I want a bench top meter just to have something that lives on my workbench, in the same place, with a nice clear display that I can easily read. I don't really need any more precision or features than my handheld Kline unit. Just ergonomics.
My preference is a used HP or similar unit over something Chinese from Amazon, but I wont shoot myself in the foot just for "legitness"
My preference is a used HP or similar unit over something Chinese from Amazon, but I wont shoot myself in the foot just for "legitness"
HP 3478A is very good bang for the buck. I see several on ePay in around the $150-200 mark. My only annoyances with it are that it's limited to 300 V and that the calibration for the ohmmeter has to be done in either 2-wire mode or 4-wire mode. There's no separate calibration for 4-wire. That's kinda lame for a bench top meter IMO.
The HP 34401A is excellent too. They tend to sit around the $400-mark on ePay. I have two of them and love them. The 34401A is a 6.5-digit meter. Only beef with this one is that the highest current range is 3 A. That said, it's a rock solid meter. We probably had about a dozen of them, if not more, where I used to work. They were running 24/7 and never skipped a beat.
Personally I'd go for the 34401A. You won't regret it.
Buy a meter that has been calibrated. It doesn't have to be a NIST-traceable calibration, but at least have it calibrated against a calibrated meter of higher precision. There's no point in having a bench top meter that's out of spec. And consider buying from one of the many companies that specialize in used test equipment. You can find these companies on Used-Line and also sometimes on ePay. Many of these companies will do their own in-house calibration.
Many of the newer meters from HP/Agilent/Keysight/Whatever-Name-This-Week are honestly no better spec'ed than their original HP counterparts. They just have fancier features, such as USB connectivity and touch screens.
Tom
The HP 34401A is excellent too. They tend to sit around the $400-mark on ePay. I have two of them and love them. The 34401A is a 6.5-digit meter. Only beef with this one is that the highest current range is 3 A. That said, it's a rock solid meter. We probably had about a dozen of them, if not more, where I used to work. They were running 24/7 and never skipped a beat.
Personally I'd go for the 34401A. You won't regret it.
Buy a meter that has been calibrated. It doesn't have to be a NIST-traceable calibration, but at least have it calibrated against a calibrated meter of higher precision. There's no point in having a bench top meter that's out of spec. And consider buying from one of the many companies that specialize in used test equipment. You can find these companies on Used-Line and also sometimes on ePay. Many of these companies will do their own in-house calibration.
Many of the newer meters from HP/Agilent/Keysight/Whatever-Name-This-Week are honestly no better spec'ed than their original HP counterparts. They just have fancier features, such as USB connectivity and touch screens.
Tom
I'm a big fan of both Nixie tube and the big old LED meters. I find it very convenient to be able to read those huge displays without needing to have the darned thing right under your nose or in the work area. They're bright, easy to see and read from any angle or distance, and they look pretty cool too.
My own bench meters include Keithley 173A & 177, Dana 3800A and Weston 1240. My (so-called) handheld is a Simpson 360-2.
My own bench meters include Keithley 173A & 177, Dana 3800A and Weston 1240. My (so-called) handheld is a Simpson 360-2.
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