Review on 🔧 Compact True-RMS Digital Multimeter - Fluke 115 by Darius Newberry

Years ago when I was bloody poor and needed a multimeter I bought it for thirty bucks at an auto parts store because I couldn't afford anything better. It's served me well for troubleshooting, mostly basic automotive stuff, but recently it finally gave up its dying breath when the batteries drained their contents and the terminals were severely corroded. I cleaned them and put in new batteries but the readings were wrong and I couldn't trust them. As my financial situation improved, I decided to purchase Fluke. You can see right away that the quality is much better. It's just that everything runs smoother, the LED display is easier to read, and from what I've seen online showing the Fluke internals, I know I'm getting what professionals use reliably and that I can know for sure what I see are actual numbers, not numbers that I have to guess. I've recently gotten into the higher voltage 110/220V household wiring, so there's a little more at stake for my safety now. I need something that won't let me down in such situations. Not only that, the old meter I had was giving me seizures in a generator overload situation where the voltage was fluctuating at a rhythmic rate. The refresh rate on this expensive meter made me want to get one at the moment. I wasn't sure of my statement, and this one didn't bother me at all. I knew exactly what I was looking for and am confident in the numbers I saw. I could clearly see that the generator was charging rhythmically and needed maintenance. The problem is solved. Well why did I deduct a star you ask? It's the dial. With a simple tool this expensive, I want something that works in every way. While using this home wiring tool I could not read it although I suspected the cord was hot even though the breaker on another circuit in the room was off and this could potentially cause me to be electrocuted because of that outlet was really hot back then. The dial turned out to be between the latches and there was no indication of it on the counter. The terminals aren't particularly positive and it only read zero when I hooked it up to the 110's hot leads. Luckily my spider sense kicked in and I checked the meter to make sure it was in good condition before jumping onto the hot wire grabbed it a bit and it worked fine. Even if it scared me a bit. I've never had this problem with my cheap meter and again I have to rely on it in these situations. Now that I know about this issue I'll try to work around it to ensure my safety, but come on Fluke. You can improve these latches or develop firmware that will detect when the dial is between the latches and emit an alert when it is between them and therefore not work properly. It's very inconspicuous here.