Shoutout to the old timer who warned me about cheap multimeters

I spent $80 on a no-name multimeter from Amazon last year for my bench work at the shop in Portland. It gave me wrong resistance readings on a 737 pitot static line, and I spent 4 hours chasing a ghost problem before realizing the tool was junk. The replacement Fluke cost me $180 but saved my sanity on the next job. Has anyone else had a cheap meter screw up a troubleshooting session for you?

3 comments

3 Comments

quinna891mo ago

Man that's a real kick in the teeth. Spending four hours chasing a ghost problem sounds like a cheap meter's way of saying "surprise, it's me!". I bet that $80 meter is now sitting in a drawer somewhere with a permanent "do not trust" label on it. At least you got a decent story out of it, even if it cost you a full workday. Must've felt great swapping to the Fluke and watching that problem vanish in minutes.

daniel1401mo ago

Wait, you actually chased a ghost problem on a 737 pitot static line for four hours because of a cheap meter? That's brutal, man. I would've lost my mind if I was troubleshooting something that critical and it turned out the tool was the issue.

jamie9401mo ago

Reminds me of the time I grabbed a harbor freight torque wrench for a differential rebuild on my old jeep. Spec said 85 foot pounds but that wrench was clicking at 60 and I barely snugged it. Spent the next weekend pulling it all apart again wondering why I had a growling noise.