Originally Posted by JimBlake

Mostly you get what you pay for. I have a $20 radioshak small DMM that closes into a little case. The auto-range responds slowly, & the display isn't too big. It can't measure very big current & it's not super accurate. But if I lay it on the garage floor & step on it, I'm not gonna cry about destroying a $200 meter.

I've also got a $220 Fluke 179. The display on the Fluke has a bargraph so I can watch stuff that's erratically changing, and even the digital display is WAY faster than the RS. It's no substitute for an oscilloscope, but the little meter would only display meaningless confusion. It's also bigger, it's not something I'm gonna carry around everywhere. Plus, I bet it would survive being dropped on the floor. Maybe not if I stepped on it...

I like the Fluke way better. But if I didn't have the $$$ to buy something like that, there's very few things I couldn't measure with the RS. You don't need the RANGE on a car, but the accuracy is nice.

$35 for this one...
http://mcm.newark.com/NewarkWebComme...KU=72-2050&N=0

$300 for this...
http://mcm.newark.com/NewarkWebComme...KU=105-555&N=0