This is a fantastic meter by any standard; especially for the price. I sunk a lot of time and research into choosing this puppy. I purchased to replace a Fluke 289 I have had for many years (a meter that is still at least 7 times the price of this one). Over my years of usage with the Fluke I came to love it's accuracy and fluidity but loath what I consider the price gouging that goes on with the gold standard in multi meters. When my Fluke started giving issues I decided to dip my foot into the Chinese clone market figuring after 7 years or so of technology advancement somebody should be able to build a decent meter for under $60! I was not disappointed at all with this meter. The physical and electrical build quality is good. Structurally it is about 75% that of the Fluke which is way over engineered (the Fluke is designed for field abuse, day in day out). Electrically (safety wise for high voltage work) I'd say it's also 75% compared to my old Fluke (I'm talking about the contacts inside the case if you were to open [don't do this unless you know what you're doing], blow out separation on the main circuit board, etc). If you're going to be doing very high voltage work (above standard mains power) the Fluke 289 will withstand a "catastrophic failure" better than this meter, however I have used this meter with mains power (110/120v) quite comfortably. I even gave it a little trauma test on mains power (do not do this) due to a rather tricky high voltage frequency measurement. It squealed like a stuck pig (the warning tone) but it didn't even shut down or lock up. When you understand the level of power and energy inside your humble electrical socket you'll understand why this impressed me a whole lot and gave me confidence to do almost any DC work which is low voltage compared to mains power. I've been using this meter almost daily for several hours a day since I got it about a month ago and I have fallen in love with it. I've hit it with 1-2A current analysis at 12V without any issues. Also been current testing in the low mA range without any issues. I like the fact that the meter is paranoid about safety and will give warning tones with rapidly rising current in the sub 500mA range because low amperage ports are only fused to 1A. I think that additional audible alarm on fast rising current can save many a newbie from a blown fuse and even experienced users from carelessness.
I'm comparing this meter to a $500 meter and I can honestly say unless you're a field technician working for some sort of utility who will be dropping their meter, bumping it into stuff and subjecting it to much abuse there's no reason to be fleeced anymore by the big boy on the block. Also for the price of this meter you could afford to blow one up and buy another for the price of the lowest priced Fluke available (which is NOT the quality of the 289; which is a "professional" meter). I hope this review helps a person or two. I was really skittish about spitting out the "yellow lemonade" of the big brand for this relatively unknown but I hope the manufacturer keeps this up because they've got a winning combination on their hands with price point vs quality. The accuracy is as good as the Fluke, the speed to update is very slightly less and the leads are plastic not silicone. I've purposefully used the plastic leads instead of the Fluke silicone ones I have just to test the unit "as is" and while less convenient than the silicone leads I can live with them and I'll save my silicone leads for when I need them inside a vertical panel box full of wires and other tangle hazards rather than my lab workbench where I can comfortably route the cables out of the way. Hopefully this baby will keep serving me for a long while. If you do enough experimenting and research you'll subject your meter to electrical abuse eventually. Paying more than the cost of a good oscilloscope just for a multi meter in this day is just down right ridiculous unless you're in very specific lines of work. I'll update this review sometime in the future after more adventures in Mr. Ohm's playground. Hopefully I'll still be as pleased as I am today.
PS: I treat my equipment well. Any abuse my equipment suffers is in the line of duty due to the nature of my work. If you are new to meters take the time to study, learn and experiment safely at low voltages and currents before moving up. READ the MANUAL and follow DUTY CYCLE WARNINGS! If you want to "dive right in" buy a $10 meter and expect to blow it up :-) Electronics is a beautiful thing, but electricity is unforgiving. Also you can't buy a new life!
| Brand | UNI-T |
|---|---|
| Power Source | Battery Powered |
| Style | Modern,Digital |
| Color | UT61E |
| Item Weight | 2 Pounds |
| Item dimensions L x W x H | 18 x 12.9 x 3.9 inches |
| Measurement Type | Multimeter |
| Manufacturer | RioRand |
| Model | 40019850@@1 |
| Item Weight | 2 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 18 x 12.9 x 3.9 inches |
| Item model number | 40019850@@1 |
| Batteries | 2 AA batteries required. |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Manufacturer Part Number | 40019850@@1 |
| Voltage | 9 Volts |
