Review: Owon OW18E Bluetooth multimeter

Of course, the OW18E Bluetooth Multimeter also has an Ohm/diode/continuity measurement mode. Capacitance measurement is possible up to 20,000 µF. The frequency measurement runs up to 20 MHz, quite a large range for this price range! The duty cycle can also be measured in this position. The temperature measurement with the supplied sensor goes up to 400°C. Finally, there is an NCV mode with which you can detect contactlessly whether a plug, line or socket carries mains voltage.

Above the display is an LED indicator that starts flashing when contactless measurements of the mains voltage are detected. This indicator also lights up when operating most functions. In addition to the NCV sensor on the front, there is a white LED that serves as a flashlight. The meter is (of course) equipped with an auto-power-off (APO) function that switches the meter off after 30 minutes of non-use.

Measurement Results

First a note about safety. According to the manufacturer, the meter meets the measurement category CAT III 1000 V/CAT IV 600 V. That means quite good insulation. In any case, you can safely measure it in and around the house.

The basic accuracy of the OW18E Bluetooth Multimeter is specified at 0.1% + 2 digit for the 2-V range and above. When compared to a meter with 10 times the accuracy, the Owon was terribly close, the deviation was less than 2 digits. The results were comparable for DC measurements.

In AC measurements, the deviation was a few millivolts at a measurement value of almost 2 V. This is also fine, the specs indicate 0.5% + 10 digits. A frequency range of 40 to 1000 Hz is specified for AC measurements. In the test measurements, the reading remained fairly accurate up to approximately 1.5 kHz.

The resistance measurement was again much more accurate than the promised 0.3%, above 1 kΩ I came to a deviation of 0.1 ... 0.2%. Also during the capacity measurement, the measured value deviated only a few digits from the reference meter. These are all excellent results for a meter in this price range.

Practice

And how do you like this meter in daily electronics use? The display is clear with large numbers and is easy to read at almost all angles. The autoranging function is not so fast, but it works reliably. Funny detail on the display is the range indication below the decimal point in very small numbers. You quickly understand the functions of the various push buttons, when you operate the built-in beeper and the indicator LED lights up. The pass-through beeper works very smoothly if you go off on the beeper and the LED that responds, the indication on the display rags considerably. The capacity meter works well, even at larger values. For an 2200 µF capacitor, the meter took approximately 8 s to determine the capacitance.