[Masteryota]

Originally Posted by Snerdguy

I have half a dozen of those free Harbor Freight meters. No doubt about it, they are not very accurate and not good for repairing electronics. I also have a better meter for that purpose. But, they are quite handy for determining the presence of voltage or whether a part is conductive or open. You can use them to find a short or check a battery voltage, to trace wiring, test coils, check diodes, test fuses and countless other things.

The meter can also tell you if a breaker is bad or if an outlet or wire is hot. Just by learning the basics of how to use it (read the instructions or look on the Internet), you can save hundreds of dollars in repairs and, possibly, medical bills. Another reason I specifically like the freebie meter is that if I lose it, crush it, drop it, get it filthy or burn it up, I just throw it away and get another out of my tool chest. I also keep one in the vehicle tool box in a zip lock bag just in case.

If you have a kid that likes your tools, give them a Harbor Freight freebie meter and some parts and batteries to test. It will keep them busy and encourage them to learn a valuable skill.

Thats basically all I use mine for, live outlets, and continuity checks. The voltage readings on mine were about 20% off.