Triplett BBT858L Byte Brothers Compact Digital Multimeter - AC/DC Voltage, DC Current, Resistance, Temperature, Continuity, Diode Check, and Transistor Check

PROS: The case: the plastic is thick ABS. I feel like it could stand up to a lot of abuse. Display: even though smallish, the display is very clear with good contrast. 3 and 3/4 digits is more than typical for a low cost meter. (This is a measure of resolution. Most multimeters in this compact form factor and price range are limited to 3 1/2 digits.) Features: In addition to the usual, this measures capacitance (albeit small range), frequency (from a few Hz up to 10kHz), and duty cycle. It is also autoranging in all features. Firmware/Controls: Layout is simple and straight forward. Nothing stands out as annoying or unusual. Support: I had a couple of questions about the frequency and duty cycle features. My emails were answered within 24 hours by a senior product designer who not only knew the product but did actual testing of my specific problem to find the answers. Yes, I was shocked. I have the feeling this had to have been a fluke, and yet it really happened! CONS: There are some quirks with frequency and duty cycle. I eventually discovered that the minimum voltage that can be tested is just shy of 5V, p-2-p. So you will not be able to use these features on your 3.3V DC circuits. Also, the leads need be reversed from what I expected; on a DC signal, the red lead must connect to ground. The frequency readings were spot on; however, the duty cycle appears to be less accurate. I've managed to get anywhere from a 0-2% consistent offset under different test conditions; it's probably most useful for comparing apples to other apples - but this seems to be in line with the duty cycle accuracy of other brands of low cost meters, as well. Calibration: voltage between 1-20 volts read bit high. I fixed this by opening it and adjusting the upper trim pot. Resistance readings agreed with my other meters. SUMMARY: Sturdy little pocket multimeter with all the standard features and more, backed by a company that supports their product.

I'll give this 5 stars because the multimeter itself performs as expected for a compact multimeter. I added this to my travel kit and it will be just fine. For something compact, it is well designed. For example, the cover requires the selector to be in the Off position before it will close. The slot for the leads to go is good but the little tab at the top to keep them in makes them a bit hard to get out. So, I broke that tab out as the cover will hold them in anyway. As a benefit, I think puts a bit less pressure on the wires to make the leads last longer. This does have manual range control (which I like) unlike some lower-end MMs. For me, this was a deciding factor over other choices. The leads are not very long, so look at the photos and consider this. They're kinda stiff and they cannot be replaced. Also something about them questions whether I would use them at 600 V and in fact I would not as I have other multimeters at my disposal. I personally would like to see softer silicone sheathed cables that could easily be replaced. (If I could dock a half-star for the cables, I would.) On the other hand, the price is acceptable. In sum, it's a decent addition for occasional use in my travel kit. I'll add some clips and will be done. BT Recommended

At this price range, most of these irritations are expected. The casing is decent - even solid. Feels like it could take a couple of tumbles and keep on working. I bought this to throw in my backpack, so a few months should tell me worlds about its durability - I'm rough on my bag. There is a plastic bit hanging from a black nylon cord at the bottom of the unit that is only used when you want to stand the unit up. It's finicky to use, but works well enough once in place. I had a few "Dammit, stay put" moments. The Select, Range and Hold buttons feel like they are all soft keys, but work reliably with an audible tone to let you know you've made a selection. There are separate spots on the Dial for Volts AC and Volts DC, but you have to use the Select button on mA and uA settings to pick DC or AC measurements. The LCD has a spot to indicate if you are AC, but it is blank for DC. Also - the indicator is very small - but more on that in the display section. The selector Dial has solid positive clicks, but there is an unused spot between Off and mA with no option. Not a big deal, but if you were going from Off to mA and the display was blank, it might take a few seconds to realize you had another click to go. I'm not sure if this spot draws more current than the off position at this time. The probes are okay. The points were relatively sharp and the cable rating is present on the wire sheathing. The holder for the tips is almost thought out well. The retaining clip at the top rotates to let out/in the probes, but the tips can slip behind the catch and then its fun digging them out. I wish there was a bit more cable length. The Display is ok at best. The contrast is sufficient for the digit read out, but the units are just horribly small. The digits update a few times a second and it gets to a reading fairly quickly. It's definitely slower than my EXTECH 330, but with good contact the readings to stabilize nicely. I only tested on a AAA battery and some resistors on a breadboard I had in my bag, so I didn't use all the ranges but the resistors read correctly in Ohms. I just wish it was bigger display - there appears to be room for it anyways. One thing that was just not reliably working at all was the continuity checker. It sucks bad. I could hold the leads together and this horrible scratchy noise of a non-latching check sputtered out occasionally, but not always. I would have given more stars for a better display, a working continuity check, and better design of the leads. I would prefer separate leads, but for these units it's not uncommon to have them permanently installed. TL;DR - Good protective casing and overall functional meter with a junky continuity checker and somewhat difficult to read display.

I purchased this to basically get voltage readings from FPGA pins and breadboard circuits and I am happy with my purchase. This multimeter is very compact. I did not face any issue of storing the probes back into the case like other reviewers. However, for the sake of portability, they compromised on the probe wire length. The multimeter is also extremely sensitive and your hands need to be extremely steady to get a stable reading. I worked around this by using test clips - it increased the length of the probe wires and also gave me some stable readings. Auto-ranging sometimes causes readings to be delayed by about 2-3s and it is very difficult to be steady for that long. Stand concept is innovative, but not effective. Its better to take readings by keeping it flat on the table. It also uses button battery and not standard AAA size batteries. Overall, a good device with few drawbacks.

I use this to have a meter on me whenever and wherever I need it. It is accurate, easy to use and a great value. It does everything I need a basic meter to do in an extremely small package.

I would have given this 5 stars if it had a setting to test small batteries (AA,AAA etc.) under load. It certainly seems to be accurate in all area's and it is light and compact. Its easy to get the probes in and out if you just let them fold in the way they came out, you'll get the hang of it. Autoranging and accuracy at this price is just outstanding. If space and weight are at a premium for you this makes a very mobile and reliable tool for troubleshooting on the go. Yes I think this was a very good purchase and as I write this I am going to change my cheap attitude and give 5 starts regardless of the small battery thing.

This is a great little multimeter that is the perfect for portability. It has plenty of features, such as measures AC/DC voltage, current, continuity, resistance, diode check, frequency and capacitance. Has auto power off. Has a cover that folds over nicely with a slot that only closes if the dial is in the off position ( so you don't forget). The cover doubles as a stand. The leads fit nicely on the side with a small plastic flap to cover the tips. When closed, the meter is small enough to just fit in the back pocket of a pair of jeans. A great portable meter that I'd highly recommend!

It's compact but the probes a hard to get out and back in. Causes stress on wires . They will fail quickly.