Tester choice.

[bigclive]

As a time served electrician with 25 years in the industry under my belt I spend most of my time working freelance for various companies. (Mainly so I can have loads of free time). When I'm working with other companies I use their supplied test gear to do any testing, so I've played with Meggers and Flukes and Robins etc. However, I'm now in a situation where a job I do on a "once a year" basis is now requiring me to get a full 17th edition tester.

The use won't be high enough to consider getting a Megger (which I dislike anyway) or a Fluke, so I'm looking at other meters like the Di-Log 9083P.

I've seen mixed reviews of this meter, but I see a few of you use them. I was wondering what your opinion of them is after a period of use.

Another option might be to boost my existing arsenal of an old Robin insulation tester and a Megger RCD tester with a stand alone loop tester. The hideously named "socket and see" digital loop tester might be an option, but I'd like to know others opinions on it first.

Any thoughts?

 

[jl-heating]

only 1 for me metrel 3101 .. does it all and more.

 

[batty]

I had a bad experience with a di-log 9083p so personally would not recommend them and at the moment my fluke 1652 is away being repaired and that not even been used for a year so am not happy with that. The trouble with the old robin loop testers is they trip rcbo's and as they are going to be used more and more I think this is a problem. So all in all I am not a good one to ask about what meter to buy.

Batty

 

[Andy™]

Welcome to the madhouse. is this yours?

 

[Apache]

Hello and welcome anyways

 

[green-hornet]

If you allready have some individual testers and plan to do very few tests I would suggest to supplement what you already have with individual testers than buy a multi tester.

However this is just a personal choice.

You will have to go with what you know and feel is right for you.

Ps welcome to the forum

 

[a1]

Welcome to the forum BC.

 

[matt.leung]

i would go for a megger every time... they may cost a bit, but they do the job perfectly..

 

[bigclive]

Welcome to the madhouse. is this yours?

Yes it is. You guys should like some of the less savoury projects.

 

[Andy™]

Yes it is. You guys should like some of the less savoury projects.

ive been tempted to try some of those.... explosions are fun...

 

[bigclive]

Although not necessarily the screwdriver initiated copper loaded ones.

 

[bigclive]

If you allready have some individual testers and plan to do very few tests I would suggest to supplement what you already have with individual testers than buy a multi tester.However this is just a personal choice.

You will have to go with what you know and feel is right for you.

Ps welcome to the forum

It's partly an issue of keeping the tool load to a minimum, but having said that I don't like the all eggs in a basket vulnerability of some of the multi function meters. I've been handed well and truly defective meters by some of the companies I freelance to. Then again this might be because the other guys using them don't know what they're doing and probably attempt to do resistance measurements on 400/415 supplies.

The last thing I want to do is spend a lot of cash on an all singing all dancing meter and end up with an expensive paperweight.

I originally mentioned the Di-Log meter because it has some useful functions like ramp testing of RCDs that could be very useful for validation of upstream RCDs programmed with small delays and higher trip thresholds.

There do seem to have been issues in the past with the Di-Log 9083P. I wonder if they were just teething problems or if they are an ongoing thing.

I'm also wondering why a "17th edition" tester comes with 16th edition lead colours. Sure they can say that it's because the resistance tests are DC, but what about the LNE tests?

 

[Andy™]

many people say they wont get a MFT because one fault and it cant be used until repaired... so for those of you with seperate meters... i challenge you to test something without one of them because its broken...

as for lead colours, not sure about them being to 16th... after all, the earth is always green, and that got stopped in the 60's! at least megger has a somewhat sensible colour scheme. red/black/green. fluke is red blue green. what colour scheme does that go with?!

the megger 1552 has RCD ramp test. i think the fluke may have too

also, there is no such thing as a '17th' ed tester. its a '16'th ed with the name changed. and a '16th' ed tester didnt really exist either. and then there is a 'part p' tester... maybe i should start flogging these different to 5 day wonders, who dont have a clue.

'Well you need a megger 1552 17th ed to do any electrical work. and then you need a fluke 1502 to do the part P testing...' Could i be onto something?

And before anyone steals my idea, its already

 

[bigclive]

OK. Now I'm really torn with indecision.

Part of me is tempted to go for the Megger all-in-one tester, but for about half the price I could get the socket and see test kit that would do the job fine.

Any thoughts on the socket and see kit? It has some features that would be well suited to the actual intended task, and I'd only need to replace a single bit if something got smashed or nicked.

 

[green-hornet]

Funny thing is the NICEIC have been pushing the socket and see testers just lately.

Its on all the paperwork they send me.

Never tried the tester myself, I have a couple of flukes but to be honest I am not keen on the multi anymore.

I will have to upgrade soon I think and if I do I may be tempted to go for seperates.

 

[Andy™]

i dont have any experience with the socket and see, but with everything else, you get what you pay for. so its either cheap crap with bad customer service, or a reasonable price and megger/fluke are way OTT with the prices... or its probably a bit of both... maybe go to a wholesaler and ask if you can have a try of one of them around the shop, see what it works like and if its any good?

 

[green-hornet]

i dont have any experience with the socket and see, but with everything else, you get what you pay for. so its either cheap crap with bad customer service, or a reasonable price and megger/fluke are way OTT with the prices... or its probably a bit of both... maybe go to a wholesaler and ask if you can have a try of one of them around the shop, see what it works like and if its any good?

I agree there is a company near me who hire out test equipment I may try a few and see which ones I like best.

 

[Andy™]

is that new subforum made yet?! would be a good thread for it!

 

[bigclive]

You mean a thread about testing testers?

We could hire some and then test them to destruction, culminating in the sustained continuity test across two phases.

 

[Andy™]

i dont think many hire places will be happy about 'testing to destruction'!