
A Tooltop ET2010A was provided to the channel for independent review. This device can be purchased in deep red or light gray color for around $30 US with free shipping. At that price, we expect to get a device which has entry-level performance capabilities. We also anticipate very good quality from the name brand manufacturer. Let's dig in and see what we actually get.

Upon unboxing, I was surprised by the look and feel of the unit. It's a medium size, somewhat tall relative to it's thickness and width. The hard plastic case has a familiar feel that I recall from a recent purchase of a pocket retro video game console. I've read some online comments that this device feels like a toy, and I suspect this is the reason why. I think the case design is budget-minded and not an offensive approach for it's target audience. Once batteries are installed, it feels more substantial.
Funny, the owner's manual advises not to let children use this device as a toy.


The purpose of the review is to see what it does and how it generally operates, not to pick apart how it is constructed. It's a cheap-o!
Overview
4000 counts Multimeter with data-rich on-screen results, REL, Min/Max.
1 MHz bandwidth Oscilloscope with auto waveform capture and 3 trigger modes
2.9 Inch ClearColor Screen, 320*240 Pixels
Saves 100 sets of data & 10 waveforms in internal memory
What comes in the box
Device, carry bag, test leads, English user manual, Chinese user manual, quality certificate. The manual is quite good, 34 pages in all.

Test leads are budget-minded like the unit itself. The material is PVC and the construction of the plug is bent sheet metal. No gold is used, however CAT protection seems to be correct.
Conduction: The red wire measured 85 milliohms, the black 90. Therefore, they are moderately sufficient for 10A duty. The owner's manual advises short excursions. I agree. There is a real 10A fuse inside.
The test lead jacks in the device are not color coded. The "COM" is red, not black. These leads are intended for both multimeter and oscilloscope functions.



Getting Started
The device uses 3 AA cells, inserted alternately. A threaded-insert screw locks the battery bay.
There is no physical separation between cells, so make sure the wrappers cover the entire cell and are not worn, otherwise a cell could be shorted to the adjacent cell and cause damage to the cell or the unit.
The unit works fine with 1.2V rechargeable cells, but the display icon will indicate reduced battery voltage.
No direct access to the fuse. The main disassembly screws are hidden well by the battery door and the tilt stand.



The tilt stand operates without fuss, requires one fingernail to get it started. It stays in place using friction along the way, then at maximum extension there's a locking catch.
The mode selector dial feels like you would expect. It is possible to turn the selector with one hand, but only when the device is on a rubbery pad. Too stiff to operate by thumb. Function buttons take a good push, so you'll need to wrap your hand around the unit while making selections with the tilt stand in use.

Choosing DMM or Oscilloscope modes
The selector wheel gets things going. There is "OFF" at both ends of the dial - use the nearest one, and you may reduce (or even-out) some wear to the device.
If you would like to defeat the automatic power off, press F1 while turning on. If you want to work without beeping, press F4 while turning on. You can't overcome APO and beep sounds simultaneously.
The unit starts in the multimeter mode. If you landed on either voltage or current function, you can switch to oscilloscope mode by long-pressing the AUTO/OSC button. Long-pressing again brings you back to the multimeter.
It's quite obvious what mode you are in; the display changes drastically and it undergoes a personality shift as if a different CPU takes over.

The Display
The display looks small, until you turn the meter on, then it seems just fine. It's a TFT RGB type of display that is clearly viewable at almost all angles. The display does go dark on the hard left view (as a reference, see the viewing angle of the gray meter in the picture above). The backlight is plenty bright for indoor use, but becomes hard to see outside during the day. There is a trick to making the screen brighter, stay tuned...
The font size is very good for those of us with aging eyes. For the multimeter, small text exists only in the database mode (where up to 100 values are stored). The color is white and most digits can be easily read - with one exception: The slash through the zero, which confuses 0 with 8.
There is some very small font used in the oscilloscope for both numbers and letters, of various colors. You'll definitely need your reading glasses for this. Screen shots later in this article.
Between the main display and the range selector is a translucent bar with a red LED behind it. This indicator is for events such as alerting high voltage and continuity testing.
Part 1: Usage as a Multimeter
The display in the multimeter is extremely descriptive and generally unique. At first it may appear cluttered, but I quickly found it perfectly appropriate.
The function you are in is displayed in yellow at the top.
The live measurement is in light blue with a blippo font.
The type of measurement and unit is displayed in white, to the right of the value.
At the top, the measurement range and counts selected by the meter is also in white. Sometimes "Auto" is also displayed.
The four upper-case abbreviated green markers at the bottom correspond to the F1 F2 F3 and F4 buttons below them.
Pressing SEL changes modes per function, such as frequency and duty cycle, current AC or DC, and resistance/diode/continuity in the center dial position.
Pressing RNG changes the range as indicated by the white value above the live measurement, and also the moving decimal point.
When REL is pressed, the offset value is displayed. Pressing REL again removes it.
When P-H is pressed, it begins peak hold mode, showing min & max. STOP will hold the min/max values on screen, and REST will reset the min/max range. Pressing EXIT turns this feature off. Really useful once you get used to the interface.
Pressing the physical SAVE button acts like a "hold" in the multimeter mode. The word STOP is displayed in the screen and the big blue digits is the held reading. Inside the smaller box beside "stop" is the ongoing live measurement, which feels like a picture-in-picture feature. Quite unique!
There is no bar graph on this meter. Refresh rate is a few times per second.

DC Voltage
Indicates from 1 mV to 600 V. I tested up to 60V and found the unit bests it's specified 1.5% accuracy. Input impedance 10 MΩ. Above 24 volts a red lightning symbol appears on the display, three beeps are annunciated, and the continuity LED flashes 3 times.

AC Voltage
Using the multimeter function, AC voltages up to 600V can be measured, reporting frequency and duty cycle. I don't see any documentation claiming true RMS.
The accuracy is tied to the frequency of the signal: 1% 50-400 Hz, 5% 400 Hz - 20 kHz, and frequency is evaluated up to 1 kHz only. So if you're checking line voltage or evaluating a power supply, you're probably going to be fine. I suspect if you are working at higher frequency you would switch to oscilloscope anyway.
I found the AC voltage check of household mains acceptably accurate. I do not own an AC reference.
Resistance
The range is up to 40 MΩ. I found the promised 1% accuracy begins at 10 Ω. The unit supplies up to 0.25 mA during the test, which doesn't affect most fuses.
After connecting the resistor, the meter may briefly show an incorrect value as it begins to derive the resistance. Within a second or two, a stable result is shown.
The tested value error chart shows very good results - the REL feature does help a bit. Most standard multimeters aren't that great below 10 ohms: the precision/counts is part of the reason.

Continuity
There should be no surprises here. When the resistance is less than about 50 ohms, the unit will light the bar LED window above the range selector and emit a beep. The sounder is medium loudness and responds instantly with moderate "latching". If you put the meter in the quiet mode, you will not hear a sound, only see the LED.
Hold the wires connected long enough and the display will report a resistance value - this happens slowly. I suggest if you want resistance rapidly to go for the resistance function. The resistance value takes a long time to stabilize in continuity mode.
Diodes
Measures 0.160 V for a Shottky, 0.546 V for silicon. Very good - however no readings for LED's or Zeners. The diode mode covers P-N junctions and that's about it.
Output voltage measured 1.671V (spec = 1.5V) and current on short is measured 0.813A
No audible beep on detection of a diode. Just the basics in diode mode on this meter.
Capacitance
The promised range in the specifications is 51.2 nF range to 100 μF max. I was able to confirm that relatively low maximum capacitance is indeed the hard limit. Most meters these days measure as far as 100 mF - this one gives up very early.
At the low end of the range, the 3% accuracy was found to begin around 4.7 nF. The meter reports high for capacitance in the pF range - despite having a REL feature which I implemented for these measurements.
After connecting the capacitor, the meter may briefly show incorrect values as it begins to derive the capacitance. Within 3-5 seconds, a stable result is shown on the screen. No range is shown for this mode, only "auto".

Frequency
This can be activated by using SEL button from either voltage setting. Press SEL again and get duty cycle %. Pressing SEL a third time brings you back to the voltage measurement. This is a real-time DMM measurement - not using the oscilloscope feature.
I didn't test this feature, but instead decided to concentrate on the oscilloscope performance.
DC Current
The total input circuit (fuse, wiring, shunt) measures 0.022 ohms across the input jacks.
My checks on current went well. However, the measurement range is brief, missing a vital part of a typical multimeter's range. Here are my measurements up to 4.8A.

AC Current
I did not make measurements for AC current. This may be one of the lesser utilized features for me.
Results storage
Up to 100 measurements can be stored on the device. There is way to export the data because there is no access port or memory card. The values are not erased by a battery change, only by deliberate line-by-line deletion.

Step 1
While using the DMM function, pressing the physical SAVE button acts like a "hold" in the multimeter mode. The word STOP is displayed in the screen and the big blue digits is the held reading.
Step 2
Press and hold the physical SAVE button. The database mode appears, but not your held reading. You select the numbered location you want your data to be stored, then press F4 Save.
You can chose an open field, or even over-write a previous field (nice). Both the type (AC or DC), the value, and the units are recorded from the stopped reading of step 1.
Step 3
Long-press SAVE again to go back to multimeter mode, it will no longer be in the STOP mode.
Deficiencies: There is no date stamp. The data is on 10 different pages with 10 readings per page. You can only navigate forward, so going from field 10 to 9 or from page 30 to page 20 requires 9 keypresses. The right side of the screen is unused.
It's a multi-press activity that requires some memorization and fiddling to use. My suggestion is to leave the beep sounder on during this process so you can audibly confirm the field data was written.

Would I personally use the data retention feature? Probably not, it's complicated enough to be more trouble than picking up a pen and jotting down a value. However, if I don't have a pen or notepad it may be my only choice. I really wish they had used the empty space for time & temperature.
The multimeter verdict:
Very Good: Displayed Information, Min/Max/Peak, REL, Stop (Live while hold)
Good: DC voltage, resistance, DC current, readability, intuitiveness
Average: AC voltage, continuity, responsiveness overall
Limited: Diodes, capacitance, fuse access
Nonexistent: NCV and Live AC voltage detection, flashlight, battery test, temperature, time/calendar for logs, data export, user calibration, and firmware updates.
All tallied, the basic multimeter functions this unit provides seems like a high value bonus to something that could have just been an oscilloscope and nothing else.
In addition, the unique approach to data presentation on the screen, data storage capability, and full featured set of REL/MIN/MAX/STOP sets it apart from other meters.
The user interface was well-thought, but the database submenu could use some polish.
Part 2: The Oscilloscope

This is the part you've been waiting for! Like many buyers, I'm relatively new at owning a portable oscilloscope. I've felt the need to have one for occasional use for some time, finally buying a ZEEWEII DSO1511G for $55 about a year and a half ago. That's about twice the price of the Tooltop, with no multimeter.
I think my perspective will be similar to the potential buyer of a ET2010A. I'll do my review considering a person will be cross-shopping an entry-level, feature-rich Tooltop - or a more dedicated & wider bandwidth ZEEWEII type device.
The tooltop is simple - just use standard test leads. No coaxial probes to install, just switch mode from DMM to OSC. What does this simplicity cost the user? I'll try to come up with a few scenarios and show you the difference between these two devices so you can decide for yourself.
For starters, you can review the differences in the screen. At the bottom of the Tooltop, you can see the text corresponding to the function buttons is now white and smaller.
You'll also notice the oscilloscope mode allows changing the display brightness (Low-Med-High). Interestingly, once going back to the multimeter mode, this change persists. Therefore, if you want the multimeter mode to be brighter, you have to temporarily switch to oscilloscope mode to make the brightness adjustment.
I personally find the on-screen parameters less readable on the Tooltop. With familiarity, this may become less of an issue. I definitely prefer no slashes through the zero character.
The text is organized that the top left contains the time base and voltage level in units-per-division. The top right shows the triggering mode. At the bottom of the graph you can see the measured parameters.
On-screen measures for the Tooltop along the bottom are 4 (Vp-p, Vavg, Vrms, Hz). On the Zeeweii, these measurement parameters customizable, up to 14 on screen. In my comparisons above, I left the default measures on screen.

Versatile Oscilloscope Modes!
With the ET2010A, there are three "modes" you can select for oscilloscope/graphing functions. Turn the function selector to the feature you want before engaging the oscilloscope.
Select AC Volts on the selector, long-press OSC, you have AC-coupled oscilloscope.
Select DC Volts on the selector, long-press OSC, you have DC-coupled oscilloscope.
Select Amperes on the selector, long-press OSC, you have DC-coupled ammeter.
For the DC-coupled modes, you can slow down the horizontal time base as far as 10 seconds per division, and you can see a graphical history of your DC volts or ampere measurements on-screen, while the live measurement is down below. Note that the live reading may carry some averaging effects.
So, if you're interested in a graphing multimeter, this long interval might be suitable for you. I suspect it's not an intentional feature, but it does work perfectly fine at showing you what's happening over several minutes worth of activity.
Oscilloscope Comparisons
Here's a video showing the general responsiveness of the two units, AC-coupled. I have the signal connected directly to the inputs of the Tooltop, then piggybacked onto the Zeeweii. As I turn the frequency adjustment knob on the source, the Tooltop has an obvious delay compared to the real-time response of the dedicated oscilloscope. If you are evaluating a dynamically changing circuit, a dedicated oscilloscope might be more usable to you. The sampling rate of the Zeeweii is 500 MS/S, the Tooltop is 2.5 MS/S.
Here is another video that which shows some additional difference. The frequency is swept beyond 1 MHz. The reduction in amplitude reflected in both devices is mostly due to my cheap-O signal generator.
As you can see, the Tooltop has lost effectiveness frequencies beyond 1 MHz maximum spec, while the 120 MHz Zeeweii continues to provide a good result, even though it is sharing the low-bandwidth input cables. Both devices are connected directly and set to 1 V per division. Functionally it seems the ToolTop keeps the 1 MHz bandwidth promise, because results comparable most of the way up to that limit.
Sine waves are the easiest to be achieved. Square waves reveal more about device limitations. Below is a few screen shots of a square wave generated by the Zeeweii's output section, and measured at the input of both devices, similar to before.
I used the AUTO button on both meters, and then adjusted both to have similar time scales and voltage scales. The signal is 2.5 V p-p
100 kHz:

200kHz

300 kHz (vertical jittering up and down of the signal on the Tooltop screen has started)

500 kHz: (Notice the square appears to be a sine wave, and the amplitude has grown)

1 MHz: Still looks like a sine wave, the amplitude has shrunk.

1 MHz: I tried to adjust the horizontal time scale on both devices. Unfortunately, the Tooltop was already at it's fastest time scale, 2.5 us/div, so no more definition is available. This is where the higher bandwidth meter provides better data. If the Zeeweii input had not been connected to the Tooltop’s test lead input, the waveform would be cleaner.

In addition to significant differences in sampling rate and bandwidth, the Zeeweii also has FFT modes, better sensitivity, cursor measurement, a 2 MHz signal generator, and TV output. On that Zeeweii you can freeze a reference waveform on the screen while measuring a second one. Captured waveform screen captures can be downloaded to PC. For the regular oscilloscope user, there is no contest here. However, if you only need an oscilloscope occasionally, or at lower frequencies, keep considering the ET2010A.
Using the Tooltop 2010A
Time Base Adjustments
In order to change the oscilloscope display to match frequency range, you'll want to adjust the horizontal time per square for best visibility.
Usually the first step after attaching the cable to the signal is pressing "Auto". The meter will go about trying to fit the waveform on the screen for you, both width and height. When the waveform fills up most of the screen, the meter is more likely to provide accurate measures of voltage (or amperes) and frequency.
If you want more or less waves to show up on the screen, you activate the menu to increase or decrease the time base, thereby changing change the seconds-per-division. You do this by entering the F1=TIME submenu and use the left and right arrows. The longest is 10 seconds per division (last position using left arrow), the shortest is 2.5 μs (last position using right arrow). Because there are 12 squares horizontally, the time base will go up to 2 minutes, which is more useful for tracking DC signals than AC signals.
Attenuation & Input Impedance
The Tooltop has a fixed input impedance of 10 MΩ, which is similar to the 10X probe setting for most oscilloscopes. It does not have the higher sensitivity option of a 1X probe. The ability to measure a voltage signal on screen is called vertical sensitivity and is stated in volts-per-division, meaning how big one square is vertically.
The Tooltop has a minimum sensitivity of 300 mV/div, with 8 squares vertically it will measure on screen up to 2.4 Volts peak-to-peak. The highest setting is 100 V/div.
The Zeeweii has a minimum sensitivity with the 10X probe of 100 mV/div, which is 3 times more sensitive than the Tooltop. Switching the probe and oscilloscope to 1X, the sensitivity is 30 times better at 10 mV/div. However, the input impedance may be more likely to affect the circuit you are measuring, so the general recommendation is use the 10X probe by default.
To adjust the to vertical scale, use F2=VOLT or F2=AMP. Here is where it get strange. There is a X1/X3 button which changes the first number of the value, and X10 which increments the vertical scale. It's almost like a bicycle with a gear changer in the front and another in the back. So in the X1 mode for voltage, you can select 1V, 10V, 100V, and 1000V. Press F2=X1/X3 and you have access to 0.3V, 3V, 30V, and 300V incrementing with each press of F3=X10 and then looping back around. Likewise, for Amps you can select 1A or 10A, then 0.3A and 3A.
This is silly. Why not just enable switching along the scale using arrows like the time base is changed? This would get rid of the X1/X3 button and usage would be more intuitive. Also, it would be less confusion because X10 is usually referring to a 10X probe attenuation, not directly manipulating the vertical scale over and over.
Triggering Options
The ToolTop boasts three types of triggering. These determine how to acquire and position the waveform on the screen for you, and for how long. There is Auto, Normal, and Single. There is a lot of detail to this and instructions in the manual, so I will forego trying to describe them here or make comparisons. Each device is a bit different.
Waveform Data Storage
The Tooltop provides 10 waveform storages. Similar to the multimeter mode, you manage the data as new saves or over-write. Instead of a line of data, you save a screen shot of the oscilloscope in action. These can be reviewed on the device.
For comparison, the Zeeweii provides 250 screen shots, including the ability to transfer the images to a PC.
A Practical Example
Let's see how effective the two units are at analyzing the output of a power supply.
I loaded a inexpensive 5V/1A USB charger with 1.0 A current. I'm looking to understand the frequency and amplitude of the noise that occurs. I put both devices into AC coupling.
As you can see, the Tooltop is displaying the general characteristics of the primary noise. It's measuring 276mV p-p, and 36 kHz. The vertical (voltage) amplitude is at it's limit. The Zeeweii reveals more about the characteristics of the wave, using it's higher sensitivity and response time. It's also measuring a similar frequency, but it's including all the noise to arrive at 372mV p-p. This may be information I don't really need, it depends on the noise I am worried about. A short video clip follows the still image.

The video reveals how "messy" this situation is. The wave is changing frequency and quality, both devices are doing their best to stabilize it on the screen and interpret the parameters.
The Verdict
I don't know the purpose of most consumers looking for a device that has an oscilloscope feature. If you're just doing some analog experimentation and learning exercises using transistors, op-amps, capacitors and inductors, the Tooltop might suit your needs just fine. If you are looking into analyzing digital signals or need accurate results at higher frequencies, you may need to look for a more expensive option.
Having some information is always better than having none. The results that the Tooltop provides might be enough to troubleshoot and repair things. The "slow mode" available with DC coupling might help you determine changes in a circuit over time that other devices might not reveal. I think it is excellent that you can have an oscilloscope in a meter that is currently selling under US$30.
Bottom line, I can recommend this device as a entry-level oscilloscope. It didn't fail to do it's job within it's specifications, and the interface isn't too hard to learn to navigate.
To be honest, the Zeeweii has it's own learning curve and memorization of short-press and long-press and FN keystrokes isn't straightforward. I don't know what the perfect portable oscilloscope is just yet, none seem "easy". What I can promise is a bit of fun and joy of owning something that is less of a toy than it appears to be.
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