Mastech MS8264 Backlit 30-Range Digital Multimeter with Temperature Measurement (01DMMS8264)

Another reviewer said his unit was DOA, and I take that at face value. In fact, I thought mine was, too. I got erratic readings or no readings at all.And then . . . a friend pushed home the lead connectors, and voila! The thing worked! (DOH!!!)I think this unit is one hell of a deal and I'd strongly ... strongly ... recommend it.

As the title says, this product was great when it worked. When used in tandem with one of the real expensive, non portable digital multimeters, it's readings were spot on. However, this portable DMM suffers from a couple flaws, both of which would either leave the DMM powerless or not being able to read at all.1. The battery case: Powered by a 9-volt battery, this had a tendency to come loose and lose connection when jostled. In order to get to the battery, you have to remove two screws and push it back in. Problem is that there is too much space between the battery door and the battery. Taping some foam to the inside of the battery case solved this problem.2. The leads: This was the real problem. The DMM would read one minute, then not read the next. Sometimes unplugging and replugging the leads into their ports would solve this, more than often it wouldn't. I used a different set of leads in their place but met with the same issue. If you jiggled them, the might work, but usually not. Therefore, the problem must lie with a defect inside the DMM itself.I had high hopes for this DMM, but I had to return it.

Unless you work for NASA this is a bargain. Solid connections, more than enough settings, accurate readings from what I can tell, all for $25 how on Earth can you go wrong? Would have given it 5 stars accept the stand is a little flimsy. Other than that, big easy read numbers and bright back light when needed. Great tool for the home mechanic!

Item was packaged with one other item it contained correct amount of bubble wrap for protection.The unit is build nicely very good material, Excellent readout with back light. Has capacitance and transistor plus temperature measurement. I tested the unit and all ranges and probes work well.Nice peace of test equipment.

The test leads provided don't work well at all with this multimeter. The banana plugs are not long enough. They're too loose. The plastic shroud over the ends are 3/4 inch but the actual metal portion is recessed 1/4 inch inside. Plus, the metal connection on the multimeter is about 3/8 inside. Combined, this only allows for 1/8 inch of connection. That's not enough. It was almost impossible to get simple continuity or DC voltage reading. without fiddling with the leads.The multimeter works fine with the leads from my 30 year old Micronta (Radio Shack) analog multimeter. They're 3/4 inch, and have no plastic shroud so they fit nice and snug.

The meter worked for about 2 days, then it started turning off by itself and wouldn't power back on without repeated presses of the button. Then it started showing crazy readings with nothing connected. Removed battery, reinserted it, same behavior.Edit: On a whim, I bent the battery springs/contacts for a stronger connection and it seems to be working now. When testing AC current the unit still turns off and requires repeated pressing of the power button to see the reading again...I still don't trust it. I'd return it but that's complicated from my location. I'll give it some time and maybe revisit this review later on.

I choose this one because it has the ability to read temperature.Unfortunately, and this isn't the meter's fault, its not auto-ranging. I miss that in my hast to order it. I guess I'll have to get a book and read up on correct settings. The manual that comes with the meter is well written and does explain most of the settings, although it could use a lot more photos or illustrations.So far, its a great multimeter and I would recomment it to others.

DOA. The unit looks to be made well and is feature-rich for the dollar, but though the display activated, this one arrived unable to display any readings in any mode. Does anyone test these units? Also the lead set is short and not very flexible.