Mastech MS8910, when you want something extra alongside a regular multimeter.

My collection of measuring instruments has grown a little again. This time it’s a small tweezer-style multimeter. This type of multimeter is primarily intended for working with SMD components.
If you’re interested in the testing and teardown, read on.

In the past, most people used conventional through-hole components, but these days most have switched to SMD. The main advantage is that they’re compact.
But this choice also comes with a few inconveniences, especially when checking components with a multimeter.
Sure, you can do it with a regular multimeter and its standard probes, or buy a pair of tweezer probes. The latter option is convenient, but it won’t work with every multimeter, since not all instruments can compensate for probe capacitance when measuring capacitors.
I’ve already reviewed a multimeter where the probe capacitance was not only around 1 nF when measuring capacitors, but also changed slightly depending on how the probe wires were positioned relative to each other.

Anyway, I wanted to try a tweezer-style multimeter, and I’ve already had a chance to use it. So this review will include some impressions based on a little hands-on experience.

That’s enough of an introduction; let’s get to the review. There’ll be lots of photos, even though I tried to keep the number down.
The multimeter arrived in a neat little box. No complaints about the appearance; it would make a perfectly good gift for a radio hobbyist, for example, on February 23 :).


The back of the box lists all the main specifications. I didn’t want to rotate the photo and make you crane your neck, so I’ll write them out here.
Resistance measurement up to 30 MΩ ±(1.0%+2)
Capacitance measurement up to 30 µF, accuracy ±(2.5%+3)
Capacitance measurement from 30 µF to 30,000 µF, accuracy ±(3.0+3)
3,000-count display
Auto-ranging
Manual range selection
Auto-scan (the so-called “smart” mode; more on that separately)
Auto power-off
Diode test voltage: 2.7 V.
Audible continuity beep when resistance is below 30 Ω
Low-battery indicator.

Power: one CR2032 lithium battery (included)
Dimensions: 175 × 32 × 20 mm
Device weight: 46 g.


Inside the box is a rather nice plastic case.
It looks very neat and feels nice, but I’m not too keen on the lid fasteners—or rather, they aren’t really fasteners, just plastic. It would have been much better to have proper little hinges for the lid.
I don’t think this design will last long, even though it looks nice.


This photo shows how the case is made.


The package contents are pretty basic.
The multimeter itself.
A battery.
A pair of spare tweezer tips.
Manual
Plastic case.


The manual is in English and fairly detailed, though some parts aren’t very clear.
The photo shows only 14 pages of the manual; I picked out the main part of the description.


Spare probe tips are, in my opinion, a pretty useful thing. Nothing lasts forever, after all, so you might need them.
This photo also gives a good view of the multimeter's shape. It's quite ergonomic (though not in every respect, but more on that later).


The tips are very sharp, and piercing the protective coating was no problem—at least while they're still new.


After looking over the boxes and bits of paper, I finally decided to turn it on.
To install the battery, you have to unscrew the back cover.


Under the cover are the battery compartment and a couple of extra screws that hold the two halves of the multimeter's case together.


Well, with the multimeter in front of me and a screwdriver in hand, it would have been sacrilege not to take it apart :)

Put everything back together and install the battery. The battery isn't held in place by a clip; it's simply pressed against the contacts by the cover, but everything stays firmly in place.


The device has five operating modes. To keep the review more compact, I've hidden their descriptions under a spoiler.

A review wouldn't be a review without testing. At first I thought about asking to borrow a calibrator to check the multimeter, but then decided this wasn't the kind of meter that warranted making things so complicated.
So I'll test it with the same components I used to check the multimeter in one of my other reviews. It's easier for me, and gives me something to compare it with.


While testing and trying different resistors, I noticed a difference in how the multimeter operates.

Testing in progress: measuring the capacitance of a 1000 pF capacitor.
I do have accurate SMD components, mostly resistors, but I don't think it matters to readers which components I test, so I used through-hole ones.


There are also slight differences when measuring capacitors in regular and “smart” modes.

After all the standard tests, I decided to move on to some less conventional tests that rarely appear in multimeter reviews, but which, as far as I know, are just as necessary.
At least, I've been asked to take these kinds of measurements before.


And this is what the multimeter looks like in your hand. It's quite comfortable to hold; at least, I didn't find it uncomfortable.


And finally, I decided to poke around on the first circuit board I could find, from some monitor or other.
A 91 kΩ resistor (should be accurate to at least 1%, judging by the 9102 marking)


Some kind of diode; I suspect it's a 1N4148.


Several ceramic capacitors connected in parallel.


I was a little surprised when I tried shorting the probes together. Why not compensate for the probe resistance? This isn't an ordinary meter where you can connect any probes you like, with cables of different gauges. Here, the probe resistance is fixed.
With the probes shorted, it reads 0.3 Ω, so keep that in mind when measuring low resistances.


Well, I think that's about it. To be honest, I don't know what else to test.
I wanted to weigh it, but decided not to—and the batteries in the scales had run out again anyway :( Let's take the manufacturer's word for it; I don't think a difference of a few grams would be a deal-breaker for anyone choosing one.

Oh, I almost forgot: auto power-off works. It takes about 9.5 minutes, not 10, but I don't think that matters. Before switching off, the meter beeps three times at intervals of about 10 seconds, then powers down. To switch it off manually, hold the FUNC button for a couple of seconds.

Summary.
Pros.
Well-thought-out ergonomics (apart from the HOLD button)
Good measurement accuracy, sufficient for most applications.
A fairly handy case, although its hinges are flimsy. It's hard to understand why they couldn't have made them better.
Wide measurement range and automatic component identification mode.
Neat packaging, making it a good gift.

Cons.
The HOLD button is awkward, though I can't think of a better way to design it myself.
Powered by a small lithium battery; I doubt it will last very long. Two AAA batteries would have been better, but would have made the meter considerably larger. Alternatively, they could have used a rechargeable lithium battery.
Flimsy case hinges.
I really wish it could measure inductance, but perhaps I'm asking too much of a meter like this. :(

My verdict: a perfectly decent meter. It won't work as your main meter, of course, since it offers only a limited selection of measurements, but it's an excellent addition to a regular multimeter. You can toss it in the top desk drawer and use it for preliminary component checks or sorting SMD parts. It's not very convenient to use as tweezers, though: the tips are very sharp, so they don't meet at the very end and are slightly misaligned. This doesn't affect measurements, but makes it awkward to use as tweezers.

This multimeter was provided free of charge by the eachbuyer store for testing and review.

Additional materials, the processor datasheet and a description of the modification for measuring voltage.
As I was finishing the review, I remembered an interesting little thing. Anyway —