Overview of the Tenma 72-7735
With literally hundreds of different multimeters available on the market (many of them super cheap quality ones) it is hard to know which one is right for you and how to best use your hard earned dollars to get the best bang for your buck. The Tenma 72-7735 might not be the most robust multimeter available but it does have the basic features that are required of entry level to medium range electronics enthusiasts. The PC interface really adds value to this multimeter if you're familiar with how it works but if you've never heard of RS232 serial before the PC interface might end up being useless to you. Overall this multimeter is pretty solid and it does what it says it can.
Pros and Cons
Every product has its strong points and its weak points and, for the most part, these points can't be helped. They are what they are. So below I have written out a short list of what I feel are the strong points of this DMM and similarly, what the weak points are.
Would I Buy It?
Whenever writing a review, the conclusion is the best spot to answer the simple question that everyone wants to know: would the person reviewing the product actually spend their own hard earned cash on it. And here is my answer:
Up to this point in time, I've managed to get away with using the cheapest of the cheap multimeters, however as I have started to move into more advanced electronics, I find myself needing devices that can measure things like frequency, capacitance, inductance and higher currents 5A/10A/20A. This multimeter meets many of those requirements, but not all of them. The PC interface is an awesome feature, but the fact that it is RS232 serial means that I can't use it anywhere and everywhere. So I do think this is a good product for someone getting started in the world of electronics, but personally at the stage I am with electronics, I would require something more powerful but in the same token, it would likely be double or triple the cost of this DMM.
With literally hundreds of different multimeters available on the market (many of them super cheap quality ones) it is hard to know which one is right for you and how to best use your hard earned dollars to get the best bang for your buck. The Tenma 72-7735 might not be the most robust multimeter available but it does have the basic features that are required of entry level to medium range electronics enthusiasts. The PC interface really adds value to this multimeter if you're familiar with how it works but if you've never heard of RS232 serial before the PC interface might end up being useless to you. Overall this multimeter is pretty solid and it does what it says it can.
Pros and Cons
Every product has its strong points and its weak points and, for the most part, these points can't be helped. They are what they are. So below I have written out a short list of what I feel are the strong points of this DMM and similarly, what the weak points are.
PROs | CONs |
Light-weight/Portable | Orange Color |
Measures Resistance/Capacitance | No Inductance Measurement |
Comes With 2 Sets of Probes | Uses RS232 For PC Interface |
Auto-Ranging Functionality | Battery Change Requires Screw Driver |
Vertical Stand | No Additional Support (Tenma.com ?) |
Quality PCB | Specks of Plastic on the LCD |
Would I Buy It?
Whenever writing a review, the conclusion is the best spot to answer the simple question that everyone wants to know: would the person reviewing the product actually spend their own hard earned cash on it. And here is my answer:
Up to this point in time, I've managed to get away with using the cheapest of the cheap multimeters, however as I have started to move into more advanced electronics, I find myself needing devices that can measure things like frequency, capacitance, inductance and higher currents 5A/10A/20A. This multimeter meets many of those requirements, but not all of them. The PC interface is an awesome feature, but the fact that it is RS232 serial means that I can't use it anywhere and everywhere. So I do think this is a good product for someone getting started in the world of electronics, but personally at the stage I am with electronics, I would require something more powerful but in the same token, it would likely be double or triple the cost of this DMM.