Wasted $200 on a cheap multimeter that lied to me

I bought a no-name multimeter off Amazon for $20 thinking I was saving money. It kept giving me weird readings on a fridge compressor, and I spent 3 hours chasing a problem that wasn't there. A Fluke from the supply house cost me $150, but I would have saved that time and headache if I just bought it first. Anyone else get burned by cheap test gear?

3 comments

3 Comments

victorhernandez13d ago

That reminds me of the time I tried to calibrate a kitchen thermometer with a cheap digital one from the grocery store. Ended up ruining a whole batch of hollandaise because I trusted the $5 readout over my own feel for the heat. The problem was the cheap thermometer was reading 15 degrees low, so I kept adding butter thinking the emulsion was breaking when it was actually fine. Took me half a shift to figure out I was the one messing up, not the recipe. Sometimes the really expensive tools aren't just about durability, they're about not second-guessing yourself.

white.keith13d ago

Eh, I kinda disagree. Expensive tools can mask bad technique too. That cheap thermometer wasn't the real problem - you trusted it over your own senses. A $100 probe would've done the same thing if you didn't double-check it first. I've used a simple instant-read for years, costs maybe twenty bucks. Works fine if you know your gear's quirks. The confidence comes from knowing your tools, not from what you paid for them.

max_schmidt7713d ago

Buddy of mine did the same thing with a meat thermometer. Ruined a whole brisket.