What should I expect to spend on a descent multi-meter? I don't need anything fancy, just a basic unit. Any certain one you guys would recomend? Thanks

 

you can get a cheap on at harbor freight for under ten bucks.

It will measure voltage and do resistance, I use it all the time and it works fine, you won't need anything fancier than that.

JH

 

Buy 2 of them.
One LED & the other needle Sweep style

 

I have high dollar ones that I don't like to get greasy. A cheap one will do for most tasks.

 

Plan on spending $15 - $20 for a decent starter meter. I've got a good fluke, but usually use my cheapo 95% of the time. Try not to go under $12 to $15. Those will work, but tend not to last too long.

Things to look for:

For me, the number one thing is flexable test leads. I don't want to fight stiff wires. Top of the line gets you rubber coated. It's nice to have probes that you can screw an aligator clip to. I usually use the clip on the neg. side and file the pos. side down to a sharp point.

If you're just starting out, try to stay away from auto-ranging meters. When you get strange readings, it's nice to flip though the ranges manually and it's easier to learn on. A nice option to have is audible continuity check - it buzzes on a short and you don't have to look at the meter.

The sweep needle analog meter, like Dennis is talking about, is a handy one to have, too. The GB I've got cost about $50, but but to do it over, I'd look in the $20 range. My first meter was a $10 analog special. I think I spent more time fixing that thing than anything else. With them you can check codes, sensors and they are better than digital for troubleshooting a blinker/flasher.

 

stay away from those $10 ones unless you just need it for a job or two. Plan on $30-50 for a decent one. A good one like Century or as mention Fluke will run upwards of $200 but they will last forever. Great overload protection built in. You won't need an analog for what your doing and the better digitals have a fast reaction time now. Hope this helps.

 

The one big difference with the real cheapo's is their ability to measure current. I know you probably wont use this function nearly as much as voltage or resistance but when you need it its nice to have. Look for one that can handle at least 10A. The real cheap ones at harbor freight only take about 1.5A. Otherwise as long as your not using it to measure AC voltage you should be fine with one of the less expensive ones.

 

What you are paying for in an expensive meter is the ohms-per-volt rating of the meter.

All meters, when reading voltage, actually "siphon" some of the voltage off to use in the meter circuitry. A cheap meter uses a larger amount of voltage from the circuit it's measuring, so there is a larger error when determining the voltage reading.
On most 12 volt circuits, you won't see the difference, but on very light duty, low voltage circuits, like the oxygen sensor, a cheap meter will not give a good reading.

 

Thanks for the help guys. I just got my tax refund, I think I'll go out and look for one in the $40.00 range, should be good enough for me. Thanks again.

 

I love my fancy Greenlee CM-900 it has lots of bells and whistles most of which I actually use.

Check it out at
http://www.greenlee.com/archive/ma-4350.pdf

But unless you really need this stuff just get a standard digital ac/dc/amp meter and an old style analog one, they will serve you very well for a very long time.

JJ