I'm not entirely clear what a "metal scale plate" is...I believe that the article stated that this was an analog meter - in which case the "scale plate" was probably the surface which had the scale markings on it behind the meter pointer. I didn't even know that Extech made analog meters but a quick look at their web site shows that they do. I am a fan of Extech, mostly. I have one of their meters at home and several at work. I have found that the quality of their mid to high range meters is excellent, only slightly below Fluke/Agilent, etc. However, I have seen some alarming things on their low end meters (I have one < $100 clamp-on current meter + multimeter from them, model MA220, which I discovered had a free-floating solder blob inside. Not a huge problem if you are using it in the clamp-on mode, but it could be disastrous if you tried to use the other functions on a mains-powered circuit.) One item that makes me doubt that the meter in question was an Extech is that Extech meters, in my experience, DO carry the appropriate certifications whereas this article states that the meter in question had no statements in the manual about meeting IEC specs. Both of the analog meters shown on Extech's web site presently DO have an indication that they meet a certain category level and specific EN-numbered specifications. Sean On Sat, Oct 2, 2010 at 9:11 AM, Spehro Pefhany wrote: > At 01:53 AM 10/2/2010, you wrote: > >>On Oct 1, 2010, at 10:38 AM, Spehro Pefhany wrote: >> >> > Cheap (USD $2-$3 on sale) Harbor Freight meter: >> > http://ecmweb.com/ops_maintenance/defective-test-equipment-20100101/ >> >>That one doesn't sound like a cheap HF meter; they talk about the >>"metal scale plate" being bent out of shape. =A0The cheap HF meters >>don't have any metal in them! >> >>BillW > > Indeed. From the text, market knowledge, and a bit of Google searching, I= 'd > say there's a reasonable chance it is (well, _was_) an Extech meter, but > there is no way to tell for sure. > >>Best regards, > > Spehro Pefhany --"it's the network..." =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0"The Journe= y is the reward" > speff@interlog.com =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 Info for manufacturers: http:/= /www.trexon.com > Embedded software/hardware/analog =A0Info for designers: =A0http://www.sp= eff.com > > > > -- > http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive > View/change your membership options at > http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist > --=20 http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist .