Pro tip: stop using those cheap multimeters from harbor freight

I compared a $7 harbor freight meter to a $50 fluke on the same dryer heating element last week. The cheap one showed 120 volts when the fluke showed 240, nearly sent me chasing a ghost problem. Anyone else had a cheap meter steer you wrong?

3 comments

3 Comments

haydenbutler2mo ago

Buddy of mine had a harbor freight meter read 12 volts on a car battery that was actually dead at 8 volts. He kept trying to jump start it thinking his charger was busted, wasted like two hours cussing at his truck before he borrowed my fluke. Turns out that cheap meter just lies to you when the battery gets weak, it doesn't even give you a warning or anything. He tossed that thing in the trash right there in my driveway and went out and bought a decent one that same afternoon. Saved himself a lot of headache after that.

alice3362mo ago

Had the same thing happen with a cheap meter from an auto parts store. Showed 12.4 volts on a battery that was actually at 9 volts. The thing wouldn't even give a consistent reading if you moved the leads around. What finally worked for me was picking up a Klein meter from the hardware store. Costs a bit more but it's solid. Now I also keep one of those handheld battery testers in my truck. They're cheap and actually work because they put a small load on the battery. That old meter went straight in the trash too.

riley_west1mo agoMost Upvoted

Jumping off what haydenbutler said about that meter lying when the battery gets weak, I think the real issue is they don't have a proper low battery indicator built in. I had an old cheap meter that would show any random voltage once its own battery dropped below a certain point, like it just gave up trying. A decent meter will either show a flat battery symbol or just go blank, which actually saves the headache because you know right then to swap the battery. It's wild that a tool meant to measure power can't even monitor its own power supply correctly.