Swore by my old multi-meter for a decade, then got zapped by a fridge compressor

I used to just grab my beat up analog meter for every call, figured it was good enough. Then last Tuesday in a commercial kitchen in Philly, I went to test a compressor start relay and the thing gave me a jolt that had me hopping. Turns out the leads were frayed and grounding out on the metal casing. Bought a Fluke 117 the next day and now I get consistent readings in seconds without risking my arm hair. Anyone else ever get shocked into an upgrade?

2 comments

2 Comments

haydenj908h ago

Did you read that electrician forum post about the guy who got knocked off a ladder from a bad meter?

elizabeth2208h ago

Hang on, I gotta push back a little here. That post was wild and the guy definitely messed up. I get that it's a cautionary tale and all, but saying a bad meter sent him off a ladder feels like a stretch. He was probably already in a bad spot or not paying attention. A jolt from your meter might make you flinch, but it's not gonna toss you off a ladder unless your footwork was already sloppy. People blame gear way too fast when the real problem is usually how they were standing or working.