Brymen 786 or 867s or something else? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: LuisB
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: April 17, 2023, 08:27:00 pm
content: Hello, at first i am new to this forum and would consider myself somewhat of an electronics newbie (at least in cooperant to the majority of you reading this). I used the search function and basically found out that any of those meters should be fine for my needs, but i would really like to get a better understanding about what is important to look for when choosing a meter. And maybe there are better meters to choose from that I just dont know.I am looking for a well build multimeter mainly for my DIY projects now (mostly low voltage Arduino projects) and in the future (planning on converting a work van into a camper van with solar). In addition to that it should be a reputable meter with safety standards confirmed by a third party, because i might take it to work if needed and for insurance reasons i want to be save on that side (The UNI-T unit i own right now says that it support some safety standards but its not third party verified).On that note i work as an chemical engineer in in electro chemistry right now, we have quite some multimeters in the lab but they are either old and crusty or benchtop ones and i dont want to take a benchtop multimeter to measure, for example, a sensor that might have gone bad.But enough about work, like i said i mainly want to use it for my DIY needs and yes i want a bit of an overkill for now because i dont know what i might want to do in the future and i dont really want to buy another multimeter in the near future.My budget is about 160 € (+/-) (Germany) and right now i am mostly looking at Brymen models because they seem to have a really good price to performance, the meters are UL listed and there is a reseller here in Germany. But now we come to my problem, there are so many in that price range that look kind of similar on paper.Brymen BM829s @ 149 €Brymen BM785 @ 149 €Brymen BM857s @ 159 €Brymen BM867s @ 159 €Brymen BM786 EEVBlog Edition @ 169 €Brymen BM839 @ 179 €Thank you in advance for all input and sorry if i did not apply by any guidelines.

author: J-R
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 17, 2023, 11:20:37 pm
content: For primarily electronics use, personally I'd go straight for the BM869s.For primarily other hobby/DIY use around the house maybe get the BM789 for the AutoV/LoZ and EF?I don't see the point in getting lesser models with missing features. You'll just have to buy another DMM later.But if you're truly dead-set on the price-point, I could see the BM829s as a reasonable solution due to the AutoV and EF as well as PC-Comm and the dual display.

author: mwb1100
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 18, 2023, 01:29:22 am
content: Those are all good meters so i think your decision will come down to whether there is a particular "non-core" feature that one has that is missing on the others. I don't have direct experience with any of the meters other than the BM786. There are a few things about the 768 that I like aren't on some of the other meters:- a long backlight - many people don't seem to care much about this, but maybe my eyes aren't so great or something. A lot of meters have a 30 second backlight timeout that drives me a little crazy. The BM829 is one with a 30 second timeout. I like 2 minutes or more preferably. You have to look in the manual for this info - the data sheet almost never mentions the duration, only if there's a backlight or not. The BM768's is 10 minutes or more.- 3V diode check. The BM786 will light up most LEDs. Many Brymen meters have a 2V diode check that might not light up blue or white LEDs- LCD flashing for continuity. If you work in a noisy environment or with headphones on to listen to music while working this feature will be helpful. I'm surprised it's not more common.- AutoHold - similar to (but not exactly the same as) the famous Fluke TouchHold/AutoHOLD. This is a very useful feature. I probably should have lead off with it.Something not on the BM786 that some of the other meters in list have (I think) is a PC COMM link option that allows you to log readings over a long period of time.You should consider if there are one or more of these kinds of special/specific/unusual features that might set some or one of the meters apart for you.

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 18, 2023, 02:44:06 am
content: Quote from: J-R on April 17, 2023, 11:20:37 pma) Less clutter. It simplifies the selector dial and the display. Less button presses, easier to read.b) Not true, sometimes you reallydon'tneed a feature. Ever.

author: nightfire
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 18, 2023, 04:45:35 am
content: Simple: Take the 786 and support the eevblog with it ;-)Rule of thumb: If there are only minor features you need are amiss, in some kind of future you are buying a 2nd multimeter anyway because of measuring volt/amps simultaneoulsy etc.And for the usage told here, I do not see in whih regards the 786 would come short.(I mean, really short)

author: LuisB
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: April 18, 2023, 07:10:57 am
content: Quote from: nightfire on April 18, 2023, 04:45:35 amI knew there would be some biasesBut yes, I think the 786 is the best choice with some of the features that @mvb1100 mentioned and with it being a decent bit smaller in size.I if happen to need features like PC connectivity or dual display in the future it might be time at that point to invest in a used oder entry level bench multimeter that provides that features.

author: radiolistener
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 18, 2023, 12:30:46 pm
content: Using 867 for about 6 years and it still keeps the calibration.There is issue with Brymen golden plated probes which come with DMM - it is broken. It began to work poorly, contact was broken somewhere, and it has short circuit resistance up to 7 Ω.

author: Neutrion
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 18, 2023, 02:48:18 pm
content: Quote from: LuisB on April 18, 2023, 07:10:57 amThe BM789 is even better. (Unfortunately not aviable in EEVBLOG blue)I would buy the Uni-t UT-210e or something similar for small dc amps as well, especially if you are planning to play with some solar installation.