Extech EX330 12-Function Mini Multi-Meter Plus Non-Contact Voltage Detector,Green/Orange

I have used this for only few days and its my first ever DMM , but from my few day experience I would like to highlight some negative aspects .1. For the price you would expect carrying case .2. Center dial could be better .3. Would like to see included alligator clips.4. Stand is there but not as stable as you would want . I could not change mode without MM sliding all over the table while in stand mode. And without stand it also tends to slide all around place. Could be because stand made from plastic but rest of the holster is rubber.I think these are minor cons considering the price .On positive side .1.It feel well built, solid.2.Has nice display.3.Has compact size4.Fells good in the hands5. Relatively accurate .All around very nice DMM with good functionality from respectable brand .

+Inexpensive.+NCV detector a bonus.+Good overall feature set.+Compared readings with a Fluke 87-5, Fluke 23, ScopeMeter 95 and an AVO and can confirm this is indeed and accurate meter.+Consistent readings on top of accuracy.+Solid Build Quality.+Good Internal construction & design (Ignoring a few through-hole components).+Included Probes are adequate enough for light use.+Nice Thermocouple adapter is included to convert the probe sockets to a standard K-type.+High contrast display and good viewing angle.+Manual Range button.-Seemed to stop beeping after being unused for a few weeks, opened it up and gave it a solder reflow and that fixed it. Shouldn't have needed to be done in the first place though.-Fuses arn't HRC, just some cheap glass ones. (*That shatter into hundreds of shards under a 'high-energy mishap')-Fuses difficult to replace as there is not much space to get at them (assuming you ever need to replace them)-Stand is pretty poor (just chuck it on the bench or prop it up with something else)-(FIXED) Occasionally crashes when measuring current, not sure if this is just my unit or is a design fault.-Initially overshoots when taking measurements-SLOW AUTORANGING, It really is the only thing that lets this otherwise brilliant meter downAdditional:~Couldn't find much information regarding the Frequency measurements, but worked well enough on my signal generator and I can confirm that it will accept mains voltage without problem. I have not tested the Duty Cycle feature so cannot comment on its performance.~Tested it with 12v on the Ohm Range, it didn't like it and displayed the low battery icon. When I reversed the polarity, it just tried to auto-range. Not the best result by far, but at least it survived the ordeal. I would be very hesitant to put any more pressure on it, so definitely get the right mode and double check before doing anything higherFor the price, Just a bit over £40 I can safely say that this is a decent meter; but just think weather you really want an autorange this slow, I mean 3~4 seconds for a quick resistance test? It's painful. I believe that there is a manual range only version for quite some money off too, and I would beg you to at least consider it before making your purchase.**********************UPDATE 27/05/14********************************Wow, I suppose it is easy to make mistakes...In short, It was late and I wasn't thinking straight. I just went to check on the mains voltage as I was having problems with a linear transformer and kablooey. Mains right down the 10A current socket. To my surprise, the meter was still alive after the ordeal, and all that it needed was a quick cleanup and a new fuse! The MOV didn't explode and everything is still working in tip-top condition.While cleaning up the meter, I thought I would take it fully apart and have a look-see if there was any damage anywhere. While in there, I cleaned the contacts on the rotary switch with some alcohol and tightened everything back up. Upon testing all the modes I found that it no longer locked up, turned off or did any other 'weird stuff' that it did before while switching through the current and resistance positions, so it must have just been a dodgy unit to start off with.Update & conclusion:At first I was skeptical of the long-term build quality and protection offered by this meter, but the truth is this is a top quality test instrument that you should be proud to own. It will, for as long as it lives, be my first choice- the one you grab when you need to take a quick measurement. It may not be faultless; but it is safe, reliable and trustworthy. What else would you look for in a basic multimeter?

Great little meter for the money. Accidentally shorted out mains through the current function but it handled it well and still works just fine. Temperature probe is nice to have and the Non contact voltage detector has "just right" sensitivity to make it useful for checking for live cables in walls and just before opening the cover!Supplied probes are nice and sharp and work OK.

I had a number of failures while looking for a good multimeter in a low-mid price range. This device is worth every penny.Pros:Very good build quality.Compact size (compared to similar devices).Good display readability.Fast autoranging. I rarely use manual mode.No useless additional modes.Cons:No backlight makes it's use a bit limited.

I got one of these for Christmas a little over 10 years ago. That one is still going strong, it's just I keep bringing it into the office and leaving it there, so I bought a second one for home!

The auto-ranging is great - very useful for my digital electronics hobby. I haven't managed to get the embedded wire detector working reliably. The only real annoyance is that it auto-powers off far too quickly.

The media could not be loaded. It works fine, except the poor LCD that not readable at an angle. It is embarrassed sitting next to the Fluke of my colleague.---------Update after a month use:There are two issues below and I decided to return it to buy a Fluke.- The socket for red lead have poor connection, see the video- The beeping continuity function works in a weird way, when it detect a closed circuit, it will beep two shorts and and then constantly beep. It always like this. I swap another set of lead in to make sure it isn't about the poor connection. I also put a fresh battery set in but it the problem persists.

I had an old meter which basically just told you if a wire was live on the mains or just measured the volts in a battery and tested circuits, however after 20 years it gave up. I found just about all of the newer meters a bit over complex for the DIYer and this one was probably the easiest one to read and not quite such a 'Sledge hammer to crack a nut' scenario