Multimeter Suggestions

[DaveP]

I'm learning electronics so I have a Fluke 87V. There are many decent cheap DMM's but most don't have very good resolution and I wouldn't depend on them. If you are an average vaper and not pushing batteries to their max Amps, then a cheap DMM may be fine. If you are going to use mech's then I would recommend getting a good quality DMM. There are some good ones for $50 - $100.
Would I be using mech's or mod's pushing high Amps using a cheap $20 DMM? Not a chance!
If you are going to get a cheap DMM, get 2 of them. That way you can compare the readings of both, and if one drifts out of specs, hopefully you'll catch it with the other one.

The Fluke 87 is a nice, well built, accurate meter. OTOH, I don't know anyone who would spend $400 on a meter to check voltage on a $10 battery for a mod that costs under $100. Flukes are for people who make their living using one. I was one of those people and carried a Fluke. Now that I have to fork over the money for my own use, I buy and verify Chinese knockoffs. I've found them to be fairly accurate and repeatable.

I agree that Chinese knockoffs should be tested and calibrated for accuracy, but most are accurate enough for vaping use. As Yzer said, you can test the resistance accuracy of a meter by comparing it's reading with a 1% resistor. You can also visit your friend who forked over $400 for a Fluke to compare readings.

 

[Kaezziel]

The Fluke 87 is a nice, well built, accurate meter. OTOH, I don't know anyone who would spend $400 on a meter to check voltage on a $10 battery for a mod that costs under $100. Flukes are for people who make their living using one. I was one of those people and carried a Fluke. Now that I have to fork over the money for my own use, I buy and verify Chinese knockoffs. I've found them to be fairly accurate and repeatable.

I agree that Chinese knockoffs should be tested and calibrated for accuracy, but most are accurate enough for vaping use. As Yzer said, you can test the resistance accuracy of a meter by comparing it's reading with a 1% resistor. You can also visit your friend who forked over $400 for a Fluke to compare readings.

And that's what it all comes down to... I've got a couple of Fluke meters at home, myself... because I use them to make money to pay for my vape habit
There is nothing wrong with the cheaper meters as long as you check them on a routine basis for accuracy. Best way to do that is to go to an electronics store (Radio Shack or the like) and pick up a couple of resistors of known resistance... I usually keep a 1 ohm, 100 ohm, and 10k ohm just for this purpose.. if the meter reads what it should for the given resistor, then you're good to go... (of course, subtract out lead resistance if applicable). The only thing that really matters is: Is the reading accurate and are you happy with the accuracy? The brand name on the meter itself is fairly irrelevant...

 

[rc3po]

The Fluke 87 is a nice, well built, accurate meter. OTOH, I don't know anyone who would spend $400 on a meter to check voltage on a $10 battery for a mod that costs under $100. Flukes are for people who make their living using one. I was one of those people and carried a Fluke. Now that I have to fork over the money for my own use, I buy and verify Chinese knockoffs. I've found them to be fairly accurate and repeatable.

I agree that Chinese knockoffs should be tested and calibrated for accuracy, but most are accurate enough for vaping use. As Yzer said, you can test the resistance accuracy of a meter by comparing it's reading with a 1% resistor. You can also visit your friend who forked over $400 for a Fluke to compare readings.

I guess you missed the part where I said I'm learning electronics? That's why I have the Fluke.
If you want to sub-Ohm and put your faith in a cheap $20 meter, be my guest - it's your face...

 

[DaveP]

I guess you missed the part where I said I'm learning electronics? That's why I have the Fluke.
If you want to sub-Ohm and put your faith in a cheap $20 meter, be my guest - it's your face...

I don't sub ohm, but if I did I'd be perfectly happy with reading resistance on a coil after measuring and subtracting lead resistance on a cheapo meter that I've checked calibration on. I also have a 510 auto-ranging ohm meter that I use for a coiling base.

I understand your reasons for having a Fluke. It's the best meter for an electronic technician. It's just overkill for most people who need a meter around the house for various reasons. Ten and twenty dollar meters are cheap enough to have one in the car, several in the house, and one in the workshop. I have 5 or 6 Harbor Freight and Home Depot meters in various places where I'm likely to need one without walking stairs to get it. My Simpson digital (which is roughly equal to a Fluke 87) stays in a drawer upstairs.

You did read the part about checking accuracy to make sure the Chinese knockoff is accurate enough to ensure your safety? I love Flukes. I just don't see the average vaper spending a car payment on a meter. I spent 4 decades as a field engineer who spent most of his time in computer rooms and electronic printing shops. I carried a scope, a high end meter, and all the test equipment, including a laptop loaded with diagnostic software complete with interface cables to connect to the equipment. I was the guy they called when my company's equipment quit working.

I'll say again. If you don't mind spending $400 for a Fluke to test your $10 battery and $1.50 atomizer, go for it. Most vapers have little use for a high end meter. Calibrate and test, then have confidence in your $10 meter and life will be good. You will have $390 to spend on vaping hardware.

 

[rc3po]

And that's what it all comes down to... I've got a couple of Fluke meters at home, myself... because I use them to make money to pay for my vape habit
There is nothing wrong with the cheaper meters as long as you check them on a routine basis for accuracy. Best way to do that is to go to an electronics store (Radio Shack or the like) and pick up a couple of resistors of known resistance... I usually keep a 1 ohm, 100 ohm, and 10k ohm just for this purpose.. if the meter reads what it should for the given resistor, then you're good to go... (of course, subtract out lead resistance if applicable). The only thing that really matters is: Is the reading accurate and are you happy with the accuracy? The brand name on the meter itself is fairly irrelevant...

You get what you pay for with meters. And if he listens to yall, he might pay for it with a blasted face. That guy at the vape meet in San Antonio probably uses a cheapo DMM.
Anyway, he's been warned.

 

[Kaezziel]

Okay, rc3po... so you have a Fluke and you're learning electronics.... I've been an electronics technician for over 20 years.
If you want to get technical, then you need to know that your Fluke meter is no better than the cheap $10 - $20 Harbor Freight meter if you don't send it in for calibration EVERY YEAR.
You can get away with it if you do the simple checks that I outlined in my previous post... which also works for the cheap meters... as long as the accuracy is there, brand doesn't matter...
There's no reason to get snarky here, and if you want to spend money on your Fluke, then by all means do so... but recognize that not everyone has the money to throw around for high end meters, so they get by with less expensive, but still very functional equipment...

 

[rc3po]

You did read the part about checking accuracy to make sure the Chinese knockoff is accurate enough to ensure your safety? I love Flukes. I just don't see the average vaper spending a car payment on a meter. I spent 4 decades as a field engineer who spent most of his time in computer rooms. I carried a scope, a high end meter, and all the test equipment, including a laptop loaded with diagnostic software complete with interface cables to connect to the equipment.

I'll say again. If you don't mind spending $400 for a Fluke to test your $10 battery and $1.50 atomizer, go for it. Most vapers have little use for a high end meter. Calibrate and test, then have confidence in your $10 meter and life will be good. You will have $390 to spend on vaping hardware.

I never said he should buy a Fluke. I said that he can get a decent meter for $50 - $100. There are some decent meters around $50 that I would trust 10 times more than a $10 - $20 meter. I also said it's more important if he's sub-ohming. Perhaps you should actually read the comment before you comment?

 

[DaveP]

I never said he should buy a Fluke. I said that he can get a decent meter for $50 - $100. There are some decent meters around $50 that I would trust 10 times more than a $10 - $20 meter. I also said it's more important if he's sub-ohming. Perhaps you should actually read the comment before you comment?

There's no reason to argue this thing into the ground. $20 meter ... $50 meter ... It's all offshore stuff. The crux of the point I was making is that people need to learn how to ensure their meter is giving them good readings. My whole point (earlier) was that not subtracting lead resistance could result in someone building a .5 ohm coil that was really .1 because they didn't know how to subtract lead resistance.

I use two meters to verify my coils, as I said. There's the cheapo HF meter and the 510 socket digital. If both agree, I'm confident. Then, I check it on my Provari when I use it.

 

[rc3po]

There's no reason to argue this thing into the ground. $20 meter ... $50 meter ... It's all offshore stuff. The crux of the point I was making is that people need to learn how to ensure their meter is giving them good readings. My whole point (earlier) was that not subtracting lead resistance could result in someone building a .5 ohm coil that was really .1 because they didn't know how to subtract lead resistance.

I use two meters to verify my coils, as I said. There's the cheapo HF meter and the 510 socket digital. If both agree, I'm confident. Then, I check it on my Provari when I use it.

Then why are you arguing it into the ground - saying I said things that I didn't say? You can open the meters up and see the difference in quality real quick.

 

[yzer]

I really like mine. It's a great inexpensive ohm meter for vaping use. I also like that it zeros the ohms so that I don't have to subtract the lead resistance. I like to keep my vaping as simple as possible.

Strangely enough, the upgraded and current version of the 20 year-old Equus 4320 I have seems to be the same as the Innova 3320 that you have.

Equus - Products - 4320 Digital Multimeter (10 MegOhm) - Diagnostics Made Easy

 

[dchemist]

I bought an INNOVA 3320. It's very accurate and I really like the auto-ranging and auto-power off features.

+1 on the Innova 3320. You can also find it in the automotive section in Wal-Mart or here:

http://mobile.walmart.com/ip/Innova...nging-Digital-Multimeter/14644666?type=search

 

[DaveP]

Interesting test results on a fairly long list of inexpensive meters. Surprisingly, most were more accurate than the testers expected.

Digital Multimeters Review, Page 1 - Robot Room

"The cheap multimeters must be junk!" I chortled to myself.

But, being an open-minded amateur scientist, rather than just making assumptions, I decided to test the accuracy of over a dozen multimeters, some of which I already owned:

Four meters below $10
Four meters between $10-$20
Three meters between $30-$40
Three meters between $100-$175

 

[Coldrake]

Strangely enough, the upgraded and current version of the 20 year-old Equus 4320 I have seems to be the same as the Innova 3320 that you have.

Equus - Products - 4320 Digital Multimeter (10 MegOhm) - Diagnostics Made Easy

I'm sure it is. Equus and Innova are both brands from the same company.