Crenova 890Z 6000 Count True RMS Digital Multimeter Review

The function list here is the selling point and it is unusually long. Beyond the voltage, current and resistance every meter does, this adds frequency, capacitance, diode and transistor testing and temperature, which covers most of what a general-purpose bench or vehicle diagnosis needs.

True RMS is the specification that separates a useful modern meter from a dated one. An averaging meter assumes the AC waveform is a clean sine wave and reads anything else wrong, and almost nothing in a modern building produces a clean sine wave once switch-mode supplies and dimmers are involved.

The 6000 count display describes resolution rather than accuracy. It means the meter can show up to 6000 discrete steps on a range, so it resolves finer distinctions than a lower-count instrument before it has to switch to a coarser range.

Auto-ranging completes that. Rather than selecting a voltage band before measuring, the meter finds it, which removes both a step and the common mistake of measuring on the wrong range and misreading the result by a factor of ten.

Double fuse protection is the right thing to build in and Crenova names it specifically. The classic way to destroy a multimeter is to leave it on a current range and then probe a voltage source, which puts a near short circuit across the supply. A fuse is what stands between that mistake and a destroyed instrument.

Note that no fuse rating is published, which matters for replacement. When a fuse does its job you need to fit the correct equivalent rather than whatever fits physically, since an oversized fuse removes the protection entirely.

The silicone cover is described as protecting against damage and electric shock. The shock point is worth taking seriously: an insulating sleeve over the case is a meaningful second layer when probing live circuits, quite apart from surviving being dropped off a wing.

The display is 6000 count with a backlight, and there is a separate built-in torch. Those two are not the same thing: the backlight makes the reading visible and the torch illuminates what you are probing, which in an engine bay or under a floor is a genuinely different problem.

Practical touches include auto power off, data hold, a support stand and a test lead holder. The lead holder is the quiet favourite, because loose probes dangling off a meter in a toolbox is how test leads get damaged, and a damaged lead on a live circuit is a hazard.

The safety omission is the important part of this review. No measurement category rating appears anywhere in the listing, and that is the specification which determines where a meter may be used safely. The title quotes 1000 V DC and 750 V AC, which are range figures, not safety ratings.

Those are different things and the difference can matter a great deal. A category rating describes how much transient energy the instrument can survive, because mains circuits carry voltage spikes far above their nominal level, and that transient capability is what protects the person holding the probes.

So use it accordingly. For electronics, automotive and appliance work, which is most of what Crenova names, the function set is well matched and the risk profile is low. For a consumer unit, a distribution board or anything industrial, confirm the category rating before putting probes anywhere near it.

Within its range the capability is broad. Temperature via the included K-type thermocouple is genuinely useful in automotive diagnosis, and transistor gain testing is a feature that has quietly disappeared from many modern meters despite still being handy for anyone repairing older electronics.

The non-contact voltage detector with an audible buzzer is the feature most used in practice. Finding out whether a wire is live without connecting to it is both the quickest check and the safest one, and having it in the same tool means no second device to find.