Triplett 1401 True RMS CE CAT III Rated DMM  Thoughts? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: Absentminded
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: December 21, 2015, 10:15:49 pm
content: I found this meter doing a criteria search on tequipment.net. Does anyone here have experience with this meter or ideas of what other meter has the same guts? It looks like it has enough resolution/accuracy for basic circuit diagnostics and is CAT III rated for those that like to stick leads in mains. Seems like a lot of meter for under $60.http://www.tequipment.net/Triplett/1401/Multimeters/I'm tempted to just buy it and do a teardown myself to show...I just don't want to buy something that has already been subjected to this as a rebrand.EDIT: The higher end models bear an uncanny resemblance to some of the tekpower stuff. What are the odds triplett is selling the mastech/digitek/hyelec/tekpower lineup?

author: nidlaX
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 22, 2015, 12:50:36 am
content: It looks ok. Nominal CAT III 600 V rating, but the specs don't list UL under agency approval, only CE. If you watch the demo video on TEquipment, you'll see that it's not that compact. I would probably still pay $50 more for the Brymen or DER-EE equivalents.

author: retiredcaps
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 22, 2015, 01:22:39 am
content: Triplett made their name in analog meters, but many of their digital multimeters are made by someone else and Triplett simply rebrands them.The Triplett 1401 is the Holdpeak HP-37C.http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:Lxs4rrZYTL0J:www.holdpeak.com/en/displayproduct001.html%3FproID%3D724380+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ca5ky tested one Holdpeak and found it to be terrible (it came defective).For your $50 budget, you can possible get an used Fluke off craigslist or pawn shops with patience.

author: Absentminded
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: December 22, 2015, 02:04:47 am
content: Ha! I knew I had seen it somewhere before. So many of those meters are suspiciously similar. The triplett seemed too good to be true on the spec sheet, looks like it might be. Thanks.I had bid on a few flukes today on ebay. Both went too high.

author: PedroDaGr8
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 22, 2015, 02:19:35 am
content: Quote from: Absentminded on December 22, 2015, 02:04:47 amI have had much better results with craigslist than I have with eBay. Just keep an eye out for blown fuses, many meters on craigslist have blown fuses for some reason. Just factor the replacement fuse into your price.

author: pascal_sweden
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 22, 2015, 02:37:55 am
content: Don't you think that the rubber holster with the 2 sides looks ugly?Why buy an ugly meter when there are cheaper meters with better specs that look much nicer?

author: retiredcaps
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 22, 2015, 04:41:21 am
content: I wasn't finished posting, but my Internet connection went down ...If you really want this meter, it is sold on aliexpress for $27.99 + free shipping (as an example) ...http://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/HoldPeal-HP-37C-Mini-Auto-Range-True-RMS-Digital-Multimeter-Temperature-Capacitance-Test-and-Auto-Backlight/811558_32484900705.htmlI have no affiliation with seller or aliexpress.