Extech EX411 worth ? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: alin_im
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 24, 2016, 02:34:04 pm
content: hey guys,I want to buy a multimeter and my maximum budget is 50 pounds, I was thinking of buying an Extech EX411.What do you think ? Do you thing it is worth it ? Do you recommend something else in this price range ?I am a student at the moment so please do not say to save up and buy a Fluke because I do not have that money now, maybe in 2 year I will think about it.I will use in the range of -> 0 - 20 V, 1 mA - 1 A, 10 ohm - 1 Mohm for simple circuits and MCUs.Alin I.

author: MrSlack
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 24, 2016, 02:51:08 pm
content: I literally last week bought one of these from this ebay seller:http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/171595362712- arrived in 3 days, shipped from UK.Far better meter for the money IMHO. Half decent capacitance meter, frequency counter that is reasonably accurate from my tests, 22000 count ADC (!), data logging via RS232, nice big clear display, component tester plugin, manual or auto ranging, hold, relative measurements.Frequency counter is useful for anything digital like PWM for example if you don't have a scope. You can also use AC mode to get a good idea of duty cycle for such things as well.Keep it away from anything larger than about 500v however.I've got an old Fluke 76 as well and the only thing that it has over this is slightly safer handling of higher voltages. I don't do anything past 240v mains so I don't really use it any more. If I had 300 quid lying around I'd buy a high end Fluke but I'd rather throw that at the extra mortgage payments as the return is larger in the long run

author: hamzadis
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: January 24, 2016, 03:51:12 pm
content: Do note that the UT61-E has a really bad burden voltage on the mA and uA range. The resistance on the mA range is about 10 ohms, and 1k on the uA range.

author: MrSlack
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 24, 2016, 03:56:18 pm
content: True!I tend to measure voltage across a known value resistor already in circuit (pencilled on the ground plane before installation) rather than directly measure current. Comes from the days when all I had was a FET voltmeter.Also cheaper than a uCurrent and doesn't require the circuit to be broken to wedge the ammeter in.

author: alin_im
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 24, 2016, 06:06:01 pm
content: What do you think about UNI-T UT70B

author: MrSlack
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 24, 2016, 07:16:04 pm
content: Quick scan of literature says it's crapper but I haven't owned one so I can't really comment.

author: rdl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 24, 2016, 09:50:28 pm
content: I would buy a UT136B and a UT136C. You should be able to find both for way less than 50 pounds. They sell for under $20 each (shipped) on ebay in the US.

author: MrSlack
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 24, 2016, 11:13:58 pm
content: They also mostly don't work when you get them I understand.

author: rdl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 25, 2016, 12:38:54 am
content: Quote from: MrSlack on January 24, 2016, 11:13:58 pmReally? How did you determine this?

author: MrSlack
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 25, 2016, 06:53:49 am
content: I looked at them before I bought my UT61E. Many bad reviews Internet-wide with functional failures.

author: Wytnucls
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 25, 2016, 07:19:15 am
content: Quote from: MrSlack on January 25, 2016, 06:53:49 amCan you be more specific, because that meter is usually at the top of the recommended list in that price range and I can't find reports of failures on the internet.

author: MrSlack
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 25, 2016, 07:24:05 am
content: Amazon plus one of my colleagues bought one and half the functions didn't even work.

author: rdl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 25, 2016, 07:33:03 am
content: At all the places I looked that sell the UT136 and have a review system, it tends to get pretty good ratings. And those type of review systems are typically biased toward the bad, because angry people are far more motivated to post a review than happy customers are.At Amazon, there are 17 reviews, two of which are bad. I wonder how many people got one that worked and didn't bother to post a review?And it does come with a warranty.

author: Wytnucls
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 25, 2016, 07:33:46 am
content: I can only find 3 reviews on Amazon UK and they all give 5 stars out of 5.http://www.amazon.co.uk/UNI-T-UT139C-Digital-Multimeters-Display/dp/B00PY3V6O2/ref=sr_1_1/280-1379737-7540325?ie=UTF8&qid=1453706716&sr=8-1&keywords=ut139c

author: Muxr
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 25, 2016, 07:34:39 am
content: I had picked up a UT61E while back, something cheap for data logging. True on the burden voltage above. But I had no issues with it. I really like the display on it, and the feature set is pretty comprehensive. It does have a few features you could get in different meters that might be a deal breaker:- No auto shutoff (if you leave it on for a long time it will drain the battery). For what I was using it for this was actually the desired behaviour. But it's something to keep in mind. Also the meter is very energy efficient, I remember watching a meter comparison I think done by Dave and it was one of the most efficient meters in its category.- No backlight. Self explanatory.- No temp measurement. This may not be a big deal. It's a rarely used feature, but it could be handy from time to time.Safety wise it's not the best meter, but you could do far worse in the price range. I quite liked the feel, form factor and the screen on it.

author: MrSlack
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 25, 2016, 07:40:49 am
content: Fair review. The auto shut off on most meters kills me. My UT33As are like spinning plates keeping them awake.

author: Wytnucls
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 25, 2016, 08:57:11 am
content: If it is vital to you, the auto power off can be disabled on the UT139C.The 61E is useful for its fixed 1 reading per second data logging, but otherwise lacks some basic features, like a Max/Min function and a screen backlight. Depending on your requirements, either of these two wouldn't be a bad choice.

author: Muxr
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 25, 2016, 09:00:28 am
content: It does have the Min/Max, they just call it Peak. I find Min/Max to be so useful in multimeters, I would not get one without it.

author: alin_im
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 25, 2016, 09:02:56 am
content: I was thinking of buying an UNI-T UT61E or Extech EX411. From the datasheet UNI-T is better and cheaper, but I want a multimeter that I can it is good quality for the money and also it will not fail me when I need it the most. At the moment I have a VC97+ and UNI-T UT33C.I choose the Extech brand because Dave recommends it, I did not own any of their product so far.I tend to say that I want the UNI-T, but what is your opinion the company itself ?

author: Muxr
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 25, 2016, 09:08:34 am
content: UNI-T is a Chinese company, they are pretty big though, they are OEM for other brands. I was never really impressed by Extech so I don't know much about them, but I would say they are on par, with Extech having an edge.The other meter that's a bit of a favourite budget meter around these parts is the Amprobe 510. It doesn't seem to have min/max but it has bunch of other features that are pretty nifty.It should also be in your budget, and I think quality wise it's probably above both UNI-T and the Extech EX411:http://www.amazon.co.uk/BEHA-AMPROBE-AM-510-EUR-Beha-Amprobe-Multimeter/dp/B008P0AS2W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453712660&sr=8-1&keywords=amprobe+510

author: Wytnucls
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 25, 2016, 09:12:47 am
content: Quote from: Muxr on January 25, 2016, 09:00:28 amYou need to read about the difference between peak and min max. A lot of meters have both functions.In fact, the 61E has both, but the min max function was disabled. ( I modified mine to recover the function)

author: Wytnucls
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 25, 2016, 09:18:41 am
content: Most Extech meters are relabeled meters, made either by Uni-Trend or C.E.M. in China.

author: Muxr
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 25, 2016, 09:21:09 am
content: Quote from: Wytnucls on January 25, 2016, 09:12:47 amedit: Nm I see what you mean, I misspoke, I actually think peak is more useful than just the regular min/max. Terminology is a bit confusing because to access Peak on Fluke 87 you use min/max and then it's just a sub mode of the that feature.

author: Robomeds
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 25, 2016, 05:00:13 pm
content: Quote from: Muxr on January 25, 2016, 09:08:34 amThe problem with having an opinion on Extech meters is that they have used so many OEMs that it's hard to generalize. The Brymen based Extechs are generally quite good (like all the Brymens I've used). However other Extechs are CEM meters (I think those seem decent for the price but with slow update speeds). I don't recall which company made the EX 430 and related meters. It wasn't Uni-T or CEM. Anyway, Extech isn't my first choice but it depends on the exact model.

author: rob77
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 25, 2016, 05:19:04 pm
content: Quote from: alin_im on January 24, 2016, 02:34:04 pmwith that budget and usage i would suggest the OWON B35 - it's a nice decent meter with uA range and as a bonus it has bluetooth and application for your smartphone/tablet. i have teh 35B as one of my secondary meters - and i'm happy with it. (primary is a Brymen 869s). choose the model Owon 35B without true RMS - it's a bit cheaper - mine was 36 Euro. personally i wouldn't trust the CATIII 1000V rating but i would say it's OK for CAT II 600V. (the cheap Uni-T meters are much worse in terms of input protection).

author: kleblanc
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 25, 2016, 06:19:17 pm
content: Quote from: Muxr on January 25, 2016, 09:08:34 amThe Amprobe AM-530 has min/max and TRMS AC. From the Amazon pictures from users, shows to have ceramic (HRC possibly) fuses. A quick search for this meter in the UK shows it around ~51 pounds. Not sure if that's including vat and whatever else.Amprobe is owned by Danaher who also owns Fluke. Not be the same quality.Have you looked at the Fluke 106 or 107? Nice compact meters. The 107 is my go to meter for initial troubleshooting and diagnostics.

author: alin_im
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 25, 2016, 06:40:28 pm
content: Quote from: kleblanc on January 25, 2016, 06:19:17 pmI did not find any ~51 pounds Amprobe AM-530, it is about 70 pounds the cheapest one that I found. The fluke 107 is not worth the money for what you get in my opinion.

author: kleblanc
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 25, 2016, 07:09:28 pm
content: Sorry about the pricing info, I am located in the US and my google-fu is not that great for the UK.

author: Muxr
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 25, 2016, 07:20:08 pm
content: Quote from: alin_im on January 25, 2016, 06:40:28 pmIt's quality, it's just not really meant for electronics. The feature set is too spartan for that. It's more of an electrician's meter.

author: Performa01
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 26, 2016, 12:43:12 pm
content: I voted for the UT61E since I happen to know that it's a reasonably decent meter. Well, the same could be said for the ExTech, but the UT61E has some advantages particular when it's the one and only meter for a student.20000 counts is about the least resolution you want to have for diagnosing analog electronic circuits, even though the 0.1% base accuracy can't quite keep up with that (0.05% would be more appropriate). On top of that, these meters tend to be miscalibrated right out of the box. But then again, calibration on Extech meters isn't the best either, and in any case it can be easily corrected by tweaking the internal trimpots if required.The UT61E has capacitance measurements and a 200Mohms range, both nice features and very useful when at a pinch - even though they of course cannot replace a proper RLC/ESR meter let alone an electrometer.

author: MrSlack
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 26, 2016, 01:53:37 pm
content: I'm loving my UT61E so far. Voted.Awaiting a slightly less shitty USB<->RS232 converter though so I can use it for data logging. The first one I tried has bad windows drivers.