Brymen BM869S or Voltcraft VC890 OLED? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: fastcooler
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2015, 12:57:06 am
content: Hello,I need a good multimeter around €300,00.- DC up to 1000 Volts- Very good accuracy in DC testing (~0.02 / 0.03)- Safe (CAT III or CAT IV 1000V)I wish to use it to test tube amplifiers and to calibrate Bias (both on tube and solid state amplifiers) and to troubleshoot in audio hifi devices.I saw these two meters:- Brymen BM869s- Voltcraft VC-890 OLEDI like a lot the OLED display of Voltcraft, but I found very few reviews about this meter (they are all good reviews, indeed).I read more about the previous Brymen BM869, and now it was just upgraded to BM869s.Any suggestions, please?Are they better than Fluke 179, please?Is it better to buy a Fluke 179 or one of these Taiwanese/Chinese multimeters, please?Thanks for your valuable replies!Fast

author: zaoka
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2015, 02:54:12 am
content: I spent tons of money experimenting with multimeters in the past.If you need really good longlasting handheld one get Fluke or Hioki, these are class above the rest, alternatives are Gossen metrawats... If you dont care about poor capacitance measurement include Agilent in the list.I remember I purchased Voltraft M3860 in the late 199x and regretted, I could pay few bucks more for Fluke 79 and still use it today

author: chickenHeadKnob
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2015, 02:57:46 am
content: I have an older non-S BM869 and love it.Friends don't let friends buy anything with an OLED, if you want it to last. I don't care how good it looks new, multi-meters should last a lifetime.

author: Lightages
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 08, 2015, 03:41:31 am
content: With my experience with OLED displays I won't buy anything with OLED that is expected to last more than a couple of years.

author: retiredcaps
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2015, 07:06:23 am
content: Quote from: fastcooler on April 08, 2015, 12:57:06 amWith a spec of 0.02% or 0.03% DC accuracy, there are only a handful of handheld multimeters that can meet that spec.For the VC890, the spec is 0.03% +/- 10 digits in 600mV range. For all other ranges, it is 0.05% +/- 10 digits. On that spec alone, the VC890 might be disqualified?QuoteI believe Brymen is the only manufacturer today meeting the CAT IV 1000V rating.QuoteBetter depends on your valuation criteria.While the Fluke 179 DC accuracy is 0.09% +/- 2 digits, almost all the Flukes I have used or own are "spot on" or only 1 or 2 counts out. For example, I have an old Fluke 12 and while its spec is 0.9% +/- 1 count, terrible by today's standards, it reads either "spot on" or 1 count out. In another words, despite the Fluke 12 being 10x worse compared to the Fluke 179, they read identically wrt to DCV in my tests.PS. Most of the Voltcraft handheld multimeters are made by someone else to their specifications and carry a GS designation.

author: retiredcaps
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2015, 07:20:44 am
content: Quote from: zaoka on April 08, 2015, 02:54:12 amAs I mentioned, most Voltcraft meters are made by someone else. Your Voltcraft M3860 is likely a Metex M3860. See pics.

author: retiredcaps
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2015, 07:33:41 am
content: Quote from: fastcooler on April 08, 2015, 12:57:06 amBTW, if you are spending this much money, you should investigate your warranty longevity/options/terms and conditions if buying the multimeter brand new. I don't know the specifics for your country (presumably Germany is where you live?).

author: Wytnucls
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2015, 09:16:36 am
content: Look for good second-hand Gossen 26S, 28S or 29S on eBay.

author: fastcooler
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2015, 12:17:07 pm
content: Finally I bought the Brymen 867S and I am very happy with it! Very nice meter.

author: pascal_sweden
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2015, 12:55:21 pm
content: What is the exact difference between the Brymen BM869 and BM869s?I could not find that in the specifications.Is the BM869s the top of the line model, or are there even higher and better models?I noted that there is the BM900 series, but this seems an entry model, so their numbering scheme is very confusing. Usually the bigger the number is, the better the model is. But apparently not for the BM900 series.

author: rob77
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2015, 02:34:59 pm
content: Quote from: pascal_sweden on April 27, 2015, 12:55:21 pmspecs are the same. the BM869s is newer version with some improvements. it's a very well built meter - i think it's the best "bang for buck" on the market.