Suppose you are in a famous market in your town looking for hiking shoes, what would you focus on the most before buying? In my opinion, it would be traction, weight, durability, and of course, comfort which is the most important factor. And if you find a brand with all these features it will gain all your trust and satisfaction. Same as in the case of multimeters, the brands that are reliable and accurate will be called as best multimeter brands.
Today there are dozens of brands manufacturing digital and analog multimeters. Every company has its own goals and target populations for business growth. So we can’t make an opinion about a manufacturer after checking one or two of their products. For this purpose, we should see whether the majority of their multimeters come under quality standards or not. Let us resolve this issue for you as we already have experience with good multimeter brands.
Cutting it short below we’ll discuss the best multimeter brands and the reasons behind their success as well.
Fluke Corporation
Every electrician and electrical engineer working around the globe has no doubt it that no other brand can meet fluke class. They are regarded as leaders in the market, even people test other multimeters by matching their results with fluke meters. Fluke Corporation was founded in 1948 in Everet Wahington by John Fluke Sr. So technically it’s a pure American brand, working in a number of countries around the globe nowadays.
If someone asked us to tell three main factors behind fluke success, we would say it without a pause accuracy, safety, and durability. Some old folks will verify that some fluke multimeters which they managed to carry for around 20 – 30 years and still they are giving pinpoint accuracy. Fluke meters also come with protection against overloads, spikes, and surges up to 8kv. All their meters are properly insulated and have body protective covers.
Although these meters are much more expensive than competitors but also provide us only laboratory calibrated and rigorously tested best multimeters. They have products for every type of field, like you may get some basic machines for general or home use like fluke 101 or 106. For intermediate pricing, you may go with 110 series like fluke 117, 115, and 114. For next level heavy duty industrial operations they have options of fluke 87 v and 175.
Technologies like true RMS, analog bar graph, low impedance mode, ncv , data logging, and compatibility with smart phones through apps or bluetooth are common in fluke multimeters. Price range is also very flexible covering from 100 bucks to 1000 bucks.
It’s another famous old tools company working since 1857, based in Illinois USA. Klien tools has a history of making 3800 different types of tools including screwdrivers, tool bags, bolt cutters, conduit benders, and of course multimeters. We liked their meters due to their soft elegant design, supreme accuracy, sturdier body, and safety features. Klien multimeters are very near to fluke if it comes to accuracy for voltage, current, and ohms findings.
Klien multimeters are relatively thinner in size, and have a very simple to understand interface. It would be the best choice for DIY electronics hobbyists to use these meters. Unlike fluke, they are available at a reasonable price range with no compromise over quality. Multimeters like mm300 and clamp meter cl800 are best for both industrial and commercial use. Its meters with temperature probe provide much ease for hvac electricians in their routine tasks.
Amprobe is another giant in the multimeter industry, with a significant share of the market. They are regarded as the first manufacturer of clamp meters which resolves a lot of problems for electricians. Through a clamp amp, we can detect current in any circuit without breaking it. Amprobe multimeters are specially built for electricians with CAT safety ratings, current and voltage ranges, ohms, capacitance, and frequency measurements.
Amprobe,s most rated meter is AM-570 which is considered cheap in lieu of some expensive multimeters like fluke. We also liked this meter and included it in our reviews because of its unique performance. Another positive point of this brand is its affordability, as most of its products lie between 80 to 130 dollars. Due to this fact, we can also consider this brand as best budget multimeters. Here less budget doesn’t mean any compromise over quality or accuracy.
As a matter of fact, we admit here that these reasonable multimeters do not have a much longer lifespan like a fluke. But that’s logical when one product has a much lower price than another.
Innova digital multimeters are another example of classy multimeters at a lower price. It’s a usa based company having headquarters in California. Their meters have the latest features like true rms, auto ranging , low impedance, fused protection, and rubberized guards around meter body to provide protection against sudden fall damages.
Their masterpiece innova 3340 gained popularity among automotive electricians due to its efficiency for auto troubleshooting. It is designed to solve core engine issues, prevents damage to the engine control unit, do alternator checkup, and do routine maintenance operations. You may also check rpm through its tachometer. That’s why we recommend this brand for automative use.
Anyhow, we can’t limit it to automotive use only, they are good options to utilize for commercial, labs, homes, or medium level industrial use.
Some other specialties we found in innova multimeters are their rugged body, broad lcd screens, body protective sleeves, and variety of functions within a reasonable price range. This brand gives a warranty on all of its products.
It’s a china based company that has a warehouse setup in USA, Mexico, Spain, and some other countries. Whenever we want to conclude a list of affordable quality multimeters mastech will always be a part of that list. This best multimeter brand is known for providing some extra functions other than basic electrical parameters that are humidity sensor, sound intensity meter, and lux or light meter which are present in its standard product Mastech MS8229.
If you are looking for a lower price but accurate and reliable multimeter then mastech is really a worth having meter. Other features in this brand are backlit lcds, lighted jacks warning, diode testing, relative mode to find the difference between readings and data holding.
Greenlee or brymen is a Taiwan based company manufacturing test instruments since 1993. many electricians know this multimeters brand as greenle multimeters but the main company is brymen. This brand has mid range multimeters which are slightly more expensive than Amprobe or mastech type brands but you’ll also get a compact multimeter with good specifications. They are also considered medium range substitutes for fluke multimeters due to their specs. Compatibility.
Many Greenlee meters come with true rms sensing ability, a higher voltage range which may be up to 1000v , CAT 4 ratings making them a pure industrial multimeter. Its meters like Greenlee DM-830A is designed to work in high load environments along with all safety requirement. Other specialties are pc logging, data recording, plastic holsters which provide body protection, clear lcd view angle, backlight, and ergonomic body shape.
Extech Instruments was founded in 1971 in Waltham Massachusetts, united states. They had proven them by providing a wide range of medium priced classy multimeters in the market. They are manufacturing many other tools as well other than digital multimeters. Extech meters have a large range of parameters like voltage, amps, frequency, non contact voltage detection, temperature testing, capacitance, and much more.
We liked this best multimeters brand due to its sleek make design, good response speed, simple interface, and safety protections. One of its multimeter Extech EX330 is a pocket size dmm that can ideally fit into your uniform pocket and you may move anywhere without carrying a tool bag for the meter. They have a flexible price range that covers lower to medium range multimeters.
Kaiweets is another china based company that got thousands of positive feedback from online consumers. Just like other chinese multimeters kaiweets multimeters are available at a very affordable price range mostly under 100. We loved to add their meters in our reviews due to their worthy functionalities and some useful add ons like lighted jacks to tell users about correct port connections.
Kaiweets multimeters come with the latest features and are yet available at a very reasonable price, which gives it an edge over competitors. Generally, we get these types of characteristics only in expensive multimeters like liquid temperature testing, analog bar graphs, true rms, data retention, CE and Rohs certifications, and safety regulations like CAT ratings. All these you can get in kaiweets multimeters like in kaiweets HT118A.
With this variety of functionalities, they are a suitable brand for various applications like HVAC , automotive, general home use, or industrial installations. They had added useful audio and visual indications for guiding about a situation like lcd color changing over 80v/10 A, light and audio warning for non contact voltage detection, and lighted jacks to indicate about right test lead port.
Leo Maxwell is basically an Electrical engineer and hobby tech writer, having 13 years of experience in the electronics and instrumentation industry. He has hands on experience working in various fields like Powerhouses, solar, automotive, and FMCG.
During his career, he has used many power tools and meters in electrical projects. Now his aim is to explain tools and troubleshooting in easy guides to help people. Other then it, leo loves traveling, reading books and DIY tasks.
