Hioki 3246-60 HiTester Pen-Sized Digital Multimeter with Flashlight, 42 Megaohms, 600V

I have a PhD in electrical engineering, and while that doesn't really mean much, I hope I can at least be trusted to review a multimeter. I guess we'll see!FORM FACTORThe big choice you have is pen-type versus the standard form. Unless you have a good reason to avoid it, I highly recommend the pen type for home use. You often don't have a convenient place to set down a meter so that you can see it, so in practice one often has to hold the meter and both terminals in one's hands. Obviously, this would be more convenient if the meter were smaller, and were integrated into one of the leads. This is the philosophy behind a pen-type meter. You can measure the voltage in a set of wires hanging from the ceiling while standing on a ladder, for example, something you can't do with a standard form factor meter. (My attorney wants me to mention that I'm not suggesting you SHOULD do such a thing, just that you could.)OPERATIONWith two buttons and a switch, you might think this is low on features. Quite the opposite; the lack of buttons is just an indication of good design. The only thing this is missing that I've seen other meters have is a frequency counter. But nobody uses that, and a frequency counter in a consumer multimeter is likely to be junk, anyway. What this does is everything you likely need: AC/DC, diode, continuity, and resistance. The auto-ranging is fast, and beeps when its stabilized, a very nice feature because you're not going to be looking at the display while positioning the probes.The HOLD button is well-positioned near your thumb, and allows for grabbing a voltage without having to look at the device. Another nice feature is the light. Hold down the "HOLD" button for a second and the display becomes back-lit and a bright LED throws plenty of light in the direction of the probe, illuminating your work.DESIGNThe integrated probe guard is a nice tough, and when not in use attaches to the pen body. There is a place on the back to wrap the wire for the other probe, and the probe itself gets garaged cleverly in the pen body, as well. Very clean design.The unit itself is not heavy, but nonetheless has a solid, well-made feel to it.MEASUREMENTI didn't have any calibrated reference to try against, but the unit made consistent measurements of batteries to within 10 mV of what one would expect. I can't say anything for long-term stability yet, but if I find any problems I'll update this review.SUMMARYI'm really glad I ended up paying a bit extra and getting this versus the sub-$20 versions you can also find. If you need to measure electricity, you need to do it right. If you don't care enough to pay more than $20 to buy a reliable unit, I'd argue you don't really need to measure it to begin with. Check out the reviews of the cheap meters, and you'll see there is a significant fraction of people who find out the measurements are off, or for whom the meter goes bad after a while. Wonder how many of the good reviews are from people who just haven't adequately verified their meter?

This is the second such volt meter I have purchased. The first was a decade ago so I was expecting it to not be on the market anymore. It IS on the market and it is a lot better than the predesessor primarily due to the far softer and flexible ground lead. Also, the positive contact needle has an excellent integrated cover cap to protect it which simply flips off but stays connected to the meter body. My older model uses a slip-on cap that begs to be lost and I am surprised I haven't over the years but not for lack of trying. I leave the older model in my country cabin and keep the new one with me at home. I could almost buy another to keep in my pickup but that seems extravagant.

I had a pencil multimeter for 10-15 years and when it finally went on the blink I was at a loss using the standard type. The pencil type allows me to have the meter in one hand and the probe in the other at the location I'm doing the testing at without having to look away to read a meter. The lighted readout makes this meter easier to read and it has a light just behind the tip that helps you see what you're contacting. I bought this meter based on the price and the good reviews. I was convinced it would hold up over time.

This is a replacement for the exact same one I had for 10 years. The original had started giving bad voltage readings, even after replacing the battery. This new one works great so far. Many people I work with in the film industry use this model, as it is very simple and light weight to carry all day. It has become the "industry replacement" for the old Wavetek pen meters people use to have. It is priced right too!

Nice little meter. Very handy to keep on you at work. Mine did come apart at the front end so it has been taped together, but it's still working.

I’m a licensed electrician with a ton of tools and the more compact a tool is the better. I’ve had this model over and over the last 6 years. Broke my 1st accidentally

I normally use the dm73 meter that is looks like this one but is sold under many different names.The one thing that makes this meter both good and possibly bad as far as I am concern is the tiny wire it has.The wire is small enough that it has a loop holder in the back for it (instead of wrapping it around the meter like the dm73's) this prevents the wire from fraying and nobody like a frayed wire when you testing high voltages.the reason i say its possible bad is the wire is so small it looks like it will break on me very easily. only time will tell.On the plus side. the display is VERY easy to see, much much nicer then the dm73.Also, the yellow cap at the end of the prob gets in the way, i'm sure i will rip it out shortly. I can imagine its there to protect someones shirt pocket or something.

Me agrado, aunque tuve uno que no tenia el cablesito negro y funcionaba bien.