Suggestion for a new multimeter to replace my Simpson 260

Well, as an EE for 30+ years, I have always trusted Fluke.  They are not cheap new, but can be had used for a reasonable cost.  I have found that with meters, you get what you pay for.  Between Fluke and Techtronics, I would go with Fluke, everytime.

Why are you replacing the 260?

@David Johnston posted:

Why are you replacing the 260?

I have to ask the same question, why are you replacing the best analog meter ever built?  When I first started in aviation in 1969 the 260 was the top of the line meter and priced that way. I replaced my Tripplet 601 with a Fluke 77 about 35 years ago only because the Tripplet was sent in for calibration and came back BER the Fluke is still working great today. My vote is Fluke meter!

@AlliesDad posted:

Well, as an EE for 30+ years, I have always trusted Fluke.

I couldn't agree more.  I have a Fluke 77 that is ~40 years old and it finally started malfunctioning.  My issue with plunking down the $ for a new Fluke is I don't use it every day like I did some years ago.  If I were still using it professionally, Fluke no matter the cost.

I decided to try a meter from Harbor Freight.  It was a good price point and had features even my Fluke didn't.  Do I like it as much as my Fluke?  No.  Does it do what I need it to do?  Yes.  Is it accurate?  I am not doing fine work so does it really matter?  It gives me expected reading just maybe not as accurate as the Fluke. 

On another note, Fluke meters are fixable.  You could try contacting them to see if they could repair your existing one.  Time and cost were the factors that kept me from getting my 77 repaired.  I still have it just in case I change my mind though.

Tony V

If I haddnt lost it inside a machine I would still be using my Simpson   Fluke would be the best replacement if you needed a top of the line meter everyday  Its also the most expensive  I still have my Fluke from work at home  At the club I use a Klein Tools MM325  They are less than 40 bucks at Home Depot and it comes in a nice case with a magnetic hangar  We have about ten different cheapo brands at the club that are like throw aways but the Klein tools is a real deal meter that stands up to some pounding

Maybe it's not the OP's reason, but one of the things I didn't like about the old reliable 260 is that it is analog.  Doesn't have the bells and whistles that the new digital meters have.  Heck, I don't recall if it even has a backlight function.  The other issue is that since it is analog, it is subject to parallax error.  That's why they put a little mirror on the dial, so that you can be sure you are looking at it straight on to get the correct reading.  Having it and similar ones to this in the past, I must say, I would go digital, if I could.  The ability to view from almost any angle, max hold, backlight, even some have frequency for AC are all things that the 260 didn't offer.  If what you are measuring is absolutely critical, spend the money on a quality meter.  If you are just checking to see if there is "close enough" voltage or measuring continuity, just about any of the less expensive meters will do that.  Home Depot, Lowe's, Harbor Freight, even Amazon would do the trick.  I like Lowe's because I get the military discount, but Amazon is a close second.  The return policy is also important to me.  If I find it does not meet my expectations or is "cheap", it goes back and I try again with a different brand.  But, I think I would still look online, either eBay or Craigslist for a quality used Fluke.  I think that is where I got about half of mine so far.  Regardless of where you get it, if you get used, check the battery compartment for corrosion.  That will destroy a good meter in a hurry.

@DENIS ORAVEC 110218 posted:

I am finally at a place where I want to replace my Simpson 260 meter with a new multimeter. As I look online at potential replacements, I don't recognize  any of the meter manufacturers presented (except FLUKE). Does anyone have a suggestion (based upon your experience) for a reasonable replacement for my Simpson 260?

Your comments, recommendations and experience appreciated.

Denis Oravec

I have had this one for two years.  I read the many reviews which were very positive and find that the values match a few more expensive meters I own.  Plus it has features the others don't have.  Quite the bargain.

I also bought this case for it.

John

Fluke is a excellent meter. I have one that's  probably 20 years old. Home Depot has a Klein that is a true RMS meter.

The choice is yours as I own and like both.

I've owned Fluke meters most of my working life, I normally get 15-20 years out of one.  Since my meters get a lot of use, that's a pretty good life.  My current portable meter is the Fluke 117, I picked this up in 2018, still going strong.  It's typically in use multiple times a day.

Just make sure you have a good range for ohms.  Measuring coils at 1-2 ohms can be difficult with some.  I know.  I bought a cheapy at HF.  Don’t use it that often but its low range is not there.

@TrainCzar posted:

Just make sure you have a good range for ohms.  Measuring coils at 1-2 ohms can be difficult with some.  I know.  I bought a cheapy at HF.  Don’t use it that often but its low range is not there.

That is a very good point.  It does illustrate the "you get what you pay for" saying, to an extent.  And the lower the range, the more expensive accuracy is, in my opinion.

@TrainCzar posted:

Just make sure you have a good range for ohms.  Measuring coils at 1-2 ohms can be difficult with some.  I know.  I bought a cheapy at HF.  Don’t use it that often but its low range is not there.

I confess, to measure very small resistances, I rely on my somewhat ancient Fluke 8012A bench meter, it has a very low ohms reading and a zero calibration capability for the test leads.   However, the Fluke 117 does measure a 1Ω5% resistor right on 1Ω, so it's pretty good.

I was in a situation where I needed to measure the resistance of several hundred very low resistance grids. As I recall they were about 0.1 ohms each. We made a test stand where we could put 10 of the resistor grids in series. Then a MG welder was connected to then and the voltage raised until there was about 40 amps in the circuit. It took about a half hour to get everything up to te working temperature.   Then the voltage drop across each resistor was measured and the resistance was calculated.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

I've owned Fluke meters most of my working life, I normally get 15-20 years out of one.  Since my meters get a lot of use, that's a pretty good life.  My current portable meter is the Fluke 117, I picked this up in 2018, still going strong.  It's typically in use multiple times a day.

I have this one on my sailboat and a 179 in my workshop.  Can't go wrong with a Fluke!  i once drove over an 8022 - it survived.  Left another in a 24 kV DC supply after checking rectifiers - blew the trace connecting the input terminal when the HVPS was activated, but the 8022 was otherwise intact!

Thanks to everyone for your comments, feedback and recommendations. Your followup on this is greatly appreciated.

Denis

I have a couple of better VOMs but bought several inexpensive Harbor Freight VOMs to have one in the kitchen, shop, garage, train room and each car.  I use the ones in the cars to check stereo speakers for Ohms to be sure the coil is OK at garage sales.

Charlie

I rebuilt my Simpson that I have had for over 50 years, it needed a new meter movement which are still available.  You can not buy them from Simpson, but one of their distributors or repair shops who make the order to Simpson for the part.  It was less than $100 at the time, and comes in a very secure plastic box that holds it in place.  The shop I ordered from was Davis, but they seem to have gone out of biz, an email to Simpson will get you a list of shops.  My other primary meter is a Triplett 630NA, a bit of an issue with the 30v battery nobody of worth really makes anymore, but I ended up using 3 transistor radio batteries in series which fit in the case with some finessing.   None of the digitals, even Flukes, are forgiving of putting in too much voltage like the Simpson or Triplett.  If the rated max input is 1100V AC or DC,  1110 will pop them.  I was checking an unknown  HV secondary on a transformer using a variac to raise the primary, a $10 Harbor Freight and a $300 Fluke auto-ranging meter both popped a bit past their max rating where an analog would just pin out.  The Fluke repair was easy as they have a protection circuit using a fusible resistor that is available, even on Amazon.  Learned to always us my analog meter when checking unknown transformers.