Just an FYI:I got a coupon in the mail from HF for a free DMM with any purchase. I can always use another meter and I'm in need of a larger vise grip so I stopped by HF and cashed in my coupon.I tested it out today and was disappointed. on DC volts my Fieldpiece measured 15.0VDC, my Fluke measured 15.1VDC while the HF measured 14.2VDCOn DCA the Fluke measured 5.0ADC and the HF meter measured 4.4ADC.I didn't go going any further. Granted, this is only one sample but if you own one you might want to validate it. I thing I'm going to use mine for parts.

Take it apart and look at the cheap circuit board and you will see whay it was FREE.Ken

Hmm, that is quite a difference. Oh well, at least your not out much ;)

I suspect every tech may be concerned about slight errors. However, I suspect if I was trouble shooting a ckt my concern would be the voltage difference. Free or not I'm betting if you picked up 20 different digital volt meters there would be errors between them. Back when techs really repaired electronic equipment instead of throw away in todays world we used analog volt meters and calibrated them to flashlight batteries. Didn't seem to handicap the techs. In fact many techs including myself measured DC with a scope which probably had considerable DC error. I have never had a problem trouble shooting an RV problem with a Harbor Freight free meter. I have about 5 or 6 of those free meters. Never had a problem. When was the last time your John Fluke was calibrated? When working in the aero space industry our equipment was calibrated every 30 days on Uncle Sam's dime. Probably a Harbor Freight meter would have worked just fine in the lab without any calibration. :B A meter is only as good as the person holding the probes and reading the meter, calibrated or not. I use the Harbor Freight meters all the time in my RV. Doubt it handicapped my troubleshooting skills. I totally recommend these free meters for every RVer.

I must have 10 or so of these free Harbor Freight meters, with most still in their display packaging. (They were free without having to buy anything up until late last year.) I use them frequently. I don't depend on the meter to give me an exact readout, and most of the time an accurate reading isn't that important anyway. They come in handy to determine if a circuit is hot, or ground is functioning. Besides, you can't beat the price. (Even if you have to buy something else now, it is still a good deal.)

WyoTraveler wrote:When was the last time your John Fluke was calibrated? When working in the aero space industry our equipment was calibrated every 30 days on Uncle Sam's dime...The Fieldpiece is calibrated once a year on your dime. :B That's my standard. I calibrate the Fluke 88 and Simpson 260 to that as needed.The HF has a single pot calibration. It must just adjust the display stage. Regardless, I calibrated it to 15V and now the current reads 4.8A @ 5.0A input.

Harbor Freight Freebie DMM | Good Sam Community

WyoTraveler
Explorer
May 08, 2015
I suspect every tech may be concerned about slight errors. However, I suspect if I was trouble shooting a ckt my concern would be the voltage difference. Free or not I'm betting if you picked up 20 different digital volt meters there would be errors between them. Back when techs really repaired electronic equipment instead of throw away in todays world we used analog volt meters and calibrated them to flashlight batteries. Didn't seem to handicap the techs. In fact many techs including myself measured DC with a scope which probably had considerable DC error. I have never had a problem trouble shooting an RV problem with a Harbor Freight free meter. I have about 5 or 6 of those free meters. Never had a problem. When was the last time your John Fluke was calibrated? When working in the aero space industry our equipment was calibrated every 30 days on Uncle Sam's dime. Probably a Harbor Freight meter would have worked just fine in the lab without any calibration. :B A meter is only as good as the person holding the probes and reading the meter, calibrated or not. I use the Harbor Freight meters all the time in my RV. Doubt it handicapped my troubleshooting skills. I totally recommend these free meters for every RVer.
ScottG
Nomad
May 08, 2015
Hmm, that is quite a difference.
Oh well, at least your not out much ;)
TXiceman
Explorer II
May 08, 2015
Take it apart and look at the cheap circuit board and you will see whay it was FREE.

Ken

Forum Discussion

Harbor Freight Freebie DMM

About Technical Issues

Related Content

Harbor Freight Predator 3500

Harbor Freight 1720 lb trailer

Returned Harbor Freight recalled Jack Stands

Harbor Freight/Honda smackdown....

Harbor Freight Tailgator generator review