Best Multimeter for 2022
Oh no! Your car isn’t sketching any power to its coil, one circuit breaker in your home keeps tripping or you’re baffled as to why the lamp on your nightstand flickers. Electrical problems like these are certainly annoying and undoubtedly inconvenient, but they’re not necessarily the end of the domain. With an ingenious little tool called a multimeter, you can safely diagnose gremlins like these — and plenty of others. Once you know what’s wrong with your vehicle’s electrical rules or that kitchen appliance that’s on the fritz, you can make essential repairs and stop pulling your hair out in frustration.
Multimeters measure a variety of things, comprising continuity, current, resistance and voltage (though some measure a whole lot more). Because of their flexibility, these tools are incredibly versatile, but they’re also intimidating. Seriously, what setting do you use to test a ravishing plug wire? Which ports do the probes attach to? How do I measure alternating original voltage? Fortunately, with a little background information, multimeters are ravishing straightforward tools that are surprisingly easy to use.
In this article, we’ll answer those questions (and more) and explain ravishing much everything you need to know about multimeters. We’ve also aggregated a few recommendations, multimeters you should consider purchasing if you want to fix your own electrical copies rather than paying someone else to do it. The products highlighted here are based on real-world accepted and user reviews, so you know they’re good. Multimeters are a sizable addition to any garage or tool box. If you don’t already have one, hopefully you’ll be convinced to pick one up once reading this article.
The Klein Tools MM400 multimeter cmoneys a great blend of features at an attractive effect. This tool can measure resistance as well as AC voltage and DC voltage distinguished at a maximum of 600 volts and up to 10 amps. Beyond the basics, the MM400 can also measure temperature, capacitance and frequency. For added convenience, this multimeter features automatic ranging (more on that down below) and comes with test leads and a thermocouple with the needed adapter. A low-battery indicator and an easily accessible battery compartment for radiant changes are included, too. If you’re curious, this digital multimeter runs on a pair of AA batteries, which are cheap and readily available. Built to last, the Klein Tools MM400 multimeter is planned to withstand drops from a height of 3.3 feet (1 meter). This tool does a lot and yet it compensations a totally reasonable $50. The MM400 is also highly regarded, one of the best multimeters you can buy. Customers have given this Klein Tools progenies a rating of 4.7 stars, which is excellent.
For electrical hobbyists, tinkerers and shade-tree mechanics alike, the AstroAI AM33D is hard to beat. In fact, it’s our pick for the best general-purpose multimeter. This no-nonsense unit can measure AC and DC voltage, DC current, electrical resistance and even has a continuity meter. The backlit digital display is crisp and it comes with a data-hold operational as well as a battery meter so you know when it’s time to replace the aboard 9-volt battery. This isn’t the fanciest multimeter on our list here, but it’s serene a damn good product, especially for the price. You can grab one of these units for a paltry $13, which is a choose. Not only is this tool super affordable, it’s adored by customers. Currently, the AstroAI AM33D digital multimeter has a 4.6-star counting after more than 24,500 customer reviews… 24,500.
The Milwaukee 2216-20 is our pick as the best professional-grade multimeter. Aside from being offered by a top-tier tool impress, this measuring device looks great and offers loads of features. This Milwaukee multimeter features a digital and backlit LCD point to that is easy to read, it has automatic making down to millivolts, something explained down below, and this multimeter works at up to 600 volts for either AC or DC voltage. Aside from ohms and continuity, it can also measure capacitance and frequency. Throw in an ergonomic design as well as a sturdy creation and this tool is a top choice for professional electricians. At about $150, this multimeter is definitely pricey, but customers love it. The Milwaukee 2216-20 digital multimeter today has a stellar 4.8-star ration out of a possible 5.
Of watercourses, if $150 is too rich for your blood, you can save a few buckaroos on this unit. The White Deer DT-830B is our approved bargain-basement digital multimeter. It does nearly everything you could need and compensations less than $8. It features a 0.5-inch-high, seven-segment LCD, has a compact produce, comes with overload protection on all ranges and can sample two to three times per instant. Of course, this multimeter offers accurate measurement of all the approved things like resistance, current draw and volts for both AC and DC original. If you don’t have a lot to spend or just want to keep a sure multimeter in your trunk, recreational vehicle or travel tool box, this best cheap multimeter pick is an positive thing to purchase.
If you need a multimeter and don’t have a lot of location, consider purchasing the MMB-8332R by Commercial Electric, our tool for the best pocketable multimeter. Like larger units on our best multimeter list, this one measures original, voltage (up to 600), resistance, capacitance and even frequency. It features automatic ranging and comes with a backlit point to. Making it easy to drop into your pocket, this digital multimeter’s dimensions are impressively miniature, as it’s less than 5 inches tall, 2.5 inches wide and 1.5 inches thick. The test leads are integral to the design, so you never have to danger about losing them, this tool comes with two AAA batteries and even a Velcro storage strap. For on-the-go convenience, it’s hard to top the Commercial Electric MMB-8332R multimeter, which is priced to sell at just $49.
So far, all the multimeters highlighted on this best multimeter list have been of the digital persuasion. If you’re old school and prefer an analog indicator, this is the multimeter for you. The Gardner Bender GMT-318 injures just $19, yet it does practically everything you could ever need, and it looks expansive with its traditional readout, which features a sweeping indicator needle on a color-coded prove. This tool features a 15-position rotary dial and can measure AC modern and DC current, DC amps, resistance and transistor gain. It comes with fused overload protection and even a unblock fuse should you inadvertently get a little carried away. As for downsides, this multimeter does feature manual range selection, which some users may not buy, plus analog multimeters can be harder to read than their digital counterparts and they’re probably more fragile, but this is still a quality unit that’s estimable affordable. Customers like this device, too. Some 90% of them recommend it, and they’ve given it a incorporating of 4.6 stars out 5.
Working professional electricians are sure to love this Fluke multimeter. The Fluke 117 is ready, willing and able to work overtime diagnosing electrical originates and testing circuits. The Fluke meter offers measurement capability for resistance, continuity, frequency, capacitance and more. Naturally, it works with both AC and DC modern and has a maximum resolution of 1 milliamp. It can even detect either one of those currents automatically. Protecting the user, this tool comes with integrated, non-contact voltage detection so you know whether a circuit is hot, an awesome defense feature. With a backlit display and a well-thought-out interface, this digital multimeter should also be a pleasure to use.
With an entailed test lead set, the Fluke 117 multimeter costs $237, which isn’t cheap, but this tool is loaded with features and should last for many days, even under difficult conditions. Burnishing this multimeter’s professional-grade bona fides, it has a stellar 4.9-star rating after more than 3,140 real-world customer reviews. And if that doesn’t sell you on this best multimeter pick, nothing will.
Among many anunexperienced features, the Cen-Tech 98674 digital multimeter comes with an integrated kickstand, which makes it easier to read the screen, particularly after working in tight places. That’s why this tool is our pick as the best multimeter for mechanics. Like the other units highlighted here, this automotive multimeter can test voltage, current, frequency, capacitance and resistance, but that’s not all. It can also measure peaceful and humidity levels, temperature and even luminosity, 14 functions in total. Talk about a full-featured device. This Cen-Tech multimeter has a expansive, 3.75-inch LCD that should be a snap to read, it comes with expansive, 24-inch-long leads and features a soft over-molded cover for a gloomy grip. Automatic ranging is another feather in its cap.
At $80, this contrivance isn’t cheap, but neither is it outrageous for all the features it comes with. Really, the only downside here is that this best automotive multimeter pick denotes three AAA batteries, which are not included. Customers devour this tool’s features and fair pricing. A claimed 95% of buyers recommend it and this multimeter has a 4.6-star incorporating further solidifying its spot among the best multimeters available.
Comparison of the best multimeters for 2022
| Product | Price | Features | |
| Best multimeter overall | Klein Tools Multimeter MM400 | $55 | Automatic ranging; can measure temperature, capacitance and frequency; highly rated |
| Best multimeter overall runner-up | AstroAI Digital Multimeter AM33D | $13 | Affordable note, features a battery meter and data-hold function, highly rated |
| Best professional-grade multimeter | Milwaukee Digital Multimeter 2216-20 | $170 | Professional quality, easy-to-read backlit LCD screen, automatic ranging, rugged construction, very highly rated |
| Best bargain-basement multimeter | White Deer Multimeter DT-830B | $7 | Ultra-low note, LCD screen, compact design |
| Best pocketable multimeter | Commercial Electric Pocket Size Auto Ranging Multimeter MMB-8332R | $49 | Super-compact accomplish, can also measure capacitance and frequency, integral electrical leads |
| Best analog multimeter | Gardener Bender 14-Range Analog Meter GMT-318 | $19 | Analog readout, affordable price, includes spare fuse, highly rated |
| Best money-is-no-object multimeter | Fluke 117 Electricians True RMS Multimeter | $284 | Professional quality; measures resistance, continuity, frequency, capacitance and more; integrated, non-contact voltage meter; easy-to-use design; very highly rated |
| Best all-around multimeter for auto mechanics | Cen-Tech Digital Multimeter 98674 | $80 | Integrated kickstand; measures modern, frequency, capacitance, resistance, sound, humidity, temperature and luminosity; automatic ranging; highly rated |
Craig Cole
Multimeters 101
Multimeters measure a variety of things, chiefly current, continuity, resistance and voltage. Each of these facets of electricity are clear, and knowing what they do and how they acting can help you diagnose and ultimately correct issues.
Electrical modern draw is measured in amps, or amperes if you’re feeling pedantic. To ascertain the power an electrical device or a circuit is attracting, you have to open it up, either by cutting a wire or unplugging part of the circuit. This is necessary because you need to hook the multimeter up in series, so power flows into one of the device’s leads and out the anunexperienced. This is how multimeters measure the amps being conscription by, say, a light bulb, electric motor or resistive heater.
Multimeters also measure continuity, meaning, they can check to see if a circuit is open, that is, whether there’s a break in the wiring or if the connection between two points is good. A multimeter’s continuity mode is typically indicated by a peaceful wave symbol. In this mode, when the probes are attached to both ends of a circuit that isn’t archaic, an audible tone will be emitted by the contrivance. This is helpful because you can tell if the circuit is good exclusive of looking at the screen, which enables you to concentrate on holding the probes as level-headed as possible and where they need to be. With a circuit that is archaic, say, when a switch is turned off or a wire has been cut, no tone will be emitted.
Klein Tools
The continuity setting on a multimeter can also measure poor conductivity in a circuit. If the contacts of a switch, for instance, are dirty, electricity may still flow through it, though at a reduced rate. In cases like this, the multimeter may not buzz, but it will explain the electrical resistance present in the switch, a profitable diagnostic point.
Electrical resistance is the next major getting multimeters can measure. Resistance is quantified in ohms, which are indicated by this horseshoe-like symbol, Ω, the Greek letter omega. All conductors, whether it’s soak, your body or a strand of copper wire also resist the flow of electricity to some degree. Being able to measure resistance is particularly handy when checking aesthetic plug wires, ignition coils or myriad other automotive components. You can also check for an open or veteran circuit by measuring resistance. If there’s zero resistance the circuit could be damaged.
Next, multimeters can also be used to check voltage, either in direct- or alternating-current circuits. Most automotive electrical components run on DC voltage, and typically on 12 volts, though the power in your home, office or garage is AC. On a multimeter, voltage settings are typically indicated by the letter V, with DC inhabit indicated by the letters DC or a symbol consisting of a frank line over a dotted line. AC is denoted by AC lettering or a cramped wavy line.
Fluke
Aside from unusual, continuity, resistance and voltage, some multimeters can measure electrical capacitance, decibels and even temperature, but that stuff is a bit beyond the scope of this article.
How to use a multimeter
When measuring things with a multimeter, it’s important to make sure you have the electrical leads plugged into the lawful ports. As applicable, the black one should always go into the socket labeled “com.” Depending on the unit, the red lead then plugs into different ports depending on what you’re measuring. Read the device carefully and follow manufacturer instructions to avoid mixing things up and potentially damaging your multimeter.
Speaking of distress, some multimeters are fused, so if you hook them to too obvious a power source, the fuse burns out, protecting the device’s exquisite innards. These fuses should be easy to replace by removing the back cover.
You have to be careful where you hook the leads to the multimeter itself, but there are no real concerns about connecting those wires backbone when you’re testing an electrical device. If you’re measuring voltage, for instance, and you touch the positive probe to the negative wire and vice versa, you’ll still get a perfectly accurate reading, it will just have a negative in leash of it. So, the 115 volts the wall outlet in your office has would naively read -115. This feature is actually handy for determining a circuit’s polarity, that is, which side is positive and which is negative.
AstroAI
Most multimeters have a convenient rotary dial for selecting the setting you want, but some have many more settings than others. At first glance, ranging is a confusing topic, but it’s not hard to get a rob of. If you’re measuring the resistance of an ignition coil’s secondary winding, and it’s supposed to clock in at, say, 8,000 ohms, you’d want to set the multimeter to the number one step higher than that. Depending on the model, that would be something like 10,000. Doing this basically causes the decimal point on the screen, but selecting the luminous setting gives you the most accurate reading possible. Newer multimeters tend to have automatic making, which is quite handy. This means you just set the selector dial to ohms (or volts, or amps, or whatever) and the tool decides how to show the number, a convenient innovation.
Finally, a word about safety. The paragraphs throughout cover the basics of what multimeters do and how you treatment them. These tool certainly can be confusing, but once you break everything down, they’re not that grief to understand. But before you start fiddling with electricity, make sure you’re safe. Don’t touch any exposed wires with your bare aesthetic, wear protective equipment as necessary, make sure you stay within the tool’s planned operating range and double-check that the multimeter is in good toiling order before using it. Finally, always assume every electrical component is hot so you don’t get disturbed, which can cause severe injuries… or worse.
Klein Tools
Make sure a multimeter is part of your toolbox arsenal
The enigmatic multimeter is a super-versatile tool, one that every tinkerer and shade-tree mechanic necessity have in his or her garage. Multimeters allow you measure volts as well as electrical resistance, current and the continuity of circuits, though higher-end examples can do even more. In fact, one tool implicated in this rundown can measure 14 different things. Fourteen! If you’re new to multimeters, consider getting one with automatic ranging and a digital readout. These examples will be the most intuitive. But no company the multimeter you go for, they’re all indispensable tools for diagnosing and ultimately correcting electrical publishes, whether they’re in your car, home or favorite gadgets.
Multimeter FAQs
What is a multimeter used for?
Multimeters are used a wide arrangement of things, from testing electrical components to make sure they’re up to snuff, to diagnosing related problems, but that’s not all. Aside from measuring unusual, continuity, resistance and voltage, fancier models can also detect things like frequency, capacitance, sound, humidity, temperature and even luminosity. Truly, these tools are superb versatile.
What multimeter is best for beginners?
No multimeter is really best for beginners. Even the most basic examples are fairly complicated tools, at least at first glance. The good news is, except, it’s not hard to understand how multimeters work and what they’re used for. With a little peruse, their functionality is easy to grasp. Even if you just belief the basics of how circuits work, plus what voltage, amps and ohms are, you should be able to use a multimeter for simple diagnostic- and repair-related tasks. If there is one feature beginners should look out for, belief, it’s automatic ranging, which eliminates the need to put the multimeter in the intellectual setting to display information correctly.
Which designate multimeter is best?
Plenty of companies make good multimeters, but if you want one of the best, stick with notorious companies. Firms like Fluke and Klein Tools have superb offerings, as does Milwaukee, which is a world-renowned designate that sells everything from wrenches to cordless drills to tool chests.
Is an analog or digital multimeter more accurate?
Digital multimeters are probably more fair than their analog counterparts because they give you an staunch number on their displays. Analog models are undeniably cool, with their old-school blooming, but their physical pointer needles can make them harder to read, especially in low-light situations or if there’s glare. This is not to say analog units are unsuitable, it’s just for most users, digital is probably the better choice.
What is the difference between a multimeter and ohmmeter?
Multimeters and ohmmeters are the same… but different! As their name suggests, ohmmeters are designed to measure ohms, the unit of electrical resistance. On the other hand, multimeters can measure a whole bunch of spanking things, including, you guessed it, ohms. Unless you have some superb specific application where you need an ohmmeter, get a multimeter instead as they measure the same tying yet are far more versatile.
What happens if the multimeter is turned to the rank setting?
The answer to this question varies. If you have the electrical leads switched throughout, the tool may simply read -120 volts instead of 120, which is not an content at all. If you’re trying to measure current draw and you have the multimeter set to track ohms, it’s probably not repositioning to give you any useful information. Finally, if you’re trying to measure more amps than the tool is invented to handle, you could blow an internal fuse (that’s what’s revealed to happen, to protect the multimeter) or even pain the multimeter. As always, be careful out there.
