Got burned by a cheap multimeter from a discount tool truck about five years back

It was one of those bright yellow ones they sell for maybe $20. I was checking a voltage on a dryer control board and it read 120v when it should have been zero. Spent two hours chasing a ghost problem before I borrowed a Fluke from the shop next door. That wrong reading cost me a $150 service call because I had to eat the time and the customer wasn't happy. I learned the hard way that a good meter is worth every penny. What's the oldest piece of test gear you still trust on a daily basis?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_holly10d ago

Oh man, that story hits home! Had a similar thing happen with a no-name meter reading continuity where there wasn't any. Tore apart a whole wiring harness for nothing. My old Fluke 77 from my first real job is still my go-to. That thing has been dropped in puddles and off ladders and just keeps on ticking. You really can't put a price on knowing your reading is right.

blake69111d ago

Cheap tools always cost more in the end, don't they? My old Simpson 260 from trade school still works like a charm.

the_karen19h ago

Yeah, but what about when the cheap tool is dangerous? Had a buddy using a bargain bin meter on a 480 panel. Thing read zero, but it was just broken. Could have killed him. Makes you wonder about the safety checks on that stuff. Is it just bad parts, or do they skip testing altogether?