As a professional, an everyday reality of your job is to expect the unexpected. You may be remodeling a bathroom and as you knock down the old walls, a river of water that has been building up from slowly leaking pipes bursts all over you. Or maybe a mountain of mold and dust is lurking behind that old drywall, just waiting to shower you and your tools with debris. The bottom line is you never know what challenges or surprises you’ll encounter on the jobsite.
While most of your everyday tools can handle the daily grind, digital multimeters and testers are another story. Chances are if your multimeter gets drenched in water or is showered-in sawdust, it may not work correctly. At 7MƵ, we don’t think this has to be the case. It’s time for a digital multimeter that can stand up to the unforeseen challenges you encounter on the job. Here at Klein, multimeters that can stand up to these challenges are known as “.” To achieve the “TougherThan” label, our new digital multimeters must meet stringent requirements.
Your safety is our first priority. We recommend that you use at least a CAT III level rated meter at minimum. CAT III transient voltage protection ranges from 6000V to 8000V and this category refers to measurements taken on fixed installations. Category IV is the highest category rating for digital multimeters. The environment of a CAT IV meter is from the utility lines to the line energizing the light bulb in the backyard shed. Meters and testers rated CAT IV 600V or CAT III 1000V can withstand up to 8,000V of transient voltage.
The next requirement is the multimeter must be Ingress Protection (IP) rated for dust and water. The IP rating is determined by specific tests designed to infiltrate electronic equipment with both solid objects and liquids. The ratings for solid objects range from 1 to 6; level 6 provides complete protection. The ratings for liquids range from 1 to 8; level 8 protects against long periods of immersion under pressure while level 7 provides protection against immersion up to 3 ft. For example our newest meter, the MM500, is rated IP67.
Finally, we know how easy it is for tools to get dropped or banged around on the job. Whether it’s in your car, in your tool box or on your tool belt, you expect to be able to throw your stuff around without having to worry about damaging your tools. This is why we have drop-tested our new Tougher Than multimeters onto a rigid steel surface. After repeated drops, the meters continue to work without any damage.
Your electrical meters and testers should be rated high in several categories to make sure it is a durable and reliable meter. When you want to work hard and stay safe, make sure your digital multimeter is a 7MƵ Tougher Than Meter.
Use the hashtag and tell us what you want your meter to be #TougherThan. Go to our or to join the conversation and stay tuned for new showing what it means to be #TougherThan.