SDG #143 Well priced 4.5 and 5.5 Digit EastTester DMMs - ET3240 and ET3255

Bench multimeters from the major Western brands still command serious money, so the EastTester range deserves attention from anyone building a home laboratory on a budget. This review covers two siblings, the 4.5 digit ET3240 and the 5.5 digit ET3255, and examines what the extra digit and extra outlay actually buy in practice.

Both meters share the same physical platform and general feature set: the usual DC and AC volts and current, two and four wire resistance, capacitance, frequency, continuity and diode test, plus temperature sensing. The interesting question with any cheap bench DMM is whether the specification sheet survives real use, so the assessment concentrates on displayed resolution against genuinely usable digits, noise and stability on the lower ranges, how the AC measurement behaves away from mains frequency, and whether the four wire resistance mode is trustworthy enough for low value shunt and contact resistance work.

Just as important for daily use is the interface. Menu structure, how many button presses it takes to change a setting, the quality of the display and viewing angle, and the presence of secondary display and maths functions all determine whether a meter earns a permanent place on the bench or is pushed to the back of a shelf. Connectivity and logging options matter as well for capturing data rather than just reading a value.

The practical conclusion is that the ET3240 is the sensible choice for a stable, readable bench display alongside a handheld, while the ET3255 makes sense where the extra resolution is needed for comparing components or characterising references. Neither replaces a calibrated 6.5 digit instrument, but for hobby and repair work the value proposition is strong.