Side by Side Comparison of: SIENOC vs dragonpad

Bought this as a basic meter to use on job site, where I didn't want to worry about my good meter. Works just as well as my other meter and has a tone for continuity that is a big plus for an inexpensive meter.

This meter has been very useful in both Arduino related projects and other items around the house.

Cheapest multimeter I have ever seen, and works well. Nothing fancy, but most people don't need that anyway.

For general home use this is a terrific bargain. The unit itself is small, but its LCD display is big and bright. Highly recommended.

This is good as far as the basic model functions are concerned. Best value for the money and gives a good start for beginners and amateur.

Its no fluke meter but then again it is also not >$100. :) For basic function in a classroom it did the job cheaply and well and stood up to middle school abuse.

exactly what I wanted to replace my old outdated one. very accurate

I've been using one as my main voltmeter for a year and a half now and it still works like a charm.It's reliable enough, and at the price it means I can bring it with me anywhere and I don't fear that I might loose it or have it stolen.The main usage I do is continuity checking, and the beeping feature is a must have. This one has it, not all the cheap units do so look closely.I use to to measure voltage on model railroads, either DC or AC, typically in the 12-20 V range. It proved to be accurate enough each time I've used it. All voltmeters have some degree of fluctuation in their measurement, this one is no exception and did not raise any red flags.The backlit function turned out to be very useful in many occasions. It's very readable in the dark.Note that there is no auto-range, which has never been an issue (AC has a 0-200 V range and DC has 2 / 20 / 200 V, etc.) The display will show "1" when it's out of range, and one needs to manually select another position. Not much a problem when measuring low-voltage DC or AC since I'd just pick up the right range upfront; auto-range is only occasionally useful when I need to figure out a resistance value without prior reference.Two lead wires (black and red) came with it. I did like the thin pointy tips of the provided leads, it was convenient. However after 6 months or so the wire broke inside the tip head on both of them. I just swapped them for other leads I have from another multimeter since I have a couple other ones around. The banana plugs are compatible and the tips worked with my aligator clips.In summary, this is better than I expected and lasts longer than I imagined. I like the small form factor, the simplicity and robustness. I often carry it around with me because at that price I don't care if I loose it, and ironically I end up using it much more than my more expensive multimeters!

After loosing my job and having to part with my prized Fluke multi-meter, I still needed something to work on projects with. Since I was on a virtually non-existent budget, I was pleased to come across the Dragonpad multi-meter. I ordered it for a very low price and a few days later it was in my hands.The build quality is pretty fair. There is a rubber grommet of sorts that covers the back and the sides, just like many of the Fluke meters have. It has all the standard features you would expect. Pretty much anything a normal hobbyist or tinkerer would ever need. It's pretty accurate from what I can tell. It comes with two leads that feel a little cheap but they do work.The one thing I was disappointed about was the internal "speaker" or "buzzer" (whatever its called). It's doesn't output steadily when testing for closed circuits and what not. It sounds like it struggles to make sound. It's not a deal breaker, more of an annoyance.For the price, you can go wrong.

Purchased meter to test batteries and other household items. Works as it is intended. Nice product at a nice price. Id recommend to others. Shipping takes a while though, so expect a couple week wait if in USA. Worthwhile for the Price.

Is it a Fluke? No.Could it be mistaken for a Fluke? No.Is there any chance it was made in the same factory as a Fluke? No.Would I trust its 600V rating? Not given a choice!BUT...Does it work? Yes.Is it cheap? Yes, very.Is it reasonably accurate? Certainly seems to be, based on quick comparisons with other meters.I got this meter to audition it. I need to get at least 10 identical units for as little cash as possible. So far, I'm thinking this is a pretty good choice. The case doesn't snap closed properly on one of the top corners but the bumper protects it well. The test leads are not the greatest but they will probably need to be replaced periodically anyway due to normal wear and tear in an environment with kids. The circuit board is really not too bad. It came in a box with an English instruction/specification leaflet (including detailed accuracy figures for the different ranges). The rotary selector has a good feel and the 20Vdc range is 3 clicks left of OFF, same as my other meters. Initially I was a bit concerned that it reported the gain of a 2N3904 about 35% higher than another meter, but it turned out to be closer to the true value than the other instrument! Long story short: aside from the fact that it smells somewhat reminiscent of a child's paddling pool, this seems to be a pretty solid contender in the cheap multimeter category.PS I wouldn't put too much stock in the negative reviews as their authors don't seem to be familiar with multimeters in general. You will always see small fluctuating voltages when the probes are floating because ... there are small fluctuating voltages. A "1" in the display indicates the value is out of range. There is no 'infinity' indication on any meter when measuring resistance, just an out-of-range indication. Of course the resistance will change rapidly from a lot to almost zero when you touch the probes together! And the person whose meter 'died' as soon as he tried to measure a battery voltage most likely had a current range selected, thereby blowing the fuse (I'm guessing he connected the battery first then rotated the selector through a current range to get to a voltage range. This is a downside of not having separate terminals for current and voltage input). Watch a video online if you need to get up to speed with how these things work.PS I should add that my meter was branded 'EXCEL' and was shipped from the US by 'Etekcity'. One of the problems with Amazon is that when different sellers list the same item, they aren't always the same, yet the reviews are common to all of them. I went to order more of these and they only had two remaining. Hopefully more will be in stock soon.

Works well for a small home use VOM

My son used this for his science fair product with good success. It measured accurately for the tasks and it was repeatedly reliable. The build quality is a little on the cheaper side; however, this was to be expected for a $10 device.

Great for the money. Does everything and more for my arduino projects.

If you are an electrical engineer this is probably not adequate for you, but if you occasionally need to check voltage or continuity, this does the job.

This is a great value for a basic digital multimeter. It handles most typical measurements very well, with accuracy as advertised. It even includes a slip-on cover (that's the orange/yellowish part in the picture) to help minimize the possibility damage if the device is dropped. I'd actually give this 5 stars for its excellent performance-to-cost, but I don't see how to open the device to replace the internal 9V battery when the time comes.

It is an excellent instrument, but this one does not works well. The display does not show the third digit completely. I least this one. I do not say all of this.

There are several people on here telling you not to buy this meter since it is very cheaply made. Listen to them. They are right. I used $5 analog meters for years. I haven't seen an analog meter recently, but meters like this seems to have taken their place. But they seem to be less functional, and seem to be even less accurate.It will do for my purposes. But if you need accurate electronic measurements, then look for a better meter.I just said that it will do for my purposes. That may end up instead as me hoping that it will do for my purposes.Update Jan 9, 2016I have to apologize for the above information. I gave this meter an unfair review. I was using 3rd party leads with it, and evidently I was having a problem with the leads and not the meter. The meter is not 100 percent accurate, but it will get you close if you are using the leads which comes with it and not some bad ones as I had been when I 1st got it.And with continuity testing, the buzzer is below my hearing level....Update November 3, 2016In the comments, someone stated that this meter does not have a buzzer. I can only say that a buzzer is marked on the dial.

I received this in the mail today, and, much to my relief, it seems to be working. The price is great, and messing with small electronics is a new hobby of mine, so I can hardly justify a larger investment in a tool like this until I understand circutry and electricity better (and start building my own circuts).The back-light seems to work, and is nice and bright, but you have to hold the button down for it to stay on for some reason. If you just press it, it stays on for a few seconds and then goes off (not long enough to get a reading)... so the only way I can see using the backlight is if I use the leads like chopsticks.I've tested it by measuring a 3.3VDC vin pin on a raspberry pi, and a few resistors on an arduino shield (from a kit) that I built. All the readings so far are reasonable and within expectation.I can't say anything about the quality control issues people have been talking about, but this is a really cheap meter that [in my case] seems to work. Hard to argue with that as an entry-level hobbyist.

I've had this meter for 6 months now. And overall I'm very happy with it, but there are a couple of things I should mention.Testing leads: I had the testing leads break on me. The end of the wire broke off from the inside of the casing on both leads within about a week of each other. While I'm not gentle with this thing nor am I particularly hard on it, so my conclusion is the cables that come with this thing are junk. But aside from that I've been so happy with it I just spent the $5 to get new banana plug leads. Search Amazon for "Amico 1000V Male Banana Plug Multimeter Probe Test Lead Cable Wire" if you want the exact ones I got. It might be prudent to get both together for when yours break.Hard to remove battery: This takes a 9V battery. There is no removable battery back or any such thing. You have to disassemble it to change the battery. It's just a few screws but still a hassle.Not idiot proof: I can't tell you how many times I've left this thing on overnight and through the next work day. That's on me for forgetting but it would be nice if it had some power down after some amount of inactivity feature. For the price though I suppose that's expecting a bit too much. Good news is the battery can take several days of this before it dies!Other than those things it's awesome. Way more features than you'd expect for the price tag. 4 stars easy. I'd give it 4.5 if that were an option.

The price is insane! I tested it along with my Fluke multimeter and found it well calibrated. It has almost all the features needed for home use. The test leads are a bit flaky(hence 4 stars), but at this price it is acceptable. The backlight is impressive and so is the readings hold feature. A rubber case is also included and fits well.

Works fine.

Purchased for son's science project - work just fine thank you.
However, after a month, the display started to go bad - not related to battery, just started to drop portions of LCD characters.
It's inexpensive and worked fine during the time period needed, but definitely not a robust unit.

Seems to be o.k. for amateur with infrequent use. Appears fragile, may not be suitable for use by a professional.. Biggest drawback is directions, etc. are entirely in Chinese. If you need instruction you will have to get it from the internet.

Bit light weight but it works. At this price - S'Ok

Looks nice in the picture, this is a LIGHT duty, low end meter. Dont use it for rated AC equipment.

Positive: It's cheap, works ok for non-critical things, has a backlight and protective cover.Negatives:-One of two was off by +0.15v (although the reference was a cheapo red cen-tech unit).-two sellers, Dallas ImportDirect and LindaMomStore (both fulfilled by amazon) came with no stands.Neutral - would be nice to have:-auto shutoff.-battery load tester (cheapo red centech has it for $3-5)Conclusion: this and the cen-tech are both cheap and may be off, but they work ok for non-critical jobs so it's whatever feature you want to go with.TIP: hot glue both ends of each wire to the connectors, they tend to rip out first. Thanks and God bless!

What can you say? For the price, it's pretty decent. I ordered this because I couldn't find my good meter, but couldn't rationalize buying another ~$100 one (when I'd surely find it later).Out of curiosity, I disassembled the meter, and discovered, as expected, that this device was produced at pretty minimal cost. The fuse is soldered directly to the board, which is about as useful as just replacing a burned out resistor. I have added photos of the inner bits to the product description page.Overall, it's a decent meter, and good for most things around the house/car. It will get you a value which is probably correct. The backlight on it is actually superior to that on many of the more expensive meters that I've used.

The meter works fine. Don't expect anything fancy for the price have one of these already but it started acting goofy so I ordered another one as a spare. I do field service on Fire Alarm systems and my meters will occasionally fall hit the floor. I use cheep meters most of the time so when it does fall I don't lose a expensive meter, I break out the good one when necessary. The old meter started working properly the next day and has been fine since, not sure what the problem was but the voltage readings were way off from the actual voltage present. The test leads are not the best but they work. The delivery was awful, very slow from this vendor ordered 10/31 received 12/2.

I'm an Electrical Engineering student and I figured that I would be needing one of these at some point in time, so I saw this and figured it would be a good buy.First of all, I did not expect to get a used product. The screen has tons of scratch marks. I don't really care, so long as it works. That being said, it does work. The continuity setting has a really annoying noise, not a clear beep, but kind of scratchy, like the speaker is broken... The plastic/rubber case on the back was clearly bought for a model without a kickstand, and you can clearly tell that the hole for the kickstand was cut by hand, and not very well. The packaging is a box with "DIGITAL MULTIMETER" written on it a few times. This is definitely not issued by the manufacturer. I got mine from "GNWE -- Ships From HONGKONG."It works, though it isn't the prettiest piece of equipment I've worked with. I feel kind of duped for getting a used product, though.

This is the best Voltmeter I have ever owned! I don't like to invest big bucks in items like this, so for the minimal cost this is indeed a fine unit! Large well lit screen and sturdy construction, I love it! I use it mostly to test batteries for wheelchairs etc. HOWEVER! As of June 15th 2013 one of the lead wires came undone from the probe and I don't see a way to repair it, so I must downgrade my opinion. Too bad because I like the unit otherwise.

Bought this because of the great resemblance with my old Mastech M-838 (which I damaged by leaving it too close to a soldering iron).
Sienoc DT830D LCD is cheaply made. The black probe was broken (no contact). I am using it with my old probes.
The new probe wires are thinner and the plastic connector have sharp edges compared to more round and smooth edges of the old probes.
I do not like it but have no time or desire to return it and search for another one at this time. Will use it until it dies and throw it away.
If you have time to do some research and more money buy something else.

I was excited to see if the cheapest dmm I could find would work for checking battery voltages, AC voltage, continuity, and very simple Arduino projects. Looks and feels even cheaper than expected! The unit powers on but doesn't function... no voltage readings, continuity even with leads removed. A working unit even if not so fast or accurate might provide good utility in the sub-ten-dollar range.

You get what you pay for. Simple as that.

 I took a chance at buying a multimeter for $11.00, and now I can see why it was $11.00.- Product had scuff marks in the rear of the case. Appeared to be a used item.- Turned on the multimeter, and for some reason, the LCD display appeared locked/frozen on the same numbers. Took me a while to realize that the "hold" button was depressed, thus freezing the LCD screen. (I did not press that button, it shipped that way.Problems:1. When the dial is set on 200V AC, numbers on the screen just bounce around. I don't even have the leads touching anything2. If I insert the leads into my 120AC outlet, the reading shows bizzarre numbers (0, or 13..etc)3. If I then switch the dial to 600V AC, the LCD screen reads correctly (122V)4. Continuity sound is very scratchy9V DC battery read correctly. Green backlight worked. Good protective cover.Look like someone previously returned it (broken), and it was never checked by the seller before sending to me.Returning it and will pay a little more and get something more reliable.

I bought this the end of 2014 & to be honest it worked like a charm. Was able to test any & all batteries from AAA to those round thin batteries in our bicycle speedometers. Then one day my husband left it on overnight & killed the battery. No problem, I thought, just remove the tiny screws & replace it. I got out my small eyeglass set of screwdrivers & then the fun began. The screws would not turn no matter what. I emailed customer service at Amazon but because I bought it from one of their vendors they could not help me. So now I'm forced to order another similar product. What a waste! Also disappointed that Amazon could or would not help me. So always make sure you turn the device off.

Spend a little more money and get a decent multimeter. I purchased a craftsman multimeter at sear for a better price than this one. Right from the get go I was having problems. I'm pretty tech savy and I definitely know how to use a multimeter, but this was either giving me false readings or no readings at all. I promptly packed it up and returned it back to the seller:Pros:1) Price - 9/10 - For about $10 bucks you can't really complainCons:1) Build Quality - 5/10 - The craftsman ship and the attention to detail is sub-par. It sort of feels cheap when you hold it.2) Working Quality - 1/10 - Didn't work or gave me false readings.

TL;DR: I would say that if you're a parent who is considering getting a multimeter for a young kid who might lose interest in their electronic projects in a week or two, then go ahead and buy it. Or if you're a student who is on a really tight budget and you need a multimeter for a semester, then go ahead and buy it.For everyone else, spend a little more. (For example: $25 buys the Mastech MS8268 Auto/Manual Range Digital Multimeter Meter.)My in depth review.I would be giving this product 4 stars and possibly 5 just due to the fact that it's so inexpensive. ($7.59 when I bought it.) It does work, so for this kind of money, it's pretty hard to beat. HOWEVER, the big problem with this device is that they soldered the fuse directly to the PCB! What were they thinking?!? It might be possible to de-solder the fuse and re-solder a new one without destroying the thing, but that is extremely inconvenient. (Bring up all the reviews for this product and do a keyword search for "fuse" and you will see how common this complaint is.) Unfortunately I didn't see this while skimming the reviews or I never would have bought it.My unit came with the battery already installed which also seems like very poor quality control. Though it may just be the case that someone owned this unit before me and returned it. The packing is so generic you certainly wouldn't know if your unit was new or not.The backstand for the unit is very cheaply designed, but for the money, this isn't a surprise. The unit will stand up with the backstand extended, but it feels like it would break with very little pressure.When you unscrew the screws to get to the battery, the plastic screw holes feel like they are already stripped out. The back plastic covering doesn't feel like it's going to fall off or anything, but it does feel like it wouldn't hold up to being removed very many times.The LCD screen contrast isn't the greatest, but it's certainly good enough - especially for this price. It does have a nice back light that you can turn on. However, the back light turns off automatically after about 4 seconds and there's no way to force it to stay on.It's not all bad though by any means.In my basic testing, it seems to work (well enough for low voltage electronics anyway). I tested continuity a few times. It has a buzzer to indicate that there is continuity. However, the response time isn't instant. So if you were to drag the probe across a row of connections, you would likely miss anything that had continuity. The probe has to have contact for more than a fraction of a second to detect continuity. (Do a youtube search for "EEVblog #75 - Digital Multimeter Buying Guide for Beginners" to see why that can matter. Skip to the 12 minute mark and watch for 2 minutes.)One reviewer commented that the probes do not stay attached to the device. He said they were so loose that they fall out easily. This was not my experience. (You do have to push the probes all the way down - perhaps that reviewer only pushed them in half way?) With the probes pushed in all the way, I was easily able to dangle the entire weight of the multimeter just by holding onto the probe wires, so there's no way they are going to "fall out" from normal use.I tested a few batteries (with and without a load), and tested an AC to 9V DC power converter and the multimeter gave me accurate and consistent numbers for the voltage test.I tested some low current devices (100mA - 200mA) and got the expected results.Finally I tested a few resistors I had lying around and they too tested as expected.

I own a Fluke Scopemeter but needed a quick and easy to use meter for batteries and wall voltage. I found this cheap meter for the job. I don't care about accuracy, I just need a quick number. My only complaint is that the prop stand on the back is missing. I saw in the reviews where the same problem occurred. Not sure if all the prop stands are missing or I received the returned item from the previous complainer. The cost to drive to the UPS Store and return, would be the same price to order a new meter. I will keep, but I don't think I got what I paid for.

Probes came in with one tip off--no way to get probes due to second vendor or something along those lines--definitely spent too much time on e-mails and phone calls for this price. I couldn't justify buying probes at more cost than the meter . . . But I do really like the meter! Rate the meter a 4+ and the probes a 0 and the hassle of no real way to get a simple part a 1. All this said, Amazon was more than happy to refund or partial credit the product too.

Did not meet my expectations. The iinstructions were not in English.

no display on dc volt. reads wall receptacle ac apparently but DCV display just goes blank and gives no reading on a 1.5 volt battery, 9 volt battery or a 12vdc CCTV transformer. Replaced unit with a recently bought a PYLE PDMT38 and all three "test" items read normally on that unit. "chimes" on continuity barely beeps.
Symptoms act like a dead battery but three different new ones,( 9.6vdc on other meter), did NOT resolve Direct Current measurement, no readout.
read other reviews, but disassembly didn't change anything.
Bought for automotive circuit repair and I've been using this type of equipment for over forty years, retired ELT.
this one is junk, I can't trust it. and the test leads are short, flimsy, don't fit the PYLE unit or any other test equipment I own.

After I set the voltmeter to the 20 volt setting I used it to monitor an unusual drain on my car battery. The digital display said 6.3 volts and I thought this can't be right. So I tapped the back of the DT830D and the reading jumped to 11.1 volts. I tapped it again and the reading jumped to 12.4 volts. I don't think that I can trust this thing.

As far as shipping is concerned it was right on time. I have been too busy to return it.

It worked fine when I first got it. Then put it on the shelf for about 6-8 months until I needed it again. Well, about 25% of the section of numbers don't show up and the digital screen, so you have no idea what number is being displayed. Of course, the warranty ran out just after 30 days. Junk!

I bought two of them last year and both failed due to its not having a fuse to protect any over voltage measurement. When it failed, all AC/DC voltage/currents and resistance measurement failed. I have a regular meter I purchased 25 years ago and it has two fuses built-in to protect measurements that could be outside of ranges and it is the basic design feature for any meters to have but this particular meter does NOT have. Also the seller does not respond to request of manufacturer warranty info.I will NOT buy this one again, nor purchasing anything from this seller.

I bought this a year ago and never used it. Just took it out of the tool box today, and, like other reviews have indicated, it does not work (yes, i put in new batteries). Like other reviews, I too found it gets stuck on "1," and for me, it *never* did the job i needed it to do - it never read anything. I bought another meter at a hardware store today, and it worked perfectly...so this shows the unit on amazon was defective. Unfortunately i am out of my return window, so it is money wasted.

Doesn't function correctly. Quality is simply too low. I decided to risk buying, but the meter can't measure ohms reliably. The reading just continuously bounces around by 400% or more (I know multimeters and this is unuseable). I realized this was going to be a low quality device (plastic tab broke when checking the battery), but it doesn't even function correctly. So - don't risk it. Perhaps some of the other meters under $10 function correctly, but not this one. By the way, the seller would not exchange for free (ie they asked for shipping costs).

Bought this item for my husband. First issue: it did not come with the leads. Main issue: My husband just used it for the first time. It was arking (spelling ?) without anything being hooked to it. When he hooked it up to the device he needed to test, this multimeter blew the power out in my husband's office and the tv in our bedroom. Then, after disconnecting it, it was still giving reading with nothing attached to it. This item is dangerous. DO NOT BUY IT!

The fused side of this meter did not measure anything. Blown fuse. The fuse is soldered into the board. Does BrainyTrade check their equipment for operability prior to sale? No. I am a license prof eng. I do understand electrical measurement, even though I am an ME. My ex-wife got custody of my old meter (my problem). This was appeared to be a suitable replacement, just in case I needed one (like I did, to help a neighbor).I purchased the same meter from a different provider - it arrived yesterday and works just fine. @2 more, and worth every penny.I recommend the meter, but I would not recommend BrainyTrade to anyone. Sorry.