Side by Side Comparison of: Extech vs Mastech

perfect for my work

Very happy with this product. I bought it in conjunction with the extra leads kit. I'm a hobby tinkerer and this is perfect for me. Compact, easy to use, and very versatile (love having the temperature option on such a small unit).

Real good deal and a very convenient size. Mine came ready to go with batteries and cables and a thermocouple.This is close to the perfect meter to slip into your tool bag and go. I would buy this again.

Very nice meter for the price. Better made and more accurate than my harbor freight throw-aways.Has many more functions that I haven't needed yet! Highly recommend.

The auto range is a great feature to have. Though bought an none-auto range multi-meter a while ago for a few dollars less, wish I bought this one instead. It is very easy to use and the large display is a big plus! I would recommend this to friends and family members - and to anyone who is into hobbies or for home use.

I bought this for my husband as a gift. After comparing several similar items,I chose this peticular model,and am glad that I did. It is perfect for what he does as a tech guy, with broad functionality, including the long leads and convenience of a 9 volt battery. He loves it. Flir is a well known reputable company, and within this price range, this is the best choice.

Great product. Had it now for about a month, I'm satisfied

Haven't used it yet.Seems to be of rugged quality.Battery-Access door could've been better designed for easy-open access for battery replacement though.

I think I paid $23 US for this. That is an absolutely insane price for a DMM with the features this one has. Value/$ can't be beat. If you're on a budget, this is the DMM to get. I have this one and the red one you can get from the same link, and I love them both.Only real con I have is the auto power off. I can't find a way to disable it on the green one. On the red one after it times out if you just hit the func button it comes back on and stays on forever until you turn it off again.Perfect price/features for any electronics hobby enthusiast.

Credibilty: I was a master electrician for years and now I work on electronics. In the electrical business for about 20 years. This $20 meter is more capable than most $100 meters and comparable to my Fluke 87. Yes, I just compared a $20 meter to a $500 meter in a positive way. It has features that my F87 doesn't have which are great for beginners. For example, the probe sockets light up for which mode the meter is in!! It measures capacitance. Seems very sturdy and looks very professional. I bought this for my 10 year old nephew and just oped it up to play with it.... Just ordered a second one for myself.

This seems to be a wonderful DVM for what I paid, less than 25 Bucks... Its obviously not a Fluke but it also does not cost as much as a Fluke. In fact I would venture to say what someone pays in TAX ALONE for a Fluke I could probably buy 2 of these meters with, so there is that. If you are a Rocket Scientist and measurements MUST BE EXACT then buy a Fluke. If you are only testing Batteries or maybe Solar Cells or possible light Electronics than for 25 bucks you can not go wrong with this DMM. I am new to DMMs and the feature that shows where the LEADS GO is something I require and no other meter offers this for under 25 bucks. If you know where the leads go then this feature may not appeal to you, but for me, it is a MUST HAVE. My next meter might not have such a feature and that is OK by me, but for now I appreciate the fact that this meter has such detection. There are some pots on the inside so I would venture to say if One wanted to, they could probably Tweak this Meter to read as good as a Fluke and it would probably hold said settings for a very long time. It used 3 - Triple A batteries or 3 x AAA, so not sure if that is a good thing or bad, so I may update this at some point to let you know how long the batteries last. I will probably MOD this meter to accept some form of power adaptor and run it that way and use the Battery as some form of backup should the batteries prove to not last long; but all in due time. Over all this DMM is more than I could possible ask for and it will be a very long time before I outgrow it.

This is my first multimeter, but I did do a fair amount of research before purchasing. For beginners, autoranging is the way to go for ease of use and to keep things simple.This unit is larger than some, but it's not unwieldy.There are convenient clips in the back of the unit to hold the probes, but that doesn't help with the mess of wires. I use a twist tie to keep things bundled.There are protective caps both for the tips of the probes and for the plugs. These items are easily lost, but I guess the alternative is no protection, so this is no worse than that.If you set the unit to the setting before plugging in the probes, then it will light up the jacks that you are to plug the probes into This is an extra protection feature which is nice to prevent you from blowing your multimeter or electronics.I do wish the that the sound was better for the continuity testing. Even when a solid connection is made, the sound would kind break up.Overall, I found the unit very easy to use. The display is nice and large. I'm quite satisfied with the product.

Good and small meter!But very sensitive when it gets a bang or if he gets a little knock! Each time the batteries have to be put back in place! That takes times, open the back tray and fix it!

Good meter for the money, nothing like my Fluke, but a reasonable backup.

I need to get better probes. I really like alligator clips and the probes have tips not conducive to using alligator clips. The probes also had to be pushed into the meter occasionally because they lost contact. The meter itself seem to work great.

Seems to be a fine product, but the continuity tone is a bit weak. You would not be able to hear it if you were testing something in another room.

I purchased this for my husband because he needed it for work. He has used various brands and styles of meters over time snd this works accurate and easy to use. The only thing he does not like is that does not have probe holders on the back as most do. He also chose this one because of the low cost and says its holding up as well as some higher priced Multimeters he's used in the past.

Very nice compact meter. Sturdy construction -- better than I expected given the cost. Excellent manual. Manual includes per range accuracy figures (as opposed to a blanket meter accuracy guesstimate). Quick test against known source indicates voltage and amperage accuracy within ranges from manual. I don't have a resistance standard handy but a check on random resistors matches expected values within ranges. I'll see how it holds up over time but initial looks are very good for a home VOM.I subtracted one star on the rating because of a minor personal issue: replacing battery or fuses requires removing screws. While this adds to the sturdy nature of the case, it's overkill for a compact home meter.

I really like this meter's precision and accuracy. I like its many features and its ease and efficiency of use on my bench and out in the field. My meter has a characteristic that is worrying me though: when I first turn it on - either to the right or left - the meter is dead and no amount of waiting will cause it to come to life. If I turn it off and then turn it on again, it springs immediately to life. If this is a normal characteristic of the meter, I can live with it, but I am worried that this might be an indication of an impending failure. I guess that time will tell, and in the meantime I'll enjoy using the meter.

A great meter for everyday use in low voltage cicuitry testing.The only negative (that cost it a star) is the slow auto ranging. Overall a very capable and reasonably accurate meter (within its specs).

Its not a Fluke, but for $25 I don't think you can get better. To be honest, it really seems like it should be more in the $60-$80 price range, but I am not complaining. If you're like me and just need a good DMM around the house for occasionally working on your car, or to fix the kids broken electronics or electrical around the house then this is more than enough. Actually this would be great for electronic projects and bread boarding as well. It could be a little smaller, but overall I was very impressed. The inputs light up if you have the probes in the wrong place for what you are testing. I've never had an issue with this, but could be useful if you forget to change plugs to use one of the other less used functions. My first one had a bad button that wouldn't turn the light off when plugged in to the common continuity/dc jack. I talked to the seller and it was immediately taken care of and the second worked perfect.

Its a good multimeter it has 2 fuses 1 its a 0.5 ma and the other is 10 amps rated at 250 volts Both !!! This prevents damage to the unit i think !! After all it alerts you with red l.e.d lights for the setting you set it to ,thus benefits alot so you can use it corectly !!!!! One thing is when you measure capacitors sometimes it give you results in nanofarids which you have to calculate yourself and if you suck in math its a pain !! Why can it tell you how much it is literally !!! Overall its a good auto raging multimeter and not so expensive like the flukes that cost ridiculusly high !!!

MS8268 Multi-Meter GREAT WITH ALTERNATIVE BATTERIES and ALTERNATIVE FUNCTIONAL TEST LEADS (E.G. FLUKE TL71)!I opted to buy this multi-meter due to its low price.Comments:Firstly, the meter did not come with any batteries, which by the other reviewers' comments are of poor quaiity, so I quickly installed 3 AAA rechargeable 750 mAh Eneloop (2,100 rechargable cycle) batteries and they have lasted a very long time since I do not frequently use the backlight option.Panasonic BK-4MCCA4BA eneloop AAA New 2100 Cycle Ni-MH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries, 4 PackAlternatively, you could opt to use AAA alkaline batteries or higher capacity (950 mAh) Eneloop batteries (Panasonic Eneloop Pro) if you use this meter for extended periods with the backlight:Panasonic BK-4HCCA4BA eneloop Pro AAA New High Capacity Ni-MH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries, 4 PackSecondly, the test leads were quite useless since their metal `test poles' were too short. I have noticed this finding in many other peoples' reviews. Thus, just discard the test leads that are supplied with the meter.Apart from these two initial problems, I have been delighted with the performance once I replaced the test leads with the surprisingly inexpensive set ($ 21.48) from Fluke (TL71) which have much longer metal `test poles', are very `elegant', and have very soft and flexible cables! What a joy to use them!Fluke TL71 Premium Test Lead Set, Right AngleAs such, I had to pay alot more money to finally get a functional meter.Further Details:The meter is very big and `chunky', the thick green outer casing is flexible and will prevent damage caused by knocks and drops, and the meter has a lifting rod to more easily display the screen in some circumstances, if and when you wish to use it.The readings are displayed in large LCD black digits, and there is a backlight when performing tests in dark places but which only stays on for a approximately 5 seconds after activation to save battery life.The appropriate COM and TEST sockets are very helpfully illuminated in red (around the socket) when you switch the test dial to measure different electrical parameters, and of the leads are inserted in the incorrect sockets then the red lights of the correct sockets flask in red lights thereby ensuring that the users do not make an error in inserting the test leads in the incorrect sockets, and there is a 250V 10A fuse contained within the battery box at the back.Apart from the initial requirements to get a functional multi-meter, this meter has been robust and performs every task I require of it (but N.B. I am not a qualified electrician) so I rate it as a 4 star product.The author declares that NO CONFLICTS OF INTEREST EXIST in the review of this product or any other product mentioned in this review.

The "safety" probes included with this meter are restrictive when trying to access recessed connectors. Other than that, it seems to work great.Also included is an MS3206 Multi-Function Socket adapter that appears to be intended for use with components that have wire leads. Very nice, however NO INSTRUCTIONS to be found anywhere.

I like the auto ranging and many functions in one instrument. HOWEVER, the two AAA batteries shift out of position and short out, heating the instrument and killing the batteries. I put a thick tape double over to hold the batteries from shifting and this worked out okay. The only other problem, is that the unit is so light and has no rubber on its round base, it is easily inadvertently pulled off the work bench. I am going to make a firm mount case for mine to hold it in its place on my work bench.

It's your typical multimeter and does what it's supposed to. The auto ranging takes a second or two, so you need to hold still while the meter figures out what to display. I like its compact size and the front switch seems pretty sturdy. I'm only a light user, pros will probably want something a little more responsive.

seems like a solid unit, but is inconsistent in readings. almost like the unit has to power up when turned on. for instance, when doing a continuity check, initially reads an 'OL' then had to be recycled before reading essentially zero. Odd. Same with voltage. So... hard to trust when you have to do everything twice. Possibly an operator problem but don't think so.

Can't complain too much about the DVOM. It's pretty average. It has a lot of functions which is nice and is pretty straight forward especially with auto ranging. The terminal lights are nice, it'll tell you which terminals to plug into and also if a plug is loose.Though, the readings take way too long to settle, especially continuity. The continuity beep is fairly quiet (at least with the provided batteries). I wish it used a 9V instead of the 3x AAAs. The light function turns off too quickly. When it beeps to warn you that it will turn off soon, if even if you do a reading it seems to shut off as it was going to. And the testing leads are make from plastic, which I hear is no good for higher CAT levels.Not thrilled it's made in China but I expected it.

Worth the price, but frustrating:- Most annoying issue: Auto-shutdown is 15 minutes, no matter what. During long hours of debugging I need to constantly re-start it.- Doesn't zero-out by itself - fluctuates around 50-150mV. Once a low impedance voltage source is connected at the input it measures it correctly, but it's still confusing and annoying.- Display update is slow. If you have poor connections where you want a quick read because things are shaky, you'll never get that readout - it will just go up and down, waiting for a solid connection for at least 1-2 seconds before getting a reliable readout.- Need to confirm this (only changed batteries once) - looks like it eats batteries relatively fast.Does the job, but I don't like it.Less demanding users might never notice the issues I enumerated - depends on how it's used.

I was confused for awhile when taking measurements because the readings would bounce, and it seemed the meter would not read the correct value. However, I eventually caught on that the meter has a slow sampling rate and takes a few seconds to reach a full reading (as opposed to a Fluke with almost immediate readings). So, if your probe connections are poor, then the reading can bounce around a lot -- you need to have good probe connections (as with any meter) and some patience to allow the meter to get a good reading. However, that aside, accuracy is certainly acceptable.This unit does not seem to have a very long battery life, especially when using inherently lower-voltage rechargeables (a must for saving on battery costs) at 1.2V each instead of 1.5V each, and access is not easy in having to remove screws and almost the entire backside for battery access. Also, make sure the probes are fully inserted into their banana jacks or else the LED lighting can remain on which will significantly detract from battery life.But it does perform as advertised, and is a handy meter for the price.

Haven't had any real problems with this meter. It's got idiot lights and buzzes if you have your probes in the wrong ports. Even though it's rated to CAT III, the continuity buzzer (or buzzer in general) is 100% worthless in any environment with noise (ie. industrial). The backlight would be nice if there was a way to make it stay on; all it does is light up for under 10 seconds. The auto-ranging isn't bad, but if you're not paying close attention you'll get some odd readings. Sometimes it'll read 0.000V then start spitting out randomly increasing mV readings. I paid just under $30 so I can't expect Fluke quality for 1/10th of the price.

basic tests seem ok, my comment has to do with advertising.the elenco plugs advertised alongside as a common addition do not fit the input jacks on the sinometer. So I wasted a litle money. First time I'd ever fault Amazon for deceptive advertising. I've come to expect a higher quality experience from them. Caveat emptor. Will not assume that things advertised together actually work together in the future.

I don't think mine works correctly. I bought a headphone amp kit from eBay and some of the capacitors got squished in the shipping. My old Fluke meter doesn't test capacitance and I wanted to save money so I bought this inexpensive meter to test the components. I kept getting weird readings on the questionable caps so I tried all the caps in the kit and still got weird readings. To verify the results I doubled checked the meter by testing some caps I ordered through digikey.I even tried setting the meter to Ohms then Voltage to do a basic test to see if they even worked at all and still got weird readings.I'm going to return this meter and ask Santa Claus for a Fluke. I've been a very good boy this year so my fingers are crossed.

works eratically,not good quality.

I bought this because the reviews were good and my thirty year old Fluke finally gave out. The switch seems a little flakey though. To get the DC voltage in auto range to zero out I have to rotate the switch back and forth several times before I take a measurement. Clearly it is not a Fluke meter.

Mine failed to read properly after a year of light use. The voltage readings are way off. I never misused this DMM. Credibility: I'm an EE. Spend the dough and get a real DMM, even if its a used or refurbished one.

I thought this is going to be a good DMM due to high ratings. This DMM gives erratic readings at times. Sometimes it wont give readings at all even if I re-range it or in auto mode. I have to switch OFF & ON again to make it work. Anyway I can't ask for fluke-like accuracy for this cheapo-cheapo item. My old analog meter is much more reliable. Not happy with the purchase.

It looks nice and has many features.I bought it after reading mixed reviews.It was DOA on arrival and gave mixed values for simple task such as measuring DC volts.Amazon vendor authorized a return and quickly refunded my purchase price.

The display didn't work properly right out of the box, so I had to return it for a refund. It seemed reasonably well made, and the features sounded good, but it just wouldn't work.

We purchased 7 of these meters for a training project.All of them have a problem with battery retention in the battery tray (AAA batts) - with the slightest bump, the battery pops out of the slot, causing the unit not to work..We added a piece of foam in the battery box area to "press" against the batteries and re-installed the covers - that resolved that issue.We then began to put the meters through their paces, using commercially available test boards with known voltages, resistances and amperages.One meter would not read mA at all, one meter was about 50% reading mA (showed 23mA when the current was in the 50 mA range).We did not even continue testing the remaining meters - we cancelled the project for that day and repackaged the meters we had opened.The quality of this meter is low and really makes us question if Extech is the company to purchase our products from.I have reached out to the manufacturer and will be forced to return these meters - as they will not meet our needs.

Does not include thermocouple or thermocouple adapter. Buyer beware!

I needed it to test the output of the pilot generator on my furnace, which is supposed to be at least 140 millivolts. The reading on the meter goes back and forth between 60 and 119 mv. without me even connecting it to anything! Tried resistance by holding the leads together, it goes down to 0 like it should, then slowly goes up to .4 ohms. It will do this each time you try that. For my purposes, as for most, it is completely worthless.

After a year or so of hobby use, it has a lot of issues. It normally doesn't turn on the first time turning the dial, and sometimes when it does turn on it doesn't work correctly, so I need to turn it off and on a few times before the selected function works properly. Taking it apart and cleaning the contacts and the dial helped a little bit, but at this point it is getting too annoying to continue using.

Have recieved 2 of these so far and both have not worked. 1st one said my 12volt battery had anywhere from 2 volts to 1000. The ring out did not work as well. Got a new one from seller and batteries would not stay in and readings were just as unreliable. Not very impressed with this product.

Picked up to use for light automotive troubleshooting (needed frequency meter). Read the manual then started testing vs my old Beckmann DM25XL. Tested in both auto ranging and manual mode. Continuity test failed right off the bat. Then tested a series of resistors using ohmmeter. Readings were all over the place. Switched to DC Volt test. The meter went into capacitance test mode instead. Fiddled with the test select knob until DC Volts showed. Not even close. Went over the manual once more, checked that probes where seated, etc. No joy.Bummer, I had high hopes for this multimeter based on other reviews.

I purchased this meter primarily for AC line voltage (100-277) and current (under 3 amps) - also DC voltage under 210 and current under 4 amps.After some questionable readings, the meter was determined to be somewhat randomly inaccurate when compared with a reference lab 'scope; even with clean AC input waveforms.Typically on a 550mA load, it would measure 440-470 mA - well outside the stated accuracy.Also, it would often fail to register a new dial selector position, and appear "dead" prior to wiggling the dial a bit.I'll go purchase a Fluke now.

I ordered this item last October and was using some basic functions until recently I started using its capacitance measuring. And it's not working! It only works for capacitors under 10uF, nothing higher. I contacted the seller (BetterStuff LowerPrice) hoping they can replace it but to no avail. As they obviously mentioned that 6 month exchange/return period has expired.So this is the 3rd time I used this product and be sure to check your measurement works in all ranges. If it works, then it's probably pretty decent but not in my case. Quality control issue.