Mastech MS8268 Digital AC/DC Auto/Manual Range Digital Multimeter Meter

In the middle of a power outage from Hurricane Sandy, the rusty governor spring on my generator finally broke leaving the engine running at idle. Fashioning a replacement spring and adjusting the generator output to 120 volts got us through the outage, but after it was over I wanted to set the governor more precisely to get exactly 60 Hz. I was planning to buy a dedicated panel-mount frequency meter but discovered that many multimeters now include a frequency function, and since the Mastech was under $30, I ordered it. It arrived two days later, a day faster than promised. My first impressions on opening the box were: 1) it's big, and 2) it's decent quality. The rotary dial and the pushbuttons click into place with authority, the case feels solid and doesn't flex, and the probes are heavy gauge wire. I ran through some AC and DC voltage and resistance checks; the results agree with my other meter though I don't have a NIST-traceable reference to test its absolute accuracy. House power frequency reads 59.96 Hz, as expected. The manual briefly describes the Cat II and Cat III safety standards the meter claims to meet - I have no way to verify compliance but it feels like it could take a beating in a lineman's toolbelt with no problem. A few minor observations that haven't been covered in other reviews: 1) It takes some effort to insert the probes the first time. I pushed until they felt fully seated, but there was still 1/4 inch of plastic sleeve exposed and the LED indicators didn't go out. The sockets are a standard size and the probes from my other meter went in smoothly all the way and extinguished the LEDs, so I forced the new probes all the way in. After that they are still stiffer than my old probes but no longer require excessive force. 2) The LCD display has a good viewing angle range in reflected light, but when using the backlight it is washed out when your eye is above 90 degrees from the display. The display contrast isn't user adjustable, but the default is fine from anywhere without the backlight and from below 90 degrees when using the backlight. 3) You can't set the backlight to stay on - it always fades out after 5 seconds from pressing the light button. But there is a display hold button, so if you are operating in a dim area you could capture the reading you want using hold and then light the display to read it. 4) There are two different ways of reading frequency. You can measure AC voltage or current using the function dial and then press the frequency button to cycle between voltage, frequency, and duty cycle. Or you can select frequency on the function dial and switch between frequency and duty cycle with the button. The manual indicates that the available ranges are different depending on whether the dial is set to voltage/current or to frequency, but either way works fine for 60 Hz power. 5) Other reviews said the beeper is weak; it sounds fine to me. But when using the continuity test function it has an odd stutter sound when making a connection - be-be-beeeeeeeep. Nothing to worry about, just an indicator that there is some electronics involved rather than a simple battery and beeper connected directly to the probes. All in all a great meter; far more than I expected. Other reviewers say "great meter for the money" but in my opinion it's a great meter, period. The Fluke 175 claims .15%+2 accuracy for DC volts and 1.0%+3 for AC volts; this meter claims .7%+2 DC and .8%+3 AC on most ranges which is more than I need. I'll still use my old multimeter most of the time because it is more compact to carry around (I posted a picture for size comparison with the Equus 3320 Auto-Ranging Digital Multimeter ). But it's nice to have the Mastech for when I need the extra features.

After doing a LOT of internet research I decided on this DMM since it had the most features for the best price, and the reviews were consistently good, except for a few very negative ones. First let me say that nearly every DMM on Amazon has at least some very negative reviews. It seems that no matter how well made a DMM is, there will always be some that are defective, or some users who don't know what they're doing and fly off the handle in rage in their review. Reading some of the negative reviews for this Mastech MS8268, it seems very likely to me that many of those reviewers didn't know how to properly use this particular DMM. Every DMM is slightly different, and even if you have experience with another brand and model, you may still have to read the directions for this one. Also because this one is so inexpensive many people may assume it is broken when actually they just aren't operating it correctly. If they spent $300 on an expensive model and it didn't work, they would be much more likely to read the manual better and assume they were doing something wrong. So there can be selection bias at work, especially if we've already read some negative reviews on the item. For instance, I initially thought the continuity function was broken because I'd read some reviews where others had that problem and mine wasn't giving the alert sound when I turned the dial to continuity and placed the leads together. Then I read the manual and found that I also had to press the select button to test for continuity. I did that and it worked perfectly. Also, the digital display will fluctuate wildly when the leads are not touching anything. This is normal. Also, when testing voltage be aware that this meter is auto-ranging, so it will automatically display a reading anywhere from volts to millivolts. In other words, you may test a 9v battery and get a reading of 300.21 You may wonder how a 9v battery could possibly have 300 volts! But if you look more closely you will notice that the volts has changed to millivolts. In other words the battery is so dead that there isn't even a single full volt left in it and the meter is only picking up 300 millivots left in the cell. Basically what I'm saying here is you may want to be careful and patient and educate yourself on using DMMs in general and this one in particular before you create and unnecessary hassle for yourself by returning this one as a piece of junk. There are lots of good video tutorials on Youtube for learning how to use a DMM. I recommend taking some time with them and also reading the manual for this one if you run into problems. If all of that fails, then maybe you truly do have a defective one. Mine however is working perfectly for testing continuity and voltage in both AC and DC. Build quality seems indistinguishable from other professional quality tools I have used. I'm very pleased with this purchase and recommend it to others.

i studied electronics at a basic level on high school and played with circuits and microcontrollers for a long time and always used a chep multimeter (the kind you find in hardware stores) and it worked ok but i needed to step up a little (within the price range of a student with a limited budget) so, long story short i purchased this one not expecting more than something i wouldnt have to fix all the time (old multimeter would not turn on pretty consistently every month). and when the box came in i was surprised: Pros: +looks rugged and like it can withstand some abuse. +The lcd can be illuminated +it's pretty accurate +the lighted receptacles to know where you should connect the test leads are great. (i mean, working on a circuit at 3 am can really get in the way of logical thinking) +auto ranging is great +test leads feel great and "professional" +the stand really helps keep your attention on your work and not twisting your head to try to read the multimeter. +the test leads can be stored on the back of the device , the cable will dangle but i mean it's better than nothing Cons: -the way the leads are "stored" feel great at first but could have been better, if you use the stand you can't put the leads on the back... so i tried to put them backwards and it's a no go , i just wanted to keep the multimeter on the stand with the leads "stored" on the back (plus it looks good) so i could just turn it on and take the leads from the back when needed . -light goes out after a few seconds so if you turn it on, take the leads, fiddle to try to get the right test points in your circuit the light will turn off just when you try to look at the multimeter (don't know if there's a setting but it just doens't bother me enough to try to change it ) for the price this is great, and actually works better than i expected and well looks nice. i would really recommend this multimeter

This multimeter is very good for the price. I was expecting something that could barely hold itself together for this price. But I didn't want to buy something as expensive as a Fluke. This was a surprisingly awesome purchase. While, it cannot match up to more professional multimeters, it gets the job done. I do not know how accurate it is in some cases, but when I put it on some known voltages, it seemed to give reasonable results. I wouldn't trust it for very precise measurements, but for checking batteries and measurements for some basic electronics, it will work fine. Some things I did not realize before I bought it was that this offers a backlight. It also has lights to indicate which jack your probe should be plugged in to-- This is usually obvious, but it was a feature that I didn't expect. The internal speaker, however, is too quiet. The casing is also pretty robust feeling-- it should be able to withstand dropping it just fine. The device itself is fairly light-- this indicates it uses cheap electronic parts inside, so this is not necessarily a good thing. If you want a cheap multimeter and don't need to be purchasing a more professional multimeter, I'd recommend this one, especially over even cheaper multimeters. This is at the price point that it isn't so cheap that it's crap, and that it isn't so expensive that it breaks the bank.

If you're an electrician or in a trade that requires using a multimeter regularly THEN THIS REVIEW IS NOT FOR YOU! In fact, I'm very curious to know why you're even considering this multimeter in the first place! For the rest of you, I'm giving this multimeter FIVE stars since it meets all my requirements: well constructed and designed for units costing well under $100. If I was shopping for a diamond in rough (that is a unit around the $250 price range that cost under $100) and decided on this unit then yes I would be very disappointed... but I'm NOT, I'm looking for a unit under $100 and found this little gem! Did my research on multimeter pricing and found the MS8268 on Amazon to BE THE BEST DEAL on the web not just Amazon! I was shocked at the price and amazed how many features it had for a multimeter under $250... met all my requirements and more in what I was looking for. The only issue or concern I had now was does it really work! After receiving it I looked it over inside and out making sure nothing was missing, broken or just designed bad. Everything looked in place didn't find any issues what so ever. Ran several tests on the accuracy in all the settings and I'm happy to say this MS8268 multimeter performed like a $150 unit! Everything I threw at it worked without any problems. Large backlit display and feels strong for a multimeter for under $150 and in my humble opinion it's designed and built well! The test leads alone should be WORTH THE PRICE of the unit, they are well insulated and from the feel may infact be made of a high quality silicone, rubber combination that you'll only find in units costing well over $150. NOW it's not made in the US like the Fluke brands (I doubt they're still made in this country anyway) but it's designed and constructed well from the case to the electronics. If you plan on using this unit everyday then you'll want an industry proven multimeter like a Fluke model, BUT if you're like me who needs a reliable multimeter that offers so much (bang for your buck) testing around the house from AC to DC to automobile or motorcycle component testing AND only need it every now and then, then this multimeter is a STEAL! Infact, you should grab one as long as they are giving this unit away so cheap! Let me end by saying, I'm very happy and satisfied with my purchase... thank you again Amazon for such a low priced item, and thanks again for the free shipping too!

I have had a digital Radio Shack Multimeter for many years and it works ok. What interested me in this meter is that it has extra functions like capacitance and hfe. In the past, I haven't really had much of a need for these functions but, over time, it has become harder to obtain parts like capacitors and transistors. Sure, you can order online for a dollar or two, but then you have to pay 6 to 8 dollars postage and wait. So, this meter could help me use some of the parts I've collected over 30 plus years. I don't think you can beat the price, not much more than a bottle of Jack Daniels. The quality is good, everything looks solid, and I'm very pleased so far with the functionality. It comes with batteries but just toss these and put in Duracells. I've had too many problems with off brand and "bunny" brand batteries leaking. The included test leads are pretty good and there is a test lead storage feature on the back that keeps the leads from just dangling when not in use. Interestingly, and perhaps helpful for us who are drinking Jack Daniels while testing, when you switch to a specific mode, the applicable "jacks" light up to make sure you're using the correct ones. The negative test lead was a little "loose". That is, you would have to "jiggle" it to get things to read correctly sometimes. The fix for this is pretty easy, just insert a small blade into the lead to "spread" the connector. Any good tech knows that you have to prove that the measurement equipment is working before you fault the test item. If there is one nit, it is the capacitance range, shown as "nfarads" or nanofarads. Most of us geeks use "microfards" or "picofarads". So, you have to mentally move the decimal point 3 places but not a big deal. I tested a few caps and they seemed to read ok. I don't have a need for absolute accuracy so precision is not a problem. I just want to know if the cap is good or bad and about the value expected. The meter does take a few seconds for the measurement to stabilize but this was not really a problem for me. The "stand" holds the meter at a convenient viewing angle.

First off I'm no electronics guru that needs an ultra accurate DMM. I'm just a hobbyist that wanted one with a few bells and whistles like this one advertised. I knew before hand that this was not going to to be like a Fluke or any other high end model. I did expect it to perform better than my $19 Radio Shack model though. When I got it I tested it out on a freshly charged battery, it should have read 4.20V as it was a one cell LiPo. It was reading 147V (yes, one hundred forty seven). I turned it off and tried again, this time 350V. The strange thing is that when the leads aren't touching anything the display is constantly jumping all around from -140 to -350, it never settles down. I then turned to the continuity check to see if it could at least read continuity. I set the switch and touched the two ends together and nothing happened. I turned the dial to the tone setting on the continuity and did the same thing, still no tone. I thought that maybe the batteries are dead, because it comes with those very low mAh AAA cells and I though if they have been sitting around for a while they may have gone dead, so I replaced them with new batts and still no joy. One of the causes of the above issues is that the negative plug does not seat well in the hole. It wiggles around a lot. I tried expanding the male end of the lead in hopes this would give it a firmer grip but it still wiggles around. So I would suggest you save yourself some money and aggravation and buy something else. Edit****** I decided to give this DMM another try and ordered another one. I thought that maybe I just got a bumb unit especially after reading all of the good reviews. I just got the new one today and I was not pleasantly surprised. First the green plastic cover came off when I opened the battery tray. It was easy enough to push back on though. Once I got the batteries installed I tested it on a new single cell AAA battery. It should read about 1.6V well it read 45V. The continuity setting actually works on this one though although the tone is a bit soft. I don't have any more patience to test any other features as this is going to be returned. I can understand receiving one faulty unit that doesn't work but receiving two, that says something about the lack of quality control that this device has. I would recommend people to stay away and buy something else.

I was expecting only moderate build quality and performance from this meter, and to my surprise my expectations were greatly exceeded. The meter is packaged very well for safe shipping, and includes a set of thick, durable feeling probes with protective end covers on both ends - a very nice touch. The meter itself is hefty, thick plastic with rubber bumpers on the ends; it's made to survive in the field and feels like a much more expensive product in my hands. It might be a little big if you have small hands, but that's about the only negative as far as fit and finish goes. The light function is nice in that it goes off automatically after a few seconds, too, so there's no need to worry about draining the batteries accidentally leaving the light on. It also has a warning beep about 10 seconds before powering off due to inactivity, and another beep when it powers off entirely. The box is pictured in Chinese, but the actual packaging I received was in English, as was the instruction manual included printed in English only. Not one of those gimmick instructions that doesn't help much, listing two pages of quick functions in every language. It's a good translation, too, that never left me scratching my head wondering what they were talking about. It also came with 3 x AAA batteries to get up and running immediately. They're cheap batteries, but I'm sure they'll last a while. I checked the calibration against my Keithley 2015 6.5-Digit multimeter and it agreed across the ranges. Capacitance and frequency worked well, too. No surprises! Auto-ranging is very nice, and gets there eventually - my only complaint is that it's a little slow to complete the auto-ranging. Manual ranging is selected on screen, though, so for faster measurements in a known range you can pre set it and get to work. Of course, a Fluke would be a bit better of an instrument, but for the price this one can't be beat. I own two, in fact, to take multiple simultaneous readings. Highly recommended.

good one

Had this for 6 years working like new ! Really recommend

I purchased this since my original analog version of 30 years plus broke, purchased it by a simple recommendation for its price point and features it is great works great and does the job packed with great features the question is how long it will last? But I do recommend it so far.

Even though running on 3 triple-a's is weird for a DMM, this unit works just fine. The auto-ranging makes work stupid easy. I love the NCV and continuity checking functions. If you're not a sparky or a refer mechanic, this is a great value option.

This meter does 95% of what I need it for (I build and repair guitar amps and pedals) and WAS a good value when I bought it in 2020 compared to many others. The only thing I've noticed it struggles with at times is accurately measuring very low capacitance values (picofarads). I have had this meter for 3 years and it has proven to be a solid, reliable tool. However, like many things, the price has almost tripled since I bought it so I would no longer consider it good value.