Currently, I have Agilent 1242B. I need a bit more precision and looking for a new DMM. A logical (easy) choice would be Keysight 1281A, but that unit comes with the price. I started to compare Brymen BM869s and wondering is Keysight really worth of that much money. I really need the accuracy promised but I don't need to pay for a brand. If the accuracy costs what 1281A costs, then that is clear.

br,
A

BTW: I have facepalm every time I see another thread about DMMs. Isn't this topic already covered from every possible angle :-D

 

I need a bit more precision...

No offense, but I doubt it. I suggest you re-think what you're doing and the justification for requiring higher precision (and presumably accuracy as well). I spent a career in science (not electronics) and in my experience it's very rare that your equipment makes or breaks your experiment. Otherwise you may well be looking for artifacts.

Whatever phenomenon you're looking at should produce a signal that rises far above the noise of your equipment. Two significant figures ought to be enough for a decent experiment, and most cheap equipment gets you three figures. Achieving a fourth significant figure adds a lot of cost and procedural complexity. Does it make sense to measure temperature to ±0.001°? In most cases that would be a silly and false sense of precision.

Hey, if you need it, by all means buy it. I'm just saying you might save yourself some money by being realistic about your needs.

 

I really need the accuracy promised but I don't need to pay for a brand.

The 'brand' has a lot of implied offering - reliability, service, resale, etc.....

You get what you pay for, as always. Check ALL the specs and be certain you are paying for what you need, and NOT paying for what you don't need.

 

If someone has real experience of the Brymen in question, I appreciate commenting my question.

A

 

What's wrong with a Fluke ?
Just what functionality do you need ?

 

What's wrong with a Fluke ?
Just what functionality do you need ?

Nothing. I have both Flukes and Agilents. My precision measurements are limited to voltage and current. All the other measurements pretty much all DMMs are good enough.

A

 

Nothing. I have both Flukes and Agilents. My precision measurements are limited to voltage and current. All the other measurements pretty much all DMMs are good enough.

A

Looking at my now old Fluke 15B with mV and mA ranges, would the newer 17B+ suit your needs ?

 

The thing is that if I pay something like $800-1000 I have several good options - including Fluke and Agilent. That is clear. I can read specs. However.... considering Brymen as a decent manufacturer, I was asking if anyone is able to comment if Brymen can actually deliver what they claim 1/3 of the cost (of high price DMMs). I don't want/need to pay for a brand, service or anything.

A

 

It seems it might be that YOU are the one to find out and let US know.

The most reliable and accurate multimeter I ever owned cost $20 and never lost accuracy and never let me down. It scored a cumulative one-star review and it seems no one ever had a good experience with one, but I was just lucky. The more money you pay the less you will rely on luck.

 

The thing is that if I pay something like $800-1000 I have several good options - including Fluke and Agilent. That is clear. I can read specs. However.... considering Brymen as a decent manufacturer, I was asking if anyone is able to comment if Brymen can actually deliver what they claim 1/3 of the cost (of high price DMMs). I don't want/need to pay for a brand, service or anything.

A

Others I know of have reported the Brymen dial stiff to operate whereas the Fluke much better.
OTOH rotational tests on Agilent DMM's have had the dial mechanism fail prematurely.
Joe, whom started this robustness (static) testing is a Brymen fan and it seems they stand up very well.
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/hear-kitty-kitty-kitty-nope-not-that-kind-of-cat/ (Not CAT testing)

 

I have two Brymens (BM251 and BM857), two Keysights (U1273A and U1282A) and a few Flukes (27FM, 189, 87V, 8060A, 8062A, 8020A)

The accuracy of the Brymens is quite good and leaves nothing to be desired when compared to the Flukes and Keysights. In the case of the BM857, it has a very interesting 500.000 count mode that, while does not increase accuracy, it allows looking at trends of battery charge/discharge. The U1282A and the 189 are on par with the BM857 but the Keysight is much more stable in its readings and has been holding its calibration quite well over the years.

In terms of mechanical robustness, my BM857 stand and dial is a notch below the Keysights and two notches below the Flukes. As mentioned by @tautech above, the Keysight U1282A and an older U1231A showed premature fail on the dial mechanism. However, years before the U1282A was put to very extreme abuse by Dave Jones from the EEVBlog in one of his videos. Based on that video and on my experience, I am confident to take the U1282A for humid/damp areas and other harsh conditions. Something that is also shared with the excellent meters 87V and 179 (I had one years ago that was also a war tank) and the 27/FM (Fluke has a newer model that seems to be equally robust).

Depending on your country, keep in mind the Brymens might not have warranty and service.

Good luck with your decision!

 

Thank you rsjsouza. The first chapter was exactly what I hoped someone can clarify.

A