... but ... the reasonably priced portables aren't accurate enough, nor have they enough range to be really useful, and the ones that are useful are too large and costly. If you have a range within which you're measuring, e.g. in order to select cap's for a timing circuit, particularly for a PLL or, or as a filter component where precise values are critical, it's probably worth your time to build a couple of circuits to measure the C and L, and with critical cap's, the ESR as well. For some things, the cap's have got to be just right.

Now, portability may not be a priority for you, and I'd consider a benchtop LC meter now that I'm not moving around so much. I'd recommend replacing all the electrolytic cap's in an old "experienced" (older than 15 years) one, though.

RE