@ThatGuy posted:John, I hit the wrong button as I thought I was doing a general response, not directly to you or about you. I had multiple people tell me if I did not use a certain type of testing equipment I am basically an idiot. Mellow Mike had it right, general work or just keeping an eye on the layout analog should be fine. I have a tiny radio shack meter the size of a Cc for when I go to help someone, yes it lacks all the bells and whistle’s but it gets the job done. So no the bur is not direct to you….sorry about the miss understanding/post.
Sounds good. FWIW, I've given away a number of the free Harbor Freight multimeters to friends that don't have any meter just so they had basic voltage and resistance measurement capability. They're fine for a majority of model train tasks. I've also never told anyone they're an idiot for using a cheap meter, or any other adlib tool to solve a problem. That doesn't mean there's not a better way at times, it just means they either don't have the tools, skill, or the desire. I'm guilty of that as well for many tasks. I marvel at some of the mechanical solutions I see with finely crafted creations, my mechanical skills don't run to milling precision parts, so I do my creations with hand tools, a Dremel, and a bandsaw. 
I happen to come at the electronic issue from a different direction. I design and build train electronics and do repairs on countless electronic boards and modules. For me, a basic analog meter would never do the trick. As you say, it takes all kinds to make the whole of the hobby.
