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Message: <blockquote data-quote="BillM" data-source="post: 4063710" data-attributes="member: 45785"><p>Battery load tester has it's uses, but unless you need a complete shop, or run a fleet of vehicles you seldom need one.. A DVM, or MM, will test more than just the battery. You can check the connections, continuity, terminal voltage of the battery, and several other things. Terminal voltage will tell you if the battery charge is low, and how low will give you a good idea of the condition. 11volts or so, probably needs a charge, and a check for parasitic loads. 6 or 8 volts you probably (almost certainly...) have a bad cell or cells. Battery is toast. If there's no terminal voltage at all, it's a boat anchor. And a DVM or small MM will fit in your glove box. Load testers are generally quite a bit larger and usually more expensive. The (currently $6) job from Harbor Freight I listed earlier is cheap enough you can reasonably loan it to a friend and not miss it if it never finds it's way home to you. You can get fancier meters but for most stuff on a car, you don't need them. I also do a bit of electronics dabbling, so have several fancier meters...  YMMV.</p></blockquote><p></p>