Tempted by a Triplett ?

 I saw a picture of a Triplett 310C:

source: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0255/5586/1564/products/3022_1622x2400.jpg

The most recent version of the mini VOM.  I'm sure it's a good unit but several questions came to mind:  Are they still made in the USA ?   I didn't see anything on the website so I suspect not.  If it is imported, why so expensive ?  And almost all the remaining VOMs have mirrored scales, why didn't they ever add that (to eliminated parallax).

Of course I used to use the Simpson 260 at work but that was mainly to "buzz" out continuity problems.  We had a fancier Fluke DVM but it had a dodgy LCD display - the Simpson or the Triplett 630 (the big brother of the 310 above) just worked all the time.

I'm not going to buy a Triplett 310 mainly because I don't want to buy yet another thingy that I fool with briefly and then box up and forget about it.  If it's something that will be used regularly then OK (I'll make an exception:  physical books).

One meter that I do use regularly is this little one from Sears:

 

Mainly for one feature:  the battery tester for the 1.5 Volt, button cell and 9 Volt batteries.  That's not a complicated thing, just a load resistor added in parallel with the appropriate voltage range.   I use that feature almost exclusively, if I want to measure voltage or current I'll use the Metex DVM that is now at least 20 years old.

I've tried to minimize the use of alkaline cells but when I do still use them I'll test them regularly and cull any that are weakening - all brands seem to leak and the weak cells are the most likely to leak :)

But if Triplett or Simpson ever adds battery testing to their VOMs (personally I'd ditch the high voltage ranges and swap the switch position for battery testing), I'd certainly reconsider purchasing !  :)

Best Regards,
Chuck, WB9KZY
http://wb9kzy.com/ham.htm