Appreciation post for the cheap multimeter that caught a bad outlet before it fried my laptop

I was setting up in a co-working space in Portland last month, plugged my laptop into what looked like a normal outlet, and my charger started buzzing weird. Pulled out my $20 multimeter from Harbor Freight, tested it, and the neutral was reading 40 volts. Landlord came down and said the whole strip had been wired wrong by a handyman the week before. Saved my MacBook and probably a fire. Anyone else keep a multimeter in their bag just for this kinda stuff?

2 comments

2 Comments

simonw4126d ago

Oh man, that exact buzzing noise is what got me too. I always test outlets in older buildings now, especially if they've got those chewed up plastic covers. Saves a lot of headache and gear.

stone.thomas26d agoTop Commenter

Bought a $12 outlet tester from Home Depot after a similar scare (fried a pretty decent surge protector once). Best money I ever spent, seriously. Now I just plug it in, look for the three lights, and I know if I’m good to go or if I should run.