Model 310 (3018)

It’s small in stature but is excellent for what it is designed for.

I had a Triplett meter at my first tech job many years ago when I was still in my teens. Now years later I found that I needed a reliable analog meter that I could trust. Yes, there are $3.00 multi-meters that you can buy at a flea market but if you do any real technical work and need something smaller, the Triplett is the meter. I still use Fluke digital meters for precise measuring but for trending and quick troubleshooting, analog is still the way to go. The Triplett 3018 is a solid meter in a compact size. The sliding lever is exact and easy to use with one hand when changes are required. Many commented that the meters of years ago were more solid and accurate. This meter is rather light so I guess they took some things out of it. My biggest concern is that I was measuring a voltage. I got a reading of both 10vdc and 10vac. How could it be both? I had to pull out my Fluke and determine the correct voltage. But that is an unforgivable error if you are doing a quick power supply check.

I prefer using 2 types of multimeters, the analog and digital ones when trouble shooting a problem area. When a burned wire or carbon tracking in circuit digital one will give a false reading. I started my electrical career with a Triplett analog meter when digital meters was starting to come on market.

This little meter has been around for decades. And since I have had one that faithfully served me from the 70s and died recently it was time to buy another

The Triplett 310 has for over 50 years been a good choice for those that need a compact analog VOM. The current model (type 7) uses a readily available (and cheap) 12 volt battery for the highest resistance measurement range, rather than the hard to find (and expensive) 15 volt battery used by previous versions of this meter. (see my review for the 15v battery) Actually, this meter will (unlike a digital multimeter) make most measurements with no battery at all, batteries are only needed for the resistance ranges. (and they ARE included) This is a well made, high quality meter!

This one was a disappointment. It arrived faulty. A return has been delivered to UPS for credit. This unit had a bent black boot clip and the red boot clip was missing. The meter failed to zero with the mechanical zero. As a result, could not evaluate the meter's AC/DC voltage functions, DC current function, and resistance function. Observed that the resistance functions were intermittent when attempting to perform the OHM zero. This was a strange one.

I have only used this meter a couple of times, but I am impressed with the quality of it. It is compact and easy to carry when needed. Based on my usage to date - I would highly recommend this meter.

Although an analogue device I have used this model meter for more than four decades. Accurate, ease of use, travel friendly, fits in your shirt pocket. I have other meters but this Triplett 310 is my all time favorite.