Look for the Megger (tm)

Bought it for a project at work. Checking integrity of the insulation on an inductor coil. Worked great for finding suspect parts that passed all other functional tests.

unit works great. Performs all required insulation test and you can record the data and put into a report.

So just in case you stumbled across this unit and you are wondering what it is... This is a hand held insulation tester AKA a "megger." It features a few test modes found on common digital multimeters, however this has a series of speicalized tests for testing wire insualtion and motor windings for thinning insulation and short circuits. It does a fair bit more than that actaully, but that's just a general idea of what sets this type of tester apart.

Realizing I had a need for a portable insulation tester I began researching options. Since I trust the Fluke name I was all set to buy the FLuke 1507. At about $450 it's a nice entry into the market (or so I thought.) The Fluke is limited to about 10G ohms of resistance which I though was an okay trade off since this is a handheld unit. I didn't want the size or significant cost increase associated with the larger higher capacity testers (some of which can test into the Tera-ohm range.) But after I found a technical discussion on an electrical egnineering forum where they discussed the limitations of the Fluke and the fact that although it claimed to perform PI and DAR tests, the upper end range really wasn't high enough to do so. Then the discussion drifted to the Megger 400 series. Those technical write ups and a few videos on youtube sold me.

I must say I love the MIT430-EN. With a 200G ohm top end it's got plenty of headroom for anything I'll ever use it for. This unit DOES have the necessary headroom for proper PI and DAR tests. And I love the interface and display. The display is an analog bar graph paired coupled with a dual digital readout. For instance, in the 500V insulation test mode the analog graph shows roughly where the resistance falls between 1 and 200G ohms. The large primary readout shows what the numeric value is in M or G ohms. And the secondary readout shows the actual test voltage being applied which is usually 5 to 10 percent over the set voltage. The display is large and clear, about as large as a modern smart phone screen. And the back light is soft but bright with not hotspots. The range switch is simple and easy. 5 selectable test voltages and a deicated volts range to the right of the off selecation. ohms and K ohms as well as capacitence and then data recall, send , and deletion selections for stored results. Honeslty I was going to buy the 420 because I like the data logging feature but didn't really see a need to send it to my PC for my application. However, the 430 is currently cheaper than the 420 so go figure... Above the range selector is the TEST buttion to apply voltage while depressed. And above that lining the bottom of the LCD are 7 button to activate certain features within selected range. These include DC / TRMS AC selection in voltage range, PI /DAR in insulation test, continuty buzzer, backlight, and what ammount to efffectively soft keys.

The unit itself is rugged. It's a CAT III 1000V / CAT IV 600V meter which is more or less the standard for top end test equipment. Physical contruction is excellent and this unit feels really solid in the hand. The sides and back of the unit are well protected with a heavy rubber boot. However the unit does have an achellis heel. The screen is big and thereby vunerable, the keys and range switch perturde out a bit as well. So face down drops are not recommended. The case itself feels tough and sturdy. It's as sturdy as plastic gets. It ships in a hard plastic case which is a nice touch, but I'd felt better if there was a little foam padding around the unit. Still a case is a welcome addition and another "one-up" over the Fluke as they not one for giving away accessories with their already very expensive units. Speaking of accessories, you get a few here. Two probes with interchangable tips; your choice of probe tips, or aligator clips. These fit nice and tight and are great for insulation tests. There is also a fine point extended tip for probing. It also comes with a specialized three wire test probe for certain tests which includes and "remote" test button on the probe itself. In the insulation test mode it has a hazardous voltage test inhibit feature. If any voltage (over 50V) presents itself on the line during the test the test it halted and the unit alerts the user to this fact.

At the end of the day, chances are if you reading this review you know well the uses of insulation testers and your specific needs for one. As far as handhelds go (which is sort of niche market in it of itself) this unit is about as good as it gets. Features and accessories, safety and durability, capability and usablility, I must say I'm very pleased with this unit. It will do more than I'll ever find uses for. Add to that, that Amazon far beats the competition on pricing... So if your in the market for a "megger", I encourage you to take a good long look at the brand that started it all.

UPDATE: 10-27-2013
For some unforeseen reason the display on my 430 quit working. The backlight would work but nada on display information. It had seen very light usage to this point and was never dropped or banged around. It was always stored in its case and never in place with too much moisture or excessive heat or cold. I'd go as far as to say, I'd been babying it. I should've tested the output voltage and other functions via another DMM but I wasn't smart enough to do that before sending it in to Megger for repair. I will say, I find one thing annoying. Given that this is a warranty repair in the first 6 months of ownership I feel they could've gone the extra mile and paid shipping back to the factory not just the return shipping back to me. Even cheap companies have learned that trick to make people "happy customers" and ultimately "repeat customers" (yes stealing a line from the UPS commercial.) Are you listening Megger? Happy Customer = Repeat Customer. But I digress. It's back and all is well, as long as I have no future problems with the instrument within a reasonable measure of its lifespan (i.e - the next 15-20 years) I won't hold it against them. That said, given the failure of a component in such an expensive instrument so early in it's life, I will give periodic updates over time to let other's know how it's fairing.

UPDATE: 09-06-2014
So after a year of (admittedly light) use, the 430 is still hanging in there. I haven't had any more screen issues nor anything else to report. All functions (that I use) still work properly. I checked the voltage accuracy against my Fluke 87 and its spot on. All keys and connections feel great. As I said above I'm gonna count the issue previously reported as a fluke. If you have need of a handheld insulation tester, I really can't think of anything better and still would recommend the MIT430 or one of it's siblings.

I spent a lot of time chasing down the insulation tester Megger MIT 430 on the internet and finally I found it , in Amazon at the best possible price and a good service , this instrument has a lot of fixtures so does the job of several other instruments which saved me money money and come with the latest technology included like the blue tooth download of stored data I was really happy in buying it from amazon,because the price and delivery service.