Side by Side Comparison of: Innova vs Etekcity

GREAT multimeter! Have used it a few times, but really like the easy large readout. The selector is quick and easy to use. Comes with batteries already installed. Nice little bonus!! All my INNOVA products have been high quality!! Very happy with purchase...

Handles all the functions I need for diagnosing issues with vehicle/trailer wiring. If you frequently switch between testing amps and testing voltage, I recommend buying an inline fuse and modifying your leads to put a fuse inline. I smoked my first multimeter by leaving it hooked up to the 10amp connection when trying to measure voltage. I immediately bought a second meter (and some inline fuses!).

Great little tester!! I use it for home use and leave my Fluke at work. Auto ranging and audible continuity buzzer. Does just about everything my Fluke does, but for a heck of a lot cheaper. I don't know if I would use it for very precise measurements, but for light mechanics and hobby work, can't beat it for the price.

Pleasantly surprised at the value for the price. This is great for occasional use for the DIY inclined or hobbyist. Not appropriate for a professional or someone who needs safety around high voltage. This is better than some $40-50 multimeters I have used in the past. However, time will tell whether it stays accurate and continues to work for years to come.

So far, this meter is excellent. I love the auto-ranging. I no longer have to choose AC or DC or the voltage range--just stick on the leads. I am confident that the other functions work as specified, but voltage and continuity are what I use most.

Great meter for a great price! Does so much more than a comparably priced unit. Did a quick walk through with my father and now I can never find it because its in HIS tool box. Now I need to buy myself another one!

This product works perfectly. It comes in a nice box which displays the features of the multimeter and the package contents. The package includes the multimeter which is wrapped in plastic, the two leads which are wrapped in plastic as well, and an instruction manual. At first glance, the product may seem confusing with the barrage of symbols decorating the dial. If you are unsure of what anything means, the instruction manual explains the definition of the symbols and gives clear, explicit instructions on everything from changing batteries to measuring AC voltage. It is very important that you read the instruction manual because it outlines several warnings. If you do not abide by these warnings, you risk ruining the device. Thankfully, there aren't too many and they are mostly common sense (DO NOT use leaking batteries). The display is clear and easy to read, and the back light is bright and allows for even easier viewing, though I have not needed it much so far.
The meter itself is accurate and easy to use. Simply rotate the dial to the setting of what you want to measure, and place the leads at the correct point in the circuit. The output is accurate. I gave it a test run with a 5V fixed DC voltage in series with a 100 Ohm resistor, and the resulting current, voltage, and resistance measurements were either spot on or very close, which is understandable.
The only complaint I have is that the hold button, which saves whatever number is displayed on screen, is located on the meter itself, which means it is difficult to press unless you are particularly agile or have 3 hands. It would be much simpler if the button were located on one of the leads, but this flaw is small and relatively easy to work around.
The product works perfectly and is very cheap, so it easily earns 5 stars from me.

I bought this because in my spare time I like to take apart broken electronics and try to see if I can understand how they work and how to fix them. Most of the time I end up breaking the electronics even more. This Multimeter does just what I need, check the voltages around little circuit boards and helps me find what resistors or capacitors have blown. I wouldn't use this if it was a life or death scenario, but it works well with little electronics like the circuit boards of TV's.

I would recommend this to anyone who finds themselves dumpster diving for broken gadgets and trying to spend as little money.

Works just fine, as expected. Remarkable value for the price. I checked it against another comparable meter and the results tracked very closely (of course they may use the same chipset!). My only complaint is that the backlight does not automatically turn off after a few seconds, as on my other meter (Velleman brand) that seems essentially identical to this one by Etekcity. I'd like an automatic shut-off, but that is not an available feature. Some people said that the continuity buzzer does not work, but mine does. My meter had the internal clunking that some purchasers have reported. In my case it was caused by loose fit of the 9V battery in the battery compartment. I had some self-stick felt and used that to tighten up the fit: no more clunking. Some folded-up paper would also have done the trick.

You know, for the price, I wasn't expecting much out of this device, but I was surprised as to how accurate the readings I was getting from it ended up being. I compared it to one of those $200 multimeters, and it was spot on perfect compared to the higher priced one. The hold feature is definitely appreciated, as is the light up display. The leads for this are of good quality. They should hold up for many years.

This instrument was used for measuring electrical output in a science fair project. It was very easy to use, giving us amps and volts for calculating watts. It is unlikely that this instrument will collect dust as we have already found uses around the house such as testing batteries, troubleshooting automotive electrical issues, and continuing to learn about electricity. *Consider safety first when doing ANYTHING with electricity.*

Meter seems to be doing fine for the number of times I used it. One thing that takes some getting used to is that when measuring voltages, it would look like it was dancing all over the place with readings, till I realized that there was a small indicator also showing that it was millivolts instead of volts. OK, I guess I can buy that. Otherwise it seems fairly well constructed and for the price, offers some nice features.

I had originally bought this just to have something not from Harbor Freight to measure resistance in my ignition coils. This can technically measure in the megaohms, but it has a really hard time with anything above about 6 kiloohms, and the accuracy takes a hit on 220v lines. Maybe my unit, maybe just the model, I don't know. Don't really care either.What I do know is that it gets regularly borrowed by friends that already own lineman service level Fluke multimeters. The holsters on the side won't hold most other probes though, but whatever. At this price, you could seriously, easily do worse.

I needed a inexpensive multimeter that could help me locate a parasitic draw and it did the trick. It's accurate, reliable and inexpensive. You can't ask for much more than that. Great purchase, I'm sure it will come in handy for all the projects around the garage.

This multimeter works well for someone who doesn't rely on it for a living. It has good features. The only reason I took off a star is because the battery load test doesn't seem to work right and sometimes the tone for continuity doesn't work until I switch off of and back onto continuity test. I would buy it again.

Really nice item; the display is big and clear; the continuity lag behind but it is OK, considering that this is not a Fluke nor it cost a lot of money.Tollerance is good too; I did use it for 3V and 5V projects and so far it has been quite accurate, compared to the professional multimeter. Easy to use, even my kids can use it without problems.The only thing that I don't like is that you can't hang the probes; the clips are soft plastic and they are more for show than to hold the probes.Overall, it is a super deal for the price.

Would give it 3.5 if I could. I needed a multimeter for around the house and this one was rated very highly. I haven't gotten a chance to play with some of its more advanced features, but the basic functionality works great.My only problem with it is the little clips on the sides that are supposed to hold the probs. They're basically useless. The plastic is way too soft and bendy to hold the prob securely, and any amount of jostling or putting it in a bag with other tools will result in the probs popping out of their retention clips. I'd rather it not have the clips at all if they don't work correctly and am thinking about just cutting them off the case.But like i said, this is a great product other than the clips. In general it feels solid and well built for the price. OK screw it i'm changing my rating to 4 starts. Its not fair to deduct 2 stars for such a trivial gripe

A nice little meter for the price. A couple of handy features include a well-designed backlight that can be switched on or off to help save the battery, and a fold-out rear stand that props the meter up at an angle for easier viewing from the bench top.

But a few caveats would have to include the extremely poor contrast of the markings for voltage and current on the front panel of the meter. They’re hard to see since dark green on black just doesn’t show up very well, and in dim light they barely show up at all! A more significant shortcoming is the lack of any useful sensitivity for the AC voltage range. Whereas the DC range offers 200 mV to 500 V full scale readings, the AC range is limited to only 200 V full scale.

Two minor issues are the difficulty in replacing the internal battery since removing the access panel requires use of a number 00 Phillips screwdriver which is smaller than many folks carry in their toolkit. Finally, the meter would be easier to read if the scale multiples were done in decades of 10 rather than the 2 or 20 being used now. It would make the displayed readings less confusing to interpret.

 I bought this to repair my tv. I used it to check for bad fuses. Worked fine. I have to say the test probes felt a bit cheap. And while using the continuity mode, sometimes it does take half a second longer than it should to make a beep sound.

The back light is bright. I don't have anything to compare it to to check for accuracy though but for hobby use, I'm sure it will be fine.

Uses a 9V battery which comes with the unit.

First, I do not use this tool for my profession, or on a regular basis. However I did need to test my car battery and alternator, and I decided to purchase this Etekcity Digital Multimeter for that task. It worked flawlessly. I was able to acquire an accurate test result, and the multimeter worked great. For the price you can not beat this device. For simple home projects I would suggest this tool for the do it yourselfer. The tool comes in a nice small package so it will fit into any small tool box. hope this helps. thanks

Great for the price. Includes the 9V battery needed to operate, so you can use it right out of the box. Measures everything you see on the dial on in the picure: DC Current up to 10A, Resistance 200 Ohms, AC/DC Voltage up to 500 V, checks for continuity (with audible beep), and transistors. Includes leads, has a backlight, and the ability to "hold" or freeze a measurement on the screen until you clear it (or turn it off). The red rubber casing is a nice touch, in case you drop it, and the DMM has a flip out stand on the back. If you are looking for an affordable DMM, you can't really beat this one.

AC, DC, and Oms. I'm no electronics specialist and this is my first multimeter I've ever purchased. for the price it does a all around good job if you aren't a pro. So I would recommend it. But it might not be for everyone, especially a pro. I wish the prods that came with it also came with clasps since you practically need four arms to hold the two wires, the multimeter, and the cable and/or ports you are trying to test.

Watch a couple of YouTube tutorials before you use this or you might hurt yourself. The instructions aren't really clear.

Decent multi-meter. It worked well for a while, but then started giving erroneous voltage and amperage readings when trying to measure. Resistance still works fine. I haven't really used any of the other features as I don't have need of them.

Good product does exactly what it should do. The reason I have given three stars is I ordered it with prime and didn't arrive for a month.

Bought one a couple years ago and it still works awesome. Bought a second one 3 months ago for my assistant, and it died just today...It was working fine one minute while I was checking voltage on a 3.3v circuit. I look back at it a minute later and the voltage is reading out random numbers from -100mv to +200mv with the probes touching nothing... ?

I bought a couple of these and I have varying results. One works great but the 2nd one will not complete a battery load test. If you get a good one you'll love it, otherwise you'll only be getting a basic voltmeter.

Meter is accurate with my beckman. But wish it had more functions it's a automatic range that I'm not use to.

Mine should of gone back, misplaced packaging so cant return. Will go to dumpster instead. Wont hold zero, numbers bounce constantly seems to always be searching for correct range. Battery tester is gimmicky at best. Cant hear continuity tester in a noisy environment. Lacking any sort of real AC testing. I honestly wasnt expecting much for the price, but not being able to hold zero for a simple 12v test is a deal killer. Maybe i just got a rare bad unit, as other reviewers love this unit. Unfortunately i cant return which is my fault so i gave 3 stars instead of 1 since its partially my fault.

I bought this two years ago and just finally get around to using it. A project I wanted to work on was put on hold due to school. Anyways, I noticed permanent marker on the bottom and toward the left center. I start to scratch it off. One covered a CE logo (Used to approve products being sold in Europe) and Excel (Actual company that made it). Doing a search online it's an Excel XL830L Digital 3 1/2 LCD Voltmeter Ammeter Ohmmeter Multimeter Black & Yellow.

The bottomline here...make sure you double check your order to ensure it is what it is. Blacking out logos is some shady business practices so I'd say give them a pass completely. I gave it three stars as the product works even after two years and used it once to test a battery. I'll be using it more with Arduino projects and hope it continues to work...if not, no bother, I'm currently eyeing a MasTech ms8229 or other sub $50 equivalent.

This is a good starter multimeter. It's got all the basic functions of a multimeter, especially for small-electronics type hobbies and/or repair. It's easy enough to figure out how to use it, although the included instructions were also nice. The backlight works fine, although I never used it. Audible continuity tester is ok. I don't use one of the uber-expensive models at work, so I don't know if it's too quiet in comparison or not. It was fine for my workshop, as long as the kids weren't around. It even has an hFE transistor tester, which I never used.

However, I knocked down my rating because when the inevitable happened and the 200 mA fuse blew while measuring current through my project, I popped off the back to replace the fuse. Only to discover that it's not what you would call a field-replacable unit. The fuse (tiny) is soldered into the board, and I have not found the same fuses anywhere. So it will now become my back-up multimeter. And I'm in search of a replacement. It'd be nice if you could sort by whether or not the fuses are replaceable.

It works....after I installed a new battery. Only took a glance to diagnose the problem noting the switch was in the ON position as well as the light switch set to ON. Oddly packaged, too, like put in the product box with no interior packaging. I think the product is OK but the circumstances seem a little fishy. Perhaps a return? Could it be a refurb? Maybe the work of a disgruntled employee?

This is a cheap multimeter, and there is a reason why. I got about 3 weeks worth of use out of mine before it smoked. It still reads volts and resistance, but does not read current anymore. It just suddenly quit reading current shortly after I loaned it out. It read current before and (yes, and) after I gave it to them, but when I got to class the next day, it would no longer read current. We tried replacing the fuse, and still got nothing. I am not too upset because it was a cheap multimeter. Had this been a $25+ one, I would be a little pissed. It is a little more of an inconvenience than anything else right now. As a multimeter, it would be a 1/5 if it weren't for the price being so lo. That is why it is a 3 for me. It was decent quality for $9 while it lasted. My advice: if you are going to be using your multimeter for a long time, spend a little more on it. Flukes are the best, but are harder to work with and have expensive fuses. I recommend getting something in the $20-$30 range, that is what I am getting now.

Wouldn’t always zero out and sometimes I got erratic readings. I rarely ever use a multimeter but when I starting having issues it was outside of warranty.

I bought this back in July but never opened.Opened it today (brand new from box), plugged in the probes to check the voltage, and when I attempted to disconnect the probes to put it away, 1 of the connecting pins got stuck in the socket.I can plug the probe back into it and the meter still works, but it's pretty frustrating when parts break after the first use. Not sure if I want to look for new probes, but I would expect a product to at least last a few uses. I definitely would NOT buy this again.

while this is a cheap meter, it is better suited to a 10-15 year old--the quality is poor and the teat lead appear to not be suited to "real" high voltage and accuracy. I would not buy this meter again.

I bought this meter due to all the good reviews. I worked as advertised - for about a year and a half. Now when I turn it on the display just jumps all around. New batteries did not fix it. I took it apart looking for loose parts but I can't find the problem and you can only spend so long trying to fix a $25 tool - especially one that you can't really depend on anymore. I would not buy again and I'd advise you to get something with a bit better quality because this won't last long.

At first it seemed to work but of course shortly after the 30 days I started getting questionable readings and it was too late to send back. It seems like some functions work fine while others don't. In addition, the "battery lights" never illuminated but the readings of that function are correct. It's a shame, I did a lot of research on these before purchasing and thought this one was going to be perfect but instead it just leaves me confused sometimes.

The reviews were good and the price was too. I could not get past the way the display jumped around when switched to DC voltage. This is what I use the thing the most for, checking automotive DCV. It worked fine once connected to a voltage source, but when the leads were not touching the display just showed a ever changing voltage and would never settle down. Maybe this is normal, but I sent this meter back over this issue. In the future I'll just stick to manual ranging meters if this is considered normal.

Dial broke after a month.

Used it twice for simple household testing of batteries etc. It died 1 week out to of the Amazon return period. You get what you pay for move on to something with a bid more quality so it works when you need it.

upon arival i notice it had something loose inside, reluctantly i remover the two small philips screws to try and avoid the hassle of sending it back. i found a metal 1/8 inch ball. if i left it in there it could have shorted the internal elictric circuits. I have no idea what it was in there for, everything seems to be working, im giving it 2 stars for poor assembly. te backlight is a good feature, i will be using this in the automotive feild to test continuit, resistance, voltage, and amperage for parisitic draw tests. seems good enough o do the jobas longas i donoksomething up wrong and fry it like the last one.

I REALLY LIKED IT AT FIRST UNTIL I REALLY NEEDED IT!!! TO CHECK (IGNITION COIL) FOR Resistance.THAT IS WHEN I FOUND OUT THAT IT DID NOT READ Resistance!!! BECAUSE IT WAS A FEW MONTHS PASS THE RETURN WINDOW AMAZON SAID I WAS OUT OF LUCK AND THEY WOULD NOT REPLACE IT I WAS NOT SEEKING A REFUND SIMPLY ONE THAT WOULD WORK PROPERLY :O( I KNEW IT WAS MADE IN CHINA WHEN I PURCHASED IT,BUT ATLEAST GIVE ME ONE THAT WORKS. AFTER READING THE REVIEWS I TOOK A CHANCE ON IT.... GENERALLY A NICE ITEM TO HAVE AROUND THE GARAGE.

I received this multi-tester in October. It's not the only one I own. I probably used it a dozen times and the probe separated from the lead wire. The wires don't even show any sign of solder. I had hoped this would be a good product but sadly that's not so.

broke after third use.....red tip fell off

Very poor quality -- I cannot believe this is a top seller! The display was faulty as soon as I got it out of the box. I tried changing the batteries and used fully charged rechargeable batteries with the same result. Also, the contacts for the batteries were poorly placed and one of the batteries seemed to work intermittently. I have returned it for a full refund and will now look for a better product!

the display jumps all over when not connected to a voltage. difficult to work with if you are looking at low DC voltage I've been trying to use this to help trouble shoot a battery electrical system and it is less than useless. I can't always use clipleads and have to use the probes that come with the meter. I never know when I've got a real reading or just he constantly changing noise

Less then a year old and it won't power on. Only used it twice. Customer service from Innova is all but useless.

I bought this to measure induced current in one of my experiments. As I didn't have any idea how much voltage my setup is producing, the reading on the meter didn't give me a whole lot of sense. I repeated the experiment and got totally different readings. Also the auto ranging was not stabilizing even after 5 minutes. It was shutting off after 10 minutes even it is was not idle. Probably I got a defective unit, from reading other positive reviews I am thinking there is some other unit out there does its job correctly.

Poor Quality.Just received it and I can't event trust the continuity test function because I have to move the probes contentiously to get it to work. I don't know if the problem is in the jacks or in the probes. I can touch copper filaments on probe cables (Safety issue if testing AC Voltage) Waste of time and money.

This would be a great value if it held up. It feels quality has a large display, auto-ranging, lots of functions, and auto-off. However, my battery load test LEDs failed after one month. They worked fine for only a couple of testings, then nothing. I have to pay to send it back for repair. Not happy.

Too often we just accept poor quality. This has to be a cheap knockoff from China, or some such description. I bought two because of the great price and pretty good reviews. But just when you go to depend on it, the cheap probe wire plug-ins fail on you. Nothing more frustrating when troubleshooting continuity and you find it is your meter probes, not an open in your circuit. This occurs where the probe wire connects to the meter. The female socket metal and the male plug metal are so cheap they bend and don't make tight contact. The frustration became so great on both meters they went in the can - a few weeks ago. I wasn't going to say anything, but came home today with another completely different brand, an analog this time, that looked JUST like the old one I had years ago that lasted me 20 years or more. And right out of the box - same probe problem. Sure enough, back of the unit says made in China. That one today was $10 at one home center and $20 at another. I should have looked closer. Guess I'll have to shell out some bigger bucks. You get what you pay for. Piece of sh!t.

Unfortunately junk. Stopped working just outside of my 30 day return window through Amazon. I just don't know what happened. One day working, the next, nothing. It has power and I've tried other batteries, but to no avail. I recommend you stay away. Maybe I'll look into a replacement with the vendor directly.

Came DOA that's fine they mass produce these and it was 11.00. Since it was very impractical to return, I don't currently live in the US I took it apart to find out why all the solder joints were plain S***, I mean I trust a four year old more with a permanent marker than the person who soldered this together every single component had cracking solder joints, not enough solder. it was nightmarish. I'm surprised this company makes anything that works. I have bought these before (...) they are twice the quality half the price and dont feel as cheap in your hand. I wish I could say you get what you paid for but this product sucks, and next time ill borrow the fluke from work.

Guess I got the lemon. Most other reviews are good. First the battery was dead when received (what more would you expect from a battery with the trade name "Colorful"). Now I cannot get any consistency in voltage readings. Sometimes it reads voltage, sometimes it does not. When it does read voltage it sometimes oscillates between 100V and 170V. Sometimes it settles down and is OK. Problem is I never know what is going to happen so there is no confidence in the readings. I suspect a bad internal connection. My quandary is I purchased three as Christmas presents for my children. Now I have one to return and I am wondering if the other two are really safe for the other children to use.

I bought one of these. It was defective on arrival. The display said "333" regardless of the selected range or tested condition. Amazon replaced it. The new one worked just long enough to last through the 30-day return period. Shortly after the return period expired, this one broke. It too says "333' regardless of the selected range or tested condition.

It failed on the first use. I used it to measure a current ranging from 30-700 milliAmps (using the 10 Amp setting). It successfully measured it. However, after that measurement, a number got stuck on the screen, and it wouldn't read any further measurements. Also, the unit feels cheap like a toy. I don't recommend this item at all. Buy a real multimeter.