Who knows Greenlee multimeters? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: thilo
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2011, 06:46:35 pm
content: Hi,I've discovered a multimeter manufacturer called Greenlee (www.greenlee.com). They have a rather interesting multimeter that is available for sale at least in Germany on august 25th. It's the dm-860a (http://www.mygreenlee.com/GreenleeDotCom/Whats%20New/SupportFiles/pdfs/MA5591%20DM-860A%20Datta%20Sheet.pdf) and they also offer it in a calibrated variant called the dm-860a-c.Has anybody ever heard of Greenline? And are there meters any good? The resolution of this meter is awesome, but the specs don't mention the +digits error. Which is anfortunate, because you can't really tell if the 500,000 counts are just a wank feature.Thanks,Thilo.

author: patb
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2011, 07:15:52 pm
content: It seems like another re-badge of Brymen DMM.http://brymen.com/product-html/cata860/Bm860s.htm(yeah, I know - their web page is like from year 1993). I saw a couple of other Brymen DMMs re-badged as Amprobe or Extech IIRC. I have model BM857a and I am very happy about it. It was very good value for money when I bought it 2 years ago.What is the price of DM-860?

author: thilo
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2011, 07:22:47 pm
content: In Germany it's listed as 340€ including 19% taxes. The calibrated version is listed on amazon.com as $444.

author: patb
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 21, 2011, 07:43:07 pm
content: Hmmm... probably not cheap. Take a look athttp://www.tme.eu- they have Brymen branded DMMs. I see BM867 and BM869 for 120 EUR and 172 EUR + VAT.

author: saturation
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 22, 2011, 11:51:41 am
content: Greenlee is a reputable US based company of industrial test gear. The make basic but durable equipment. The only issue with them is that the parent company, Textron, are not an electronics focused company like Denaher and its subcompanies like Fluke; their subsidiaries are all over the place in the industrial setting from small plane manufacturing to recreational vehicles. So the gist is, they know how to sell to people and make what they want, but they are not dedicated to the craft.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 22, 2011, 12:08:48 pm
content: How many of these 500,000 count meters are there?https://www.eevblog.com/forum/index.php?topic=4235.0That's 4 that are almost identical.Dave.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 22, 2011, 12:21:42 pm
content: Yokagowa make a 500,000 count one too:Hmm, looks like we may have 3 sufficiently different meters for a shootout...Dave.

author: thilo
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 22, 2011, 01:48:09 pm
content: A shootout would be great :-)

author: Bren
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 14, 2011, 04:36:09 pm
content: I had a Green Lee multimeter for many years until I got it replaced. My Green Lee had a fuse break on it somehow and I couldn't get the identical one replaced. To replace the identical fuse that was used by Green Lee, it would cost me about 175$ if I bought a bulk of them from their supplier. I ended up going with another fuse, but there was really no reason for the fuse to break.The multimeter was great and so was their customer service.Bren.

author: PetrosA
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2011, 05:17:48 pm
content: I just got a Greenlee mini clamp (well, mini compared to my Agilent). I'll put it through some tests, tear it apart and post what I find.

author: Kiriakos-GR
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2011, 06:36:36 pm
content: If some people was replying in true technical questions , their brands would earn some credit.https://www.eevblog.com/forum/index.php?topic=4235.msg56689#msg56689The Brymen web site looks terrible.The Greenlee overestimates the specs of Brymen speaking about 200Khz bandwidth,when Brymen talks about 100 KHz.An very confused story just by it self.

author: saturation
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2011, 07:16:39 pm
content: Some Greenlee products have the same limited lifetime guarantee similar to Fluke, FYI. So while basic, the build quality is often higher than typical DMMs.

author: Kiriakos-GR
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2011, 09:08:40 pm
content: At my geographical location I have so many options about such products,that I can not get easily surprised or impressed .For example the Agilent U1272A, it was a true bomb of many megatons, and it did managed to impress me.At 340$ retail, its a shadow over the many typical DMM, and they loose their shine at the 2011.

author: Kiriakos-GR
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 10, 2011, 12:55:54 pm
content: Quote from: thilo on July 21, 2011, 06:46:35 pmGreat find Thilo, this document helped me allot in my fresh research about Brymen.And because of the good news ..https://www.eevblog.com/forum/index.php?topic=5065.0The review of the 869 is a fact !!

author: krish2487
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 10, 2011, 02:40:09 pm
content: Hello!A long time fan of dave and his blog (truly enjoy your work dave!!)but just registered on the forums.The word "greenlee" caught my attentionI am a power electronics and embedded systems engineer by professionI am also have a passion for mechanical engineering that competes with my main line of work.Greenlee is a reputed company that manufactures Mortiser bits (one the few in the world i might add)(I have no affiliation to greenlee other than my interest in mechanical engg)Mortiser drill bits are based on "reuleaux triangle". What it actually is a drill bit but makes a square hole instead of a circle:-D(So that you can avoid googling and wiking for "mortiser bits" and "reuleaux triangle")Infact the company is named after one of the founder.Just my contribution to a very interesting thread.

author: Kiriakos-GR
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 10, 2011, 03:15:41 pm
content: Never need a square hole , but thanks for the info.

author: Michael B
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: January 12, 2012, 04:55:59 pm
content: Verified that Greenlee DM860A is made by Brymen. Cheapest price in the US that I have found is $289. Not bad, but I just scored a Fluke 87V with E2 kit for less than that.

author: plunger
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 12, 2012, 10:57:57 pm
content: Don't know about the meter quality but Greenlee is sold in all of the Home Depots in USA. It looks to be quality stuff. Home Depot is the biggest hardware chain here. You can buy the cheap tools or buy the good stuff, Kleins & Greenlee for telecom/electrician tools.

author: kingoftaurus
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2014, 07:27:09 am
content: Quote from: plunger on January 12, 2012, 10:57:57 pmIn another post I asked about finding the Brymen. It was suggested that I go for a Greenlee.You state that its sold by Home Depot, but they don't even have a listing for it online.Lowe's does not either.Fry's electronics does not.Amazon has one but its $500Where can I actually find this multimeter?Another +1 here for a shootout of all these rebadged multimeters and hopefully selling locations worldwide.

author: rstoer
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2014, 02:09:53 pm
content: Find the meter you want on Greenlee's website (www.greenlee.com) and click "Where to Buy". Put in your zip code and you're done. Usually they're sold by electrical supply stores where you can plan on paying retail.As an alternative, why not buy a real Brymen from Frankie at 99 Cent Hobbies? Many people (myself included) have dealt with him and found him to be reputable.

author: 128er
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 04, 2014, 05:10:32 pm
content: Last Sunday i was on the "Light & Building"-fair in Frankfurt a.M. / Germany. On the Klauke-Stand they also had the Greenlee equipment (both are Textron companys). I asked them if the DMM's and the other stuff are designed and build inhouse. The guy affirmed that and told me, that Greenlee is the biggest manufacturer of testequipment after Fluke. Of course, i was very sceptical about this statement (Hmm, he would not lie to me). I havent compared all Types, but some Greenlee DMM's are obviously Brymen devices.This is the webpage from Klaukehttp://www.klauke.com/. There you can find the Greenlee devices also.By the way, Klauke produce very nice equipment for cable connections and all sort of crimp stuff. For my Company its the first choice for all sort of connection things.