Test and look inside Amecal ST-9927T multimeter.

Since my old Fluke meter does not have high sensitivity in the uA tests I decided it was time to get a new meter. The decision was also influenced by an element of doubt about the accuracy of my 25 year old Fluke meter.
Initially I was going to go with Fluke again, but after reviewing their models I realised that they do not really offer good value these days, and I'm not really brand-loyal. The Fluke 18B+ was tempting, but only seemed to be available from China which is its intended market. That throws up the risk of getting a cloned meter instead of a genuine one, so I looked at alternatives.
The Extech meters were interesting, although Dave of EEVblog wasn't so impressed. That said, I thought he was being a bit too harsh, but then he is a meter aficionado.
It soon became clear that the ExTech is available under many other "brands" and I saw a UK seller with a version that had a good range of functions, proper class 4 input protection, true RMS and a high quoted accuracy on all ranges.
One of the things that swayed me was that the company that had branded these meters was an equipment test and calibration company, so I had a feeling they would have assessed the meters well before putting their name on it.
So far I'm very happy with it indeed. Interestingly when I did a side by side test comparison with the 25 year old Fluke meter they both came within about 2 digits. That says a lot for the long term stability of the Fluke and the potential accuracy of the new meter despite my lack of proper calibration test standards.
Inside the input protection looks more than acceptable. Proper HRC fuses with particular emphasis on track length and size on the 10A range, There's a wire linking the common terminal to the high current measurement shunt on the PCB that EEV-Dave didn't care for, but I absolutely agree with its use to provide a good solid high current link to bring the HRC fuse away from the terminal area to allow the space for the local PTC/MOV input protection.
The meter is rated not just for modest impact with a fairly solid rubberised case, but also has a high IP ingress rating. Part of that is the very deep lip that joins the two case parts together. That also doubles as containment for any internal electrical failure.
I'm not impressed by the inclusion of a cheap PP3 battery, which is probably zinc chloride. It got replaced with an alkaline battery immediately.
During the video I express my contempt for an organisation in the UK called the NICEIC (National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contractors). Despite its grand sounding title, this organisation is not a government body. It's a private, profit motivated organisation that in my opinion was originally founded to protect the financial interests of large electrical contractors. In its early days it used heavy promotion to present itself as an official inspection body that contractors should be approved by. But at the same time they used two catch-22 situations to make it hard for smaller companies to get work. I unfortunately experienced this when I first went self employed and found that the work I was intending to do required NICEIC registration. When I applied I received a letter telling me that I would need to be trading for two years before they would consider me for approval, and that I would also need be based in a full industrial premises. Obviously I can't trade for two years when I can't get the work that requires approval in the first place, and most self employed contractors start out working from their home/garage/van because of the high costs associated with commercial premises. The only way I could get around this situation was to work as a freelance contractor working directly for other companies where I was "miraculously" NICEIC approved when I stepped through their door and then unapproved when I finished working with them.
Latterly the NICEIC was instrumental in encouraging the Part P fiasco in the UK, which follows the American model of requiring anyone doing work in a home environment to be Part P registered with an ongoing cut being paid to the approving bodies. This applies to kitchen fitters, handymen and other trades that do a lot of residential work. To get their Part P approval they basically sit a simple "open book" multiple choice test and hand over cash. Consequently most Kitchen fitters and handymen are now apparently fully certified electricians...... On the other hand, time-served and seasoned veterans of the electrical industry (over 30 years) who do not normally do residential work and therefore can't justify an ongoing registration fee, are not actually "permitted" to do electrical work in their own home.