The eM860T is a quality meter, I like how it operates and makes precise measurements. I also like the manufacturers warranty of 10 yrs. They really stand behind their product. I put the meter to use on an amplifier I was repairing the day I got it in the mail, it helped me solve what was wrong with the amp. I was kinda skeptical at first , a quality true rms multimeter for 60 bucks, come on. But it proved it's metal the first day out of the box.

One of the reasons I need a multimeter is to determine whether or not an AC outlet is 'live' or not -- a rule of safety to be followed before working on an outlet.

This multimeter could not be used for that purpose, at least not with the test leads provided.

The probes on the test leads are way too short (about 3/16" or less of exposed metal) to be inserted deeply enough into the outlet openings to make contact with the 'hot' and neutral portions. Thus, the meter falsely does not register any voltage in testing whether an AC outlet is live when the probes are inserted into the 'face' of the outlet. This can be deadly misleading.

With it's short test lead probes, you need to first remove the outlet cover to expose the sides of the outlet, and then position the probes to make contact with the hot and neutral terminals on the sides of the exposed outlet. For me, this is not acceptable.

Test leads with longer test probes should have been supplied with this multimeter.

There seems to be a common misconception among product designers/engineering depts. We don't need the DMM to beep and chirp every time we change something, be it turn a dial or press a button. It gets very old very quickly, and, in my case causes problems in my indoor electronics workshop at home. I was just refunded for two different multimeters that did the same, however, I will say this one is quieter than the other two. Whereas, the other two I mentioned, the other residents came to me and asked me to stop whatever I'm doing. This loses a star just for that, even though it's a bit more mild than the others.

Anyways, onto form and function.

This is a very well constructed unit, including the cat IV rated 1000v probes. The serial shunt fuses are proper, too. The thermocouple doesn't warrant for much excitement, it's a middle-quality, cheap part that does the job.

The unit includes a black nylon case for everything, nothing special but I can appreciate it, and I will use it.

As for the functionality, I have a few qualms, not listed in order. The non-contact measurement is displayed in an arbitrary format of LCD dashes, 0-4. I have another unit still in service of a different make that displays EMF in Tesla's. Not a big deal, or a deal breaker for me.

The meter jumps around a low range (I have seen up to 150mV) without probing a voltage source, on both AC/DC voltage setting. I'm not sure if there is no logic to recognize that artifact, or there is a bad solder joint/contact. This is a problem for me, as I do need to measure voltages below 500mV, accurate to at least ~10mv and I prefer to use my DMM low range over dragging out my oscilloscope rig every time. Can I trust this units voltage accuracy? Maybe. It's definitely ballpark, but I will reference calibrate/evaluate it later on this week when I have time and get all the equipment out. EDIT: Yes, I am aware of voltage potentials formed by moving/dynamic electromagnetic fields, and while this can cause some low end jitter on data acquisition hardware, it's a concern when my other two meters placed in proxy are not experiencing the same issue, all with no leads attached, with leads attached, in a variety of disproving attempts, I was unable to identify the source of these ghost values.

Resistance measurements are showing a jitter; this is likely due to an oxide later on the probes. Easy fix, not very concerned. Having a delta function is great for many measurements, resistance measurements being one.

The capacitance function doesn't calc any farad value over 1F, the actual ceiling is somewhere between 1F and 7000mF. This means I can't evaluate my large/med and some of the small supercapacitors in my inventory. However, it does seem to work well for the little guys. If your capacitors are less than 7000mf, this unit will work for you.

This unit has one of the strongest and most satisfying backlighting than any other unit I have used. I do wish it stayed on longer. It earned a star for it, with the interface quality, too.

The interface is great, the selector knob is recessed, it seems to be exceptionally durable, too. The buttons are sensibly organized, positioned, and assigned, but you can tell by the pictures, anyways.

Overall, I believe this meter will last a long time, and is well built. I am unsure of the accuracy of many of the functions, but I would be willing to calibrate it against lab standards to make it acceptable. I do not think this meter is worth the ~$60 price tag. This will be my 6th or 7th DMM that I own, and I still have not found one that outranks the performance and accuracy of a $9 China-direct meter I purchased over 10 years ago. I did expect something a bit more thought out for this price, but this would probably work for most people's needs, then again, there are cheaper units of a similar functional quality, they're just going to be less durable than this unit for half the cost.

This DMM gets a 2/5 from me, could be better, and the price is not really right for what you get. I would have been just as happy with a $15 dollar unit I think. I might send this back.

Having gone through a number of inexpensive Multimeters, frying the last one due to a stupid mistake -- it was time to go a bit upscale. Yet the bewildering array of features and prices in this market required a good deal of reading just to get a foggy notion of how the various offerings compared and what you would pay for the features. The eM860T seemed to be well positioned, have some of the advanced features and being reasonably priced. The biggest selling point was the excellent fuses might quite literally save your life if you end up working with any higher voltage equipment (don't if you don't know what you are doing -- it can be quite spectacular if you make even a simple mistake). The eM860T is big, comes with a case, good leads and even a temperature probe. It's is a very good meter, and does everything that I could possibly want for electronics hobby work. It directly supports the testing of testing diodes, capacitors, LEDs (they light up!), resistors, measuring basic frequencies, checking continuity, as well as the heavier duty work associated with automotive and household work. If there is a fault with this device, at its given price point it is a simple an trivial one -- the zippered case that it comes with has a pocket for the instruction manual, but the manual slips out every time I move the meter (you can use the meter without removing it from the case). Not a big deal but a little flap material and a couple pieces of loop and hook fastener would have made this a tiny bit better.

I am an electronic engineer and have spent my career using lab instruments. Just saying thet I feel qualified to write a review. I own a Snap-on EEDM504D. In appearance they are almost twins. TYhe Snap-on has a few different features, slightly better specs, possibly more durable and costs a lot more. I find the ennoLogic eM860T to be an adequate replacement for the non-professional with lighter usage. The similarities are uncanny, with a few differences. I compared readings on as many ranges as possible and the two tracked remarkably close. I was not able to do high voltages or low currents. Snap-on hasa 40 micro am range but that is a small difference. Snap=on has a min-max feature that is very helpful. Snap-on has a duty cycle measure that could be useful. Both measure capacitance but with some diffeerence in range. The low end difference is, I think unimportant and both seem to measure start capacitors and beyond very well. EnnoLogic added a temperature measurement using a thermocpouple that was a simple bead. No information given even asking specifically about how to use or not to use it. My guess is that it is not for immersion, it looks fragile and no info about solvent contact or how to clean it . And this is for automotive use? EnnoLogic added a non-touch (electric field) voltage detector that doesn't work as advertised and could be dangerous. It can be wrong about the presence or absence of voltage and the relative magnitude bars are useless. It consistently tells me that live receptacles are dead.I don.t like that. On wires it seems to depend on orientation because the answer changes as I rotate the meter. False positives and false negatives, I won't use the EF feature but it is the only real complaint about a great meter. .