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Had to choose between a cheap multimeter or a good one for my first year in the business.
I was starting out and my budget was tight, so I picked the $20 model from the hardware store over the $120 one my mentor recommended. It worked okay for basic checks, but it gave me a false reading on a fridge compressor last month that cost me an extra hour of work. Do you think a beginner should always invest in the better tool right away, or is it smarter to learn on something basic first?
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palmer.henry17d ago
My first year, I blew a whole afternoon chasing a bad reading from a cheap meter. That false confidence costs more than the tool. Just get the good one and save the headache.
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angela8991mo ago
Ugh, I did the exact same thing with my first set of wire strippers. Bought the bargain bin pair and they mangled the insulation half the time, leaving tiny nicks in the copper I couldn't even see. That caused a short in a simple outlet swap that took me forever to find. A good tool just works right and builds good habits from the start, even if it hurts the wallet.
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