Multifunctional Testers - Which one have you got and how long has it lasted?

[GBDamo]

Sometimes if doesn't have to - it depends on an individual or businesses circumstances, for example:
Dilog 9083P £325+vat
Megger 1741 £875+vat
The Megger is £550 more than the Dilog.
For a business, an MFT is a capital expenditure as opposed to a revenue item.
Typically a business will apply the '25% reducing balance' method of depreciation.
In year one (the year of purchase), the Dilog would charge £81.25 depreciation to the P&L and retain £243.75 on the balance sheet as fixed assets. Whereas the Megger would charge £218.75 depreciation and carry forward £656.25 asset value. So in year one, the Megger has actually only cost you £137.50 more, i.e. less than one typical morning's work, to have the latest tool you fancy, drool over and work hard for.
Fast forward to 2024 when Megger bring out their newer flagship MFT, the book value on the balance sheet of your 1741 is just £155, but the street price for a second hand one is still around £400 and every apprentice wants one, so you easily make £250 profit on resale when you sell it, which offsets against the year one depreciation on your new tester.
Conversely the residual value on secondary and tertiary brands, is often beneath the 25% reducing balance curve, giving you little or no profit on disposal.

Okay, so i make a £10,000 MFT with few discernable benefits over a £325 one yet they'll sell like hot cakes?

 

[Deleted member 105166]

Okay, so i make a £10,000 MFT with few discernable benefits over a £325 one yet they'll sell like hot cakes?

Probably stretching a point there.
But (crystal ball time) when AFDDs are perfected and made mandatory for new circuits >=32A in the 19th Edition in 2025 and Megger launch their shiny new £1,600 MFT1951 with onboard arc fault simulation, they will sell loads of them.

 

[fairlight]

Ethos 8400.
The leads are pants, tried to buy megger leads for quality, but on the Ethos the blue/green leads have to be piggy backed for a high current Zs test, which the megger leads don't do. A big downside is that the no trip test is strictly 3 wire, which means you cant test at switches on RCD protected circuits, that's a real disadvantage. The IR test is not press and hold, it does a test over a few seconds and averages. That's a disadvantage for fault finding because I want to hold 500v on the fault for a while, if it starts low and rises that's usually damp....I cant use my experience of what the meter is telling me. Eats batteries as well.
Mines been back to Ethos twice (had it less than a year). The last time because Zs readings always came back as 0.01 ohms....(PFC off the scale!). They sent back a new meter with the old serial number peeled off and applied to the new meter. On the plus side the auto RCD test is awesome.
Based on my experience I'd say don't buy.

 

[stevethesparks]

I've had a metrel eurotest for about 15 years now without a glitch.
Also got a megger 1720 and kewtech, we had a megger 1730 until one of the lads dropped it, megger wanted £ 250.00 just to look at it , from what I've heard it's their standard reply. It's still sat in the office waiting for me to make a decision.

I had a similar problem with a 3 month old 1711, they are a beautiful instrument to use, but do appear to be susceptible to drops. I pointed out there advertising shows a truck driving over a 1700 series and survives. They were adamant that as the drop was 1.2 metres, it wasn't covered by warranty.
I then purchased a 1721, and within a day or two, Megger had a change of heart and offered to repair my 1711 free of charge - of which they did.
Anyone want to buy a perfectly good 1711?
Be persistent with Megger, I'm sure they wouldn't want the bad publicity.

 

[bibby3316]

Thanks for the plug Dan - if anyone does want any info, we're always happy to help people find the right tester and we do have a fair few MFTs in stock to choose from!




We're always happy to provide a competitive, no obligation quote for repairs.
Just drop us a message on [email protected] or call 0113 248 9966 - ideally with a fault description - and we'll see what we can do!

Would you have any advice for a mature trainee as to which multifunction tester to go for, that would be value for money, but a worthwhile investment?

 

[telectrix]

my 1553 is 11 years old. never failed, never been repaired, and has passed every calibration.

 

[Strima]

Would you have any advice for a mature trainee as to which multifunction tester to go for, that would be value for money, but a worthwhile investment?

What's your budget?

 

[Midwest]

my 1553 is 11 years old. never failed, never been repaired, and has passed every calibration.

Hope you had your fingers crossed when yo said that!

 

[static zap]

my 1553 is 11 years old. never failed,

... Respected for its worth - and probably never dropped 2m onto a painted concrete floor ...
Life expectancy must depend on part if it treated kindly , or slung in back of van jostling with reels of T&E.

 

[Strima]

my 1553 is 11 years old. never failed, never been repaired, and has passed every calibration.

My 1552 is 9 years old, had the cable plugs repaired once but apart from that has never missed a beat.

Except last month when testing a TPN board full of RCBOs, it got a bit warm after the twentieth time test... ?

 

[electric al]

I have a 3 piece Robin set , had it over 15 years now

Yeah me too dusty . Does the job just as well as my fluke 1642 and no probs with calibration

 

[telectrix]

... Respected for its worth - and probably never dropped 2m onto a painted concrete floor ...
Life expectancy must depend on part if it treated kindly , or slung in back of van jostling with reels of T&E.

mine is kept in a padded camera case. for fault finding i use a IR/cont. Megger BM summat, cost a tenner faulty. all it was was a broken connection on the inside of the lead socket. passed calibration and if i drop it it's only 4 pints lost.

 

[HappyHippyDad]

Megger 1741, 1735, 1731 and a Metrel 3155 eurotest

Do you still have them all Richy?
Don't worry I'm not looking for a freebie like last time, just interested ?
I have a 1731 which I love. The metrel mi3000 lasted quite a few years though and was adequate, it's now kept as a spare.

 

[rlsecurity]

HI
Just looking at buying a metrel ML3155 XD
would anyone happen to know what the difference between the standard kit and the euro kit is. for the £400 difference

thanks

 

[PEG]

I have an embarrassingly large collection of devices,some for work,some for fun,but in the latter MFT club,i have a 1720,with the latest version download,which has been very good.

I took the time to learn it's every option,and would keep it,even on a future upgrade,which will probably arrive out of giddyness,more than need

I would always stress the need to know whatever device,100%,rather than chase any dazzling,newer versions.

In the last month,i have used a DC current meter,and an inclined manometer,both of which,are older than me mum

 

[richy3333]

@happyhippydad Morning. Happy new year. Yes we still have all those test instruments. The Megger is the daily go to and to date the Metrel has been used mainly on EV testing with additional extra bits; but I am going to take it on as my main tester sometime soon.

We have a lot of Megger test equipment (clamps, earth leakage, AVO, iClamps, PAT testers etc) but these last couple of years have felt the MFT's are not made as well as they used to be.

The last 1700 series we ordered arrived with the top and bottom detached! It was all sorted out OK but knocks your confidence in the equipment somewhat.
[automerge]1577962855[/automerge]

HI
Just looking at buying a metrel ML3155 XD
would anyone happen to know what the difference between the standard kit and the euro kit is. for the £400 difference

thanks

@rlsecurity if you look on the meter UK website there is a chart showing what is and isn't included. Scroll down to the bottom of this page:

MI 3155 EurotestXD

MI 3155 EurotestXD is the newest flagship of Metrel’s most advanced line of multi-functional measuring instruments and is designed specifically for testing in industry. What differentiates this instrument from the rest is its ergonomic design and an intuitive user interface, encompassing a...

www.metrel.co.uk

 

[Marti]

Kewtech KT65 for last 3 years. It’s been reliable and we understand each other. I do have Megger envy building, but the KT just won’t die .

That KT65 was one of the few I considered before pitching for a lightly used Megger 1730. Looks nice and fool-proof compared to the Mettrel and Fluke Had a Fluke on loan recently. Can't say much about the accuracy, which should the the most important consideration, but find the 1730's "child's toy" controls far easier to set correctly.

Does anyone else test their MFT against a Cal-Card and a known RCD? Mine gets a run through and spreadsheet log roughly every month. Give me a heads up as to potential issues.

 

[Midwest]

Does anyone else test their MFT against a Cal-Card and a known RCD? Mine gets a run through and spreadsheet log roughly every month. Give me a heads up as to potential issues.

That’s what I did when registered with a Scheme. Then every third year, I’d have it calibrated. I replaced the Calcard then, but then someone pointed out the card is just a set of known resistances, which can’t alter.
As did a Zs test as well as RCD test on the same socket. If was doing it now, I would install a dedicated socket on its own RCBO, to save messing around isolating devices.

 

[Marti]

That’s what I did when registered with a Scheme. Then every third year, I’d have it calibrated..

THAT'S INTERESTING! I hadn't realised that if you monitor the readings and they remain the same it isn't necessary to fork out anything between £50 - £125 every year for a calibration test. Thanks Midwest.

 

[Midwest]

If you are with a Scheme, just clarify what they require. I was with Elecsa, and purchased my CalCard from them.

 

[Risteard]

Personally I advocate annual calibration in addition to ongoing accuracy checks. These are nowhere near as thorough or controlled as the calibration process.

It's all academic for me anyway as RECI require annual calibration without exception.

 

[stevethesparks]

On my last three NICEIC visits they have changed their minds each time
Was every 3 years
Then endless if I had my own proving unit,
now back to every year.

 

[plugsandsparks]

KT65, selector switch went in warranty, that was just dirt , it does get used in some nasty industrial locations, since then its now over 9 years old still going strong, have another KT65 as back up but never been out of the house.
Only other thing is one of the leads broke

 

[BruceBanner]

Matrel 61557, does all & more, passes calibration every year.

 

[Andy78]

Matrel 61557, does all & more, passes calibration every year.

Good solid tester, although it only does type AC RCD testing which my mate found a limitation recently to his otherwise comprehensive tester.