Amprobe 38XR-A - TRMS Digital Multimeter with Temperature

Obvious Corner-Cutting

3.0

This meter is right on the cusp of do/don't recommend. It's obviously well built and I have no doubt that the high protection ratings are the full truth. That is very much helped by the dual CSA/UL ratings. However, the meter has some issues that make it annoying to use. -The mode selector is extremely cheap. It takes a lot of force to turn it, makes a lot of noise, and it's rather easy to get in between settings where the meter won't turn on. -The screen is small compared to other meters at this price point. At least the backlight looks nice. -Very slow measurements and auto-ranging. No matter the mode, it takes the meter an annoying amount of time to figure out which range is the best one. I also have issues with resistance measurements jumping around while I am holding the leads solid against something. -Very big and heavy, even for it's overcurrent protection ratings. -This is a nitpick, but it's irritating that this does not come with a case. I'm glad I had an extra meter bag laying around or this would have to rattle around without protection in my tool bag. I bought this meter to replace a 1980s Fluke that I had been using as my main unit. Aside from modern CAT ratings and the limited RS-232 software, I don't feel like I gained much.

Logan Porter on Jul 02, 2020 I found this helpful (3)