The old analog meters are nice and that's what I learned on, but as others have said, it's very important to have the dials and switches properly set up before the leads are connected. I have blown the meter movement in old school meters (Simpson, Triplett) by not being careful. The voltage or current is actually going through the coil that moves the needle on the meter. I once blew an analog meter by checking the magneto on an old outboard Mercury motor. The meter coil didn't like the frequency and blew open.