Review on ⚡ Enhanced Amprobe AM-510 Multimeter: Ideal for Commercial and Residential Use, Featuring Non-Contact Voltage Detection by Keith Wolff

I did a lot of research on multimeters before deciding to order this Amprobe multimeter. In terms of price and features from a reputable manufacturer, this is a worthy product. I chose Amprobe over many other Chinese brands mainly because they have a solid reputation for build quality, safety features and reliability (confirmed by rigorous testing by respected assessors). Amprobe is a division of Fluke (probably the industry leader) with a range of affordable products. This Amprobe AM-510 is primarily designed for use by homeowners. This device does not have true RMS or temperature measurements, but the AM range offers more feature-rich devices for professional use at a premium price. The AM-510 has all the basic features and functionality to handle most home electrical projects that I come to expect. Autoranging, non-contact voltage sensing (which I think works better than some other review lists), a basic battery test feature, and a built-in flashlight are all positives. The presence of a backlight is both a plus and a huge disadvantage of this product. On the plus side, the backlight doesn't turn off after a few seconds like many other multimeters. In fact, it stays on until you turn it off. However, I found that with the backlight on, for some reason the screen was only readable in a very narrow range (only a few degrees) in the vertical plane. If you tilt the meter up or down outside of this narrow range, the numbers will disappear completely and become unreadable. When I saw this on the first unit I received from Revain I returned it. When I found the replacement unit did the same thing, I contacted Amprobe Technical Support. One very nice touch is that the 800 number on the Amprobe package actually connects you to Fluke's US offices and actually connects you to a US technician. The tech I spoke to pulled an AM-510 off the shelf to see if he could reproduce the issue and was surprised to find that the screen/backlight behaved exactly like mine. He said he wasn't previously aware of the problem. He then checked other meters in the AM line (520, 530, 560, and 570) and found they all had the same problem. It's odd to me that a similar issue hasn't been mentioned before, but it is what it is. I have worked with many types of electronic devices with backlit screens and have not seen this issue on any of them. As I said at the beginning this is a good device for the price and for me this quirk was not a big problem to send it back and buy a new one. But if you're interested in buying one of these amprobes, be aware that you may (and probably) run into the same problem.