The CAT rating is a safety specification, not a quality grade
The specification to read first is the measurement category the manufacturer states — CAT II, III or IV, each with a voltage. It describes the transient energy the instrument is built to survive at a given point in an installation, and it is a safety statement rather than a mark of quality. After that: true-RMS, which reads distorted waveforms correctly where an averaging meter does not; the count (2 000, 6 000, 20 000) that sets display resolution; and whether the current inputs are fused. We compare stated category and voltage, true-RMS, counts, auto-ranging, and input protection.
AC/DC voltage · DC current · resistance · continuity · diode and transistor test
A basic manual-ranging meter covering voltage, DC current, resistance, continuity, battery and diode tests, with a 2.7-inch backlit screen and a fold-out stand.
Best for: Bench and automotive fault-finding at low voltage, where the reading is a presence check rather than a value.
≈ 11 €
AC/DC voltage · DC current · resistance · diode · double ceramic fuse
A compact meter whose distinguishing specification is its protection: a double ceramic fuse stated as flame-retardant, plus a silicone sleeve, at fourteen euros.
Best for: A first multimeter for household and hobby electronics, chosen for its fusing rather than its features.
≈ $15 / £10 / 14 €
True RMS · 6000 counts · 600 V · temperature, capacitance and frequency
A true-RMS meter with 6000-count resolution and the widest function list here — voltage, current, resistance, temperature, diode, continuity, capacitance and frequency — with probe caps included.
Best for: Household and light installation work where waveforms are not clean and the reading has to be right.
≈ £35 / 32 €
CAT III stated · 600 V AC/DC · 10 A · 20 MΩ · auto power-off
The only multimeter in this hub whose listing states a measurement category. It also gives its ranges plainly: 600 V AC and DC, 10 A, 20 MΩ.
Best for: Household and installation fault-finding where knowing the category matters more than the feature list.
≈ $25 / £20 / 21 €
True RMS auto-ranging · 6000 counts · lit input jacks · NCV with alarm
A true-RMS auto-ranging meter that lights the correct input socket in green for the function selected — the one design idea in this hub aimed squarely at the mistake that damages meters.
Best for: Beginners and shared toolboxes, where the lit jacks stop the mistake that kills meters.
≈ $38 / £27 / 37 €
