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Selecting a multimeter...
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MonitorGuru:
They almost always have it on sale for $2.99 or $3.99 at the local store. About every other month I get an email with it that price online as well. Check your local store if you have one.

This is the model that always goes on sale:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=30756

They also have this model number that is almost the same:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=90899


Again check your local store or their paper ads and it rarely is at $9.99--almost always half or less than half that price at the store.
missioncontrol:
Fluke is definately top of the line, I would love to have one, but I settled for a cheap one they had at Home Depot....Sperry DM-350A it has all the standard functions and has lasted a few years. It was around $10.00
brained:
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=37772

check this one, it can even read capacitors!!
JustMichael:
If you are buying the meter just for this hobby, do NOT spend hundreds of dollars on a meter.  Sure the expensive one will last you many years but so will a cheap one that isn't used that often.  Make sure the meter is digital and not analog (needle reading).  Auto-ranging is nice but don't spend twice as much on a meter just to get that.  It isn't hard to turn a dial and even with auto-ranging you still have to turn a dial to tell the meter what it will be measuring.  One thing I would recommend is that the meter have a continuity checker.  This simply means when there is a connection, the meter makes noise.  This feature is especially good if you are trying to track down a bad wiring connection.  Do NOT use this feature while your cabinet is on though.
Darkstalker:

--- Quote from: JustMichael on October 25, 2004, 04:30:38 pm ---If you are buying the meter just for this hobby, do NOT spend hundreds of dollars on a meter.  Sure the expensive one will last you many years but so will a cheap one that isn't used that often.  Make sure the meter is digital and not analog (needle reading).  Auto-ranging is nice but don't spend twice as much on a meter just to get that.  It isn't hard to turn a dial and even with auto-ranging you still have to turn a dial to tell the meter what it will be measuring.  One thing I would recommend is that the meter have a continuity checker.  This simply means when there is a connection, the meter makes noise.  This feature is especially good if you are trying to track down a bad wiring connection.  Do NOT use this feature while your cabinet is on though.

--- End quote ---

And don't leave it on continuity for long periods of time either, it will kill the batteries in your multimeter.  I agree it is an essential setting, there's no easier way to test if a switch is bad.
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