Electric tools

For a low priced digital multimeter, this comes with a surprising number of useful features such as backlighting, a hold button, and a stand. The PVC sleeve is also a nice accessory as it will help protect the plastic case. The 9V battery was pre-installed in the unit and comes ready to use. I was curious as to how well this would hold up when compared to a quality DMM, so I made some measurements against an old Fluke DMM from the office. These readings are by no means scientific, but will give you an idea of what to expect.

Mains 120V AC – Fluke: 119.9 V – 120.0 V, MU600: 117.8 V – 118.2 V (200 VAC range)
– This is within its 2% tolerance, so that is totally acceptable. The Fluke’s reading were quite stable, while the MU600 readings tend to fluctuate within that range.

1.5V alkaline battery – Fluke: 1.537 V, MU600: 1494 mV (2000 mV range)
– Readings from the battery tends to fluctuate quite a bit, but what was consistent was that the readings from the MU600 was always less than that from the Fluke, ranging anywhere from 20mV to 50mV.

Ohmmeter reading – short : MU600: 0.5 ohms
– It’s not too bad, considering there is no zero adjustment

One disappointing discovery was that the fuse for this meter is soldered onto the PCB, so if the fuse ever blows it would be difficult to replace.

Overall, this is an affordable, but well-featured low-end DMM. For jobs around the house, from testing batteries to continuity testing, this meter is good value, especially if you can get it for around the $10-$15 range. If you need to make high precision measurements, or want something that will last for many years, this is likely not for you.