There is not much info in the link given.
It only mentions a preliminary finding of the cause of the incident.
This was last modified February 5, 2008.
The incident was Dec 7, 2005.
Any new information on this 7 year old incident?
I have to admit, my first thought about this was "problem exists between=20
meter and device under test but he fabricated a story to cover his butt".
I couldn't find any other anecdotes or public safety announcements about=20
the meter or company.

But I'll be careful to not measure a power strip with my $5 red ones=20
while switching a bench grinder on and off!

Joe W


On 9/2/2012 3:35 PM, Bob Blick wrote:
> On Sun, Sep 2, 2012, at 11:37 AM, John Ferrell wrote:
>
>> As I see the photo evidence, Stupid laid a tool on top of a power
>> terminal board and managed to generate magic smoke.
>> There is no tool problem here. Stupid is as Stupid does! While you are
>> certifying the meter give him a shot at the hammer & screwdriver! I bet
>> they will do the same thing!
>> Access to power connections must be controlled to keep Stupid from
>> getting us all killed...
> I disagree completely. That multimeter is category rated for 750 VAC and
> it should not fail violently below that. Also you are reading more into
> the report than it contains. But even if the electrician did have it on
> top of a "terminal board", as long as it was below 500 volts it is still
> within rating.
>
> And since you are not convinced by an investigation by Brookhaven
> National Lab, I have seen one of the current generation (red) meter fail
> instantly when connected to 240 VAC.
>
> I can also tell you how to blow one at 120VAC when set on the 200VAC
> scale. Plug it into an outlet of a plain outlet strip (not a surge
> suppressor). Plug your bench grinder or air compressor into the same
> outlet strip and turn it on. Switch the outlet strip off. If it doesn't
> blow the first time, try it a few more times. Those meters are junk and
> are unsafe connected to mains power.
>
> They are fine for working on low voltage. But for anything potentially
> deadly, use a quality meter.
>
> And if you are still not convinced, take a Harbor Freight meter into
> direct sunlight. Notice it doesn't autozero anymore? Their stuff reeks
> and that multimeter should not have a 200 or 1000 volt range. Take it
> apart and look inside to convince yourself your life is worth more than
> $4.99.
>
> BTW, the fuses inside are also not rated for the application.
>
> I have a few of their multimeters but I would never use them on AC. I've
> taken too many chances already in my life and I learned from them. Don't
> urge people to trust dangerous test equipment. The only stupid thing
> that electrician did was trust Harbor Freight. If he'd used a quality
> multimeter, nothing bad would have happened.
>
> Best regards,
>
> Bob
>

--=20
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