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I have a Fluke model 77 that I've had for about 15 years, I've never had a bit of trouble with it. I bought my son one of the newer (cheaper) Fluke meters and he immediately trashed it. Still, I don't think you can go wrong with Fluke; they dominate the handheld DMM market, and for good reason. If you aren't going to use it that much, any of the cheaper meters will do fine. Otherwise, expect to shell out 200 bucks for a meter that will last the rest of your life. I don't recommend an analog meter. I have a Simpson 260 analog that I used for years, but it never leaves the tool box now. Analog meters are delicate and typically have very low input impedances. The only feature that I miss on the Fluke 77 is a frequency meter; if I were to buy another meter I would make certain that it has this feature, although most people don't need it. Another nice-to-have feature is a capacitance meter. Features that you must have:
Diode check capability. (Early DMMs couldn't test diodes, almost all the newer ones can.)
Touch hold. (The ability to capture a reading and freeze it.)
Audio continuity test (Usually included with the diode check.)The big difference between really cheap and really expensive meters is the accuracy. Cheap meters will typically have only 2.5 digits, meaning they can indicate from 0.00 to 1.99. Expensive meters have 4.5 digits, so they can indicate 1.9999. The Fluke 77 reads from 0.000 to 3.200, making it a three and a half digit meter. Another difference between cheap and expensive meters is speed. Most of the cheap meters today are acceptably fast, but it is very aggravating to have to wait several seconds for the meter to lock onto a reading. If you have a need to measure very low resistances, say less than one tenth of an ohm, you will need a "four wire" meter. This is a feature normally found only on lab meters. One other thing: Fluke has a number of specialty meters, for automotive, etc. These are typically very pricey, but check them out before you decide. You may have a need for one of the functions that are not available on a general purpose meter.
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