 500,000 count meter for ten dollars? And by then, will anyone still be interested, or will those consumers largely be modding a two-dollar meter that has 20,000?

[precaud]

I'm as interested as some others in this thread about where this new market is leading itself.

I agree, that's the more interesting question. But this "new market" is not just cheap-DVM-specific. I think what we're seeing is the use of sites like eBay by manufacturers and large retailers to rid themselves of excess inventory and manufacturing overruns. I've encountered this several times. Most recently, I bought a programmable calculator a couple months ago.  Best price I found was by an ebay vendor with some innocuous-sounding name. It was a new item in the sealed retail package, so I ordered it. It arrived two days later in a padded envelope with a "Sam's Club" return address. The receipt inside was from a Sams Club warehouse in the Denver area. They were selling the item on eBay cheaper than they sell it in their own stores.

My hunch is, these brandless AN8008's will be available until they sell out.

[edavid]

I bought a meter from one of the $10.95 listings.  The meter is unmarked, but the box says Bside ZT109.  Shipping was very fast.

OP, thanks very much for pointing these out.

[Electro Detective]

I'm as interested as some others in this thread about where this new market is leading itself.
Will we all live to see an Aneng 500,000 count meter for ten dollars?
And by then, will anyone still be interested,

or will those consumers largely be modding a two-dollar meter that has 20,000?

If the cheapo meter circuit isn't incorporated into morebile phones as a  "pay as you probe" app by then, chances are high no one will need a meter in 10 / 20 years anyway,

not even for testing batteries, they'll have their own on board VOM and ESR gimmickry and 'buy a new one' leaking chemical sabotagery

everything else will be plug and play and bin... or sent back to Sweatshoppe Support Services Inc or their local rep for a refurb / changeover 


Electronic forum discussions will degenerate morph to which 666 inch 'Home Arena' Wall TV to buy,
the OHL knockoff on sale or the latest OHL Gen 11,
who are good or suss Ebay sellers, Amazon deals...

which car is smarter, and less likely to bug out and plough into a crowd of zombied jeering drunk sports addicts herding along home on the main road   

how to update the firmware chip on the back of your neck
and ensure it's diagnostic program and wireless sync is the current version on your smartphone

with the latest anti-virus and firewall updates,
and any hacks to unlock all your memory   

 
yeah, brave new world just around the corner, 

start ditching those meters now before you get seen with one in the future to check a fence wire for continuity,
and sold out by a snotty neighbor after complaining about their stupid dog barking 24/7 and dr0pp!ng b0mbs in your pool and front door, 

you may get yourself apprehended by the Thought Police     


 

 

[bugi]

...
Electronic forum discussions will degenerate morph to which 666 inch 'Home Arena' Wall TV to buy,
...

Pretty much certain that won't be happening. Considering the rising costs of houses/apartments, there will be a limit in size and that limit will decrease over time   Maybe 120 inch, though, it might just about fit in..

[Fungus]

assuming the leads make it past six months without drama

Mine have!

[Fungus]

I bought a meter from one of the $10.95 listings.  The meter is unmarked, but the box says Bside ZT109.  Shipping was very fast.

Sounds like somebody found a few crates of meters and is undercutting everybody else to offload them.

( Or maybe there's a new generation waiting and they're clearing out stock of the old ones.  )

[precaud]

I bought a meter from one of the $10.95 listings.  The meter is unmarked, but the box says Bside ZT109.  Shipping was very fast.

Sounds like somebody found a few crates of meters and is undercutting everybody else to offload them.

( Or maybe there's a new generation waiting and they're clearing out stock of the old ones.  )

The ZT109 shows as "discontinued" on Banggood...

[VEGETA]

So right now I have the multimeter AN8002 and AN8009 (my main). Then I plan to get EEVblog 121GW meter when it is available and stable enough, so it would be my main high end meter. Combining these 3 is the best choice and will never have a project which needs more... especially that 121GW can measure voltage and current at the same time.

Anyway I still have a manual Uni-T meter which I don't like... I will sell it or just give it away.

Best regards,