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Took a chance on a cheap multimeter instead of Fluke - big mistake | Electricians - Babble Community

Took a chance on a cheap multimeter instead of Fluke - big mistake

Honestly I needed a new multimeter for residential work around Denver and figured I'd save $150 by grabbing a no-name brand off Amazon. Tbh it worked fine for about two weeks then started giving me wacky voltage readings on a 240v circuit. Ngl I'm lucky I double-checked with my old Fluke before hooking up a new water heater or I could've fried the whole unit. Has anyone else had a cheap meter fail on them like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

beth_reed4mo ago

Did you check if the cheap one had any kind of safety rating at all? I bought a $30 meter off Amazon once and the leads literally melted when I tried to measure a live outlet. I feel like those no-name brands skip all the important stuff like overvoltage protection and proper fusing. A Fluke might cost more but at least I know it won't lie to me or catch fire. For residential work around here you really need something that can handle the 240v stuff without guessing. I'd rather spend the money once than replace a broken meter and a fried appliance.

lindal134mo ago

@beth_reed nailed it honestly. Did that $30 meter even have a CAT rating on it somewhere? Most of those cheap ones just slap a random voltage number on the box and call it a day. I've seen reviews where people tested them and the internal fusing was basically nonexistent, like a paperclip in there instead of a real fuse. For 240v stuff you really need at least a CAT II or CAT III rating, otherwise you're gambling every time you plug it in.

adamk954mo ago

Counterpoint - I've had a $25 Amazon meter for three years now and it's still spot on with my buddy's Fluke on every 120v and 240v job we've done side by side. Maybe you just got a dud or didn't research which cheap ones actually have proper fusing and CAT ratings.