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Waved off a $40 meter because I thought it was just a fancy toy
Took me three hours to track down a short in a new build near Austin last Wednesday, checking every box and switch with my old analog multimeter. A journeyman on site handed me his Fluke T5-600 and I found the bad device in under ten minutes flat. Anyone else have that moment where you realized you were making life harder for no reason?
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craig.olivia17d ago
Read an article that said $40 meters cost way more in lost time.
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Yeah that sounds about right. I mean, I was that guy for way too long, stubbornly clinging to my $15 analog meter like it was some kind of badge of honor. Actually fried one of my old ones last year chasing a ground fault in a wet crawlspace, water got in the battery compartment and it just gave up. Borrowed a buddy's digital clamp meter and felt like such a goof when I found the issue in like four minutes. Kinda embarrassing how long I fought the new stuff, but hey, at least we get there eventually, right?
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wells.evan17d ago
My uncle still uses a Simpson 260 from the 70s and swears it's better than anything made today. He fixed a three-phase motor last month with that thing while our digital stuff was giving ghost readings. There's something to be said for a needle that doesn't lie to you just because the battery is low. @craig.olivia might have a point about cheap meters costing time, but a quality analog meter from back in the day can outlast five of those $40 plastic clamps. Not saying your buddy's tool wasn't helpful, but that digital meter would have been useless if the battery died in that wet crawlspace same as yours did.
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