Wasted $75 on a cheap multimeter from Harbor Freight

I figured I'd save a few bucks and grabbed one of those $15 meters for my appliance calls. It gave me false readings on a fridge compressor last Tuesday and I spent 3 hours chasing a ghost problem. Anyone else had bad luck with budget testers messing up your diagnostics?

3 comments

3 Comments

wyattrobinson12d ago

Ditch that junk and grab a Fluke. Worth every penny.

amy15415d ago

Bet you dropped it once and never recalibrated.

josephl6715d ago

Hold up, what if the issue isn't a drop but just normal wear and tear? The plastic housing on these older models gets brittle from UV exposure, not from being dropped. I've seen units stored near a window that crack around the sensor port just from the heat cycling over a couple of years. A drop might crack the case, sure, but a slow crack from sunlight lets dust get inside and messes with the readings just as bad. Maybe check for any hairline splits near the battery door or the sensor lens before you blame gravity.