[sdiy] cheap little meters

[Richard Wentk]

At 07:13 03/01/2005, Ken Stone wrote:
>I have four digital meters -
>
>1)Fluke. Needless to say, the best I have.

I've never seen the big deal with Fluke. I have one of their mid-range 
models, and apart from the cost and the slightly better than average build 
quality it doesn't seem significantly different internally (yes, I pulled 
it apart) or externally to much cheaper designs.

The practical benefits of paying a $100 premium for the brand name don't 
entirely convince me.

>4)$9 cheap and nasty. This thing beats the Standard in all categories, and
>for it's price is a pretty amazing piece of equipment. I'd rate it second to
>my Fluke.

Jaycar sell a bunch of meters like these for ultra-cheap prices. Their top 
line models have RS232 data logging and a lot of clever stuff the Flukes 
don't come close to. I haven't bought one yet, but I'd be surprised if they 
weren't similar to this (supposedly) cheap and nasty in quality and features.

Richard