[stogie25]

I have been in electronics for years professionally. I use my Fluke 87 and a Simpson 260 at work. Over the years I have acquired a few used Fluke 77s and a Simpson 260 to keep at the house and in the cars. A little overkill, but good deals are hard to pass up. The digital meters are very convenient and easy to use. The analog meters will show change better with the needle if you know how to use them. Sometimes this is handy.

I totally recommend the Fluke meters as well as the 40 year old Simpson. They always work and work well. If you can find one used, go for it. I found my home Simpson 260 at a garage sale for $20.00. I had to take it apart and clean off the corrosion from old leaky batteries. Now I change batteries in all my meters every MLK day when I drain and fill my hot water heater.

I would take a ration of sh&#$$% from coworkers if I had one at work, but for a home garage a Harbor Freight multimeter is probably just fine. You are probably mostly looking for 12vdc, 120 or 220vac, continuity, and occasional resistance readings. None of those are critical enough measurements to justify a high dollar meter.