What are the advantages of a benchtop digital multimeter when compared to a portable one?

Bench equipment often have sw interfaces to aid in documentation and test automation

Hey obones,

In principle a piece of benchtop equipment offers:

• Stability, you can leave it connected / in its configuration
• Accuracy, because it doesn't have to fit to a small form factor, it can use different components, or more components, that ensure it's correct.
• Reliability, typically smaller and portable components are subject to regular movement, interference in the ways of physical interactions and again components that can be made in different ways to if they were smaller
• With accuracy and reliability, you're connecting the device to mains power, this can have some influence on the former two in behaviour terms, though you'd hope there'd be little difference, there can be some variance.
• Logging and capture, while portable devices have and are catching up to this kind of functionality, there are some benefits to having a stationary setup for this kind of thing, along with a way to reliably setup automated capture and documentation. 
• Features and functionality, often these may be different (in a good way) because of the available space being a bench top item.

As for the benefits of your particular portable versus this bench model, I don't directly have experience with both.

The main thing I like about mine, other than the things already said, is the 4 wire resistance measurement mode. 

 obones  for your 9% use case....

It depends a lot on what you want to do.

I just checked a battery a few minutes ago - a portable DMM was the best tool for that since the battery was outside.

But I have several bench-top DMMs in my lab because:

More accurate (often do 4 terminal measurements), data collection and recording, more functions nicer interface, they sit on a shelf out of the way.

AT the low price end there is less incentive to go for a bench-top DMM.

As you spend more you get remote control and data collection. Some meters can sample quite fast.

The GW Instek 8341 wouldn't be my choice.

I'd look for one with Ethernet and USB. Ethernet is great for remote control, USB for recording stuff on a memory stick.

The Rigol DM858E offers LAN and USB in the same price class and has a bigger display.

But from your list of DMM tasks I'm not sure that either is going to give you a big boost.

MK

I would probably choose a Bluetooth handheld multimeter. Then get best of both worlds.

I recall shabaz writing up a blog about this one: community.element14.com/.../mp730624-multimeter-quick-review-surprisingly-accurate

https://community.element14.com/products/roadtest/rv/roadtest_reviews/1568/mp730624_dmm_road_te#pifragment-19571=6

I road tested this same DVM awhile back. 

I needed a Bluetooth dongle for using the sw tool, but it had crazy range, as I measured volts near its limit of 720 Vac, while in a metal enclosure in an environmental chamber, and then in the next room.

The auto range is a tadslow for my liking. 

I have alot of you tube videos posted for the road test. 

That reminds me, I should do a short write-up about a set of bluetooth calipers I bought a while back, model Shahe 5101L. They turned out to be quite good, I use them regularly.

Well, I have one of these:

But the reliability is not that good with 1.5V batteries, so I find myself using the DMM quite a bit.

Thanks for your answer.

The model I'm being offered is not up for discussion, but it can do data collection, albeit with a weird Excel based plugin. Maybe the protocol is standard and could be used in third party software.

But in the end, I tend to agree with your final assessment of my situation...