[tangent]

Fluke is well worth the money, in extra accuracy and durability.

Also consider warranty and repairability. If you buy a $200 meter from a company that has no repair facilities, are you better off than if you'd spent $400 on one that can be repaired?

Meterman makes out and out junk.

One positive things about Meterman is that they are now owned by Fluke, so Fluke can repair and calibrate them.

If you want something between these two, there's Wavetek, which is also owned by Fluke. If you are looking on the used market, Beckman made good stuff...and guess what, they are also owned by Fluke, by way of Wavetek, I think.

Could you explain what 4 wire measurements are?

The short version is, in a two wire measurement (i.e. a normal DMM) there is resistance in the measurement wires, and therefore a voltage drop which interferes with the accuracy of the meter. This matters most at low ohmic values.

With a 4-wire system, you run two wires to each side of the resistance to be measured. Two wires provide a constant current across the resistance, and the other two measure the resulting voltage drop across the resistance. Since the measurement wires go back to a high impedance input, the resistance in the measurement wires is irrelevant. It gives much more accurate readings, especially at low values.

Can you recommend a good, reasonably priced LCR?

It won't fool you into believing you'd bought a Fluke, but I like the kit from Almost-All Digital Electronics. It has a build quality between that of a typical DIY project and a good quality commercial meter. I've casually compared it to a B+K Precision 878 we have at work, and it seems to compare favorably; not bad for $100, vs. the $275 you'll pay for the B+K. The AADE meter doesn't have 'R', but my Fluke fills that role well enough. The Fluke also has capacitance metering, but the AADE clearly outclasses it.

If you want Fluke-like build quality and can stand the price, the B+K is a good buy. I seem to recall that they have a somewhat cheaper model as well.

The DMMs at "World Beater Prices" are made in China. These are good, affordable DMMs for those that can't afford a Fluke.

I don't know about their other meters, but the one they give away with your order if you buy enough stuff is worth exactly what I paid for it. I've got two. One came in with the dial tilted, so I opened it up to fix it, thinking that I'd find a bent shaft. No indeed...I found that the whole mechanism had basically fallen apart inside. I put it back together, and it turns well enough now, but I know it'll fall apart again. Not a good sign.

While I was inside the meter, the circuitry I saw didn't inspire confidence. I can't recall details, but it was clearly built with the lowest possible price foremost in mind.

For a freebie, hey, what the heck. Get one to use on risky measurements where you might blow the meter up. Use it where you need two meters, one to keep an eye on something that isn't critical while you measure something that is critical with your good meter. Put it in the car for emergency use. Use it as a paperweight. Whatever, it's okay for all that.