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Had to pick between a cheaper Harbor Freight multimeter and a Fluke back in 2012

Went with the Fluke 117 after my dad told me you can't trust a $30 meter when you're poking around live circuits in an old Kenmore dryer, and honestly that thing still reads perfectly to this day but the money hurt at the time. Has anyone else had a cheap meter let them down at the worst moment?
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2 Comments
lucasking
lucasking1mo ago
Ngl this feels like overthinking it for something that probably never happened.
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lane.angela
lane.angela1mo agoTop Commenter
The Fluke was the right call. Cheap meters can lie to you, and a lie about voltage is how you get a surprise arc flash. @lucasking, I get why it sounds like overkill, but when you're elbow deep in a dryer with questionable wiring, a $30 meter that reads 120v when it's actually dead can end your whole week. Snapped a probe tip on a no-name meter once mid-test, that was the last time I trusted one near a live panel.
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