multimeter question
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neverenoughtools
Well-known member
You don't. 
Honestly you probably do not need a fluke. But They practically give them away on ebay. And that is why I own one.
http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=fl...n+tools&_osacat=0&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1313
http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=fl...n+tools&_osacat=0&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1313
bobcatdan
Well-known member
How nice of a Fluke, an 88? There are simple Fluke meters. I have a 37 or something like that, it was like $100 new. The paper work with it said had a lifetime warranty, I never sent the card in so I don't know the details. For most guys a basic meter is all you need, I can never remember all those fancy tricks you can do with a 88 they show you at school, so I never had a need for something that high end as an 88. If you are looking for a nice mulitmeter, flukes are nice, they are the Snap on of multimeters. Yes I know Snap on sell multimeters.
I made it for several years without one, until my truck brand blew the fuse for amps....no idea how that happened it was just dead one day. I havent found one readily available yet, but I did pick up a nice fluke from ebay and it is really handy having 2 meters.
Fedwrench
ALLIANCE MEMBER
It really depends on how important accuracy and durabilty are to you. There are other decent automotive meters such the electronic specialties 597.
It's all about what you're comfortable and proficient with.
It's all about what you're comfortable and proficient with.
You don't. Why get a Cadillac if a Chevy will do?
Lifetime warranty is history. Certainly a victim of the Danaher acquisition of Fluke. That is one reason I am not as big a Fluke supporter (and I own two, a Fluke 87 & 12). I'll pay more for quality and support. Unfortunately half of that equation is gone.
davesnothere
Well-known member
So far, my HF meter has worked fine. I don't use it often, or for complete accuracy however.
les_garten
Banned
Hmmm,
I have 3 MultiMeters. One is a VC-97 or something that looks like a Hi-End Fluke, it ain't, believe me. Chinese stuff. I have a little green piece of **** that came free withan Odyssey battery. I also have a Fluke 87 that I bought brand new in '95 or so. It was my first DMM, and it totally spoiled me. I didn't know I was spoiled untill I got these other pieces of ****. The Fluke is very Fast to take measurements, basically it reads instantaneously. The others don't. For some reason the others readings kinda wander around, the Fluke get's it's number and stays steady. Flukes are tested by dropping 10' onto concrete, the others I think would break at 1 foot! The Fluke is so solidly built, that to change the battery, it feels hermetically sealed. Serious freaking Gasket. The Fluke doesn't rattle and is solid as a Rock.
Like was mentioned above, they are reasonable on Ebay. The 87 is a nice one to snag. It tests capacitors, does duty cycles, etc. I got the VC-97 because it looked like a Fluke and tested Transistors. But it's kinda a piece of Junk compared to the Fluke.
I have 3 MultiMeters. One is a VC-97 or something that looks like a Hi-End Fluke, it ain't, believe me. Chinese stuff. I have a little green piece of **** that came free withan Odyssey battery. I also have a Fluke 87 that I bought brand new in '95 or so. It was my first DMM, and it totally spoiled me. I didn't know I was spoiled untill I got these other pieces of ****. The Fluke is very Fast to take measurements, basically it reads instantaneously. The others don't. For some reason the others readings kinda wander around, the Fluke get's it's number and stays steady. Flukes are tested by dropping 10' onto concrete, the others I think would break at 1 foot! The Fluke is so solidly built, that to change the battery, it feels hermetically sealed. Serious freaking Gasket. The Fluke doesn't rattle and is solid as a Rock.
Like was mentioned above, they are reasonable on Ebay. The 87 is a nice one to snag. It tests capacitors, does duty cycles, etc. I got the VC-97 because it looked like a Fluke and tested Transistors. But it's kinda a piece of Junk compared to the Fluke.
hofferwood
Well-known member
Fluke is one of the best meters to get. If your testing for Ω readings, you need it to be spot on. Alot of the cheapier meters will have to high of a Ω reading and if every bit counts, your reading is wrong. Also with watching for change in voltage the Fluke is one of the fastest to show the change in voltage. Has auto range so if your looking for Ω, Voltage -DC, Voltage ~AC, it save alot of time and is a great bang for the $$$
Fluke 117 is a great one to get.
Fluke 117 is a great one to get.
I picked up a Fluke 287 on fleabay for just a hair under $300. I figure it'l be the last meter i ever need. It gets used on a weekly basis diagnosing and calibrating vintage Ferrari electrical components including gauges, voltage regulators, and distributors. Seriously awesome meter.
ourkid2000
Well-known member
A co-worker dropped my Fluke 177 from the top of the fuselage of a Dash-8 which was probably 12-13 feet up. I thought it was going to explode when it hit the concrete.
It is still working perfectly.
It is still working perfectly.
I could drop my $2 HF DMM from 10 feet and it would still be as good as new. Unfortunately it never worked, turned out to have a bad lead, but seriously, if you drop your meter a lot, hook it up wrong, drag the leads over a hot manifold, etc etc. you need a mechanic proof meter.
If you don't, then pretty much anything works. I have a variety of meter types, and I am about to spend a couple hundred bucks more, and none of that will be Fluke. I'm buying one of the Power Probe III's for about $100, and spending close to that much again on various types of test leads, extensions and adapters for all the meters I already have. I want more than one set of LONG test leads, and I want top grade high temp Silicone wire. A good set of back probe pins, small sharp pins you stick in the back of a connector, various types of clips, etc etc. Beyond that I want a small portable scope, but that can wait until something nice and bluetooth is out that works with a tablet PC.
If you don't, then pretty much anything works. I have a variety of meter types, and I am about to spend a couple hundred bucks more, and none of that will be Fluke. I'm buying one of the Power Probe III's for about $100, and spending close to that much again on various types of test leads, extensions and adapters for all the meters I already have. I want more than one set of LONG test leads, and I want top grade high temp Silicone wire. A good set of back probe pins, small sharp pins you stick in the back of a connector, various types of clips, etc etc. Beyond that I want a small portable scope, but that can wait until something nice and bluetooth is out that works with a tablet PC.
jrherald420
Well-known member
Ive got to say after using a Fluke 88 everyday at school for 3 years now, i went and bought the Fluke 88v master kit from AES wave for 380.00. I love it but its also the only meter ive ever used so i know no diffrent. I love just playing around with it at home but its not a must have to have a high end meter when only doing basic tests for voltage and Ohms.
http://www.aeswave.com/Products/Product.asp?i=529
http://www.aeswave.com/Products/Product.asp?i=529
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diesel research
Well-known member
Hud
Well-known member
I am a die hard fluke man being in the instrumentation field for 16yrs. I still ahve my original 77, these meters can take serious abuse. One cool thing about their new ones is the 24vdc loop power option.
clark_nicholas
Well-known member
I would say that it comes down to reliability you dont have to worry about a fluke and most likely you would nt have to worry about the craftsman. but a tool is only good if it works right when you need i. Ive used fluke meters for years, my boss gave me a milwaukee meter i used for about a week. thing was a pos gave bad readings.
richfinn
Well-known member
Ive had a Fluke 78 for about 10 years and it does all I need, only downside is no backlight on the display. Im a mechanic too and its the correct type of quality for the job.
LEVE
Well-known member
As an ex-Fluke employee (a few decades ago when ol' John still ran the company) I could attest to the quality of the products Fluke put out, and still does today. They won a place in the industry as a leader in innovation and quality.
That said, I haven't had a Fluke meter since 2000. I shed it along with my two Tektronix oscilloscopes when I moved from Midwest. I found no need in my every day life for such a meter. When I need such a meter, I'll buy one. Till then I manage to get along with a Radio Shack meter DVM and several cheap HF DVM's as well as an analog Simpson that's older than my firstborn.
I'll never sell a Fluke product short, they're excellent quality, top of the line. If you can afford them, like them, have a use for their accuracy and quality... buy one. It will serve you well.
Would you be happy to own a lesser quality meter?
There's something to be said of hating an instrument you use daily. It's like having a HF ratchet when you know you'll be happier with a SO ratchet, despite the cost. Both may do the job, but why use something that you'll grow to dislike every time you use it?
Buy what you want, buy what you like, use it for a lifetime and enjoy using it.
I have a Fluke 177 and 287 at work. They're great.
At home, I use the same $30 Craftsman I've been using for 10 years. If/when it dies, I will probably buy another $30-50 midrange DVM (Klein, Craftsman, etc). For home use, I personally can't justify $100+ on a Fluke. But that is up to each person.
Frankly, for home use, the free HF Centech POS meters get the job done. However, I've seen a couple fail and I don't think they have any current protection, so my personal balance is in favor of the midrange ones.
But I can't fault anybody who decides to go the HF route or spend some $$$ on a Fluke. It's their money and they can decide what they like. But for home use, I don't think the data from any DVM, cheap or expensive, is going to have any significant difference in the work you do.
EDIT: I should have just waited to post - LEVE said the same thing but far more eloquently!
At home, I use the same $30 Craftsman I've been using for 10 years. If/when it dies, I will probably buy another $30-50 midrange DVM (Klein, Craftsman, etc). For home use, I personally can't justify $100+ on a Fluke. But that is up to each person.
Frankly, for home use, the free HF Centech POS meters get the job done. However, I've seen a couple fail and I don't think they have any current protection, so my personal balance is in favor of the midrange ones.
But I can't fault anybody who decides to go the HF route or spend some $$$ on a Fluke. It's their money and they can decide what they like. But for home use, I don't think the data from any DVM, cheap or expensive, is going to have any significant difference in the work you do.
EDIT: I should have just waited to post - LEVE said the same thing but far more eloquently!
clark_nicholas
Well-known member
"For home use" I hope this means in the garage on low voltage stuff no one should be using cheap pos meters on they're household voltage 
bw77
Well-known member
I recently bought a like new Fluke 179 kit on e-bay for $130.
Do I need it - no.
Do I like it - yes.
Am I glad I bought it - yes.
Do I need it - no.
Do I like it - yes.
Am I glad I bought it - yes.
all im hearing is speed and accuracy as well as apparently electronic folks.
Again in a basic automotive arena as in 24v,12v voltage, drop, and continuity im still not convinced a 200dollar fluke beats a 50 dollar multimeter,.. someone help me oout
Again in a basic automotive arena as in 24v,12v voltage, drop, and continuity im still not convinced a 200dollar fluke beats a 50 dollar multimeter,.. someone help me oout
richfinn
Well-known member
The best feature for me on my 78 is the min/max function. I set the meter up to record the max voltage on whatever I want to volt drop test then I can go operate whichever circuit by myself. Also useful for current measurement when you have fuses blowing and want to catch the spike. (time saved)
On some versions you can directly measure pulse width in m/s (I have another way of doing this, but if I only had one meter I would want it).
the accessories like current clamps are nice quality.
the bar graph feature is nice and smooth.
Mine is quite old and maybe a $50 meter can do all the above nowadays but I tell you one thing the rotary dial with the yellow button is very intuitive to use and you find yourself doing things differently because the functions are so accessible.
http://www.fluke.com/fluke/uken/Digital-Multimeters/Fluke-78.htm?PID=56130
If I ever bought a replacement, I would consider this if I could ever find one in the UK.
http://www.gxtauto.com/Ferret/95/95.html
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clark_nicholas
Well-known member
one of the reason i got rid of the milwaukee my boss gave me was. I had to resistance test a van that keep killing the batt. the mulwaukee gave a bad reading causing me couple hours of headache. when things didnt add up the fluke gave the correct reading
richfinn
Well-known member
How did the resistance kill the battery?
Can you explain the test in more detail?
clark_nicholas
Well-known member
I tested the batt. to ground cable and had no resistance with the pos meter did test with good fluke meter and found loose ground on the engine block
neverenoughtools
Well-known member
You don't.
See above , once more !
richfinn
Well-known member
Thats not a good way to test for a poor ground lead, your better off volt dropping the cable under load. Resistance testing with an ohmmeter is very limited at best.
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ThePenguin
Member
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2011
- Messages
- 13
Check out eevblog.com. There are a couple of episodes on multimeters. The $50 shootout and the $100 shootout.
I have a Sears Craftsman that was around $30. It's fine for checking batteries, checking 120 v outlets and light switches.
From following along here, I would say that Fluke is to meters as Snap On is to tools.
http://www.eevblog.com/2010/07/11/e...probe-bk-precision-ideal-uei-uni-t-part-1of2/
http://www.eevblog.com/2010/07/11/e...probe-bk-precision-ideal-uei-uni-t-part-2of2/
http://www.eevblog.com/2010/06/04/eevblog-91-50-multimeter-shootout/
I have a Sears Craftsman that was around $30. It's fine for checking batteries, checking 120 v outlets and light switches.
From following along here, I would say that Fluke is to meters as Snap On is to tools.
http://www.eevblog.com/2010/07/11/e...probe-bk-precision-ideal-uei-uni-t-part-1of2/
http://www.eevblog.com/2010/07/11/e...probe-bk-precision-ideal-uei-uni-t-part-2of2/
http://www.eevblog.com/2010/06/04/eevblog-91-50-multimeter-shootout/
jrherald420
Well-known member
I'm an electronic technician not an auto mechanic, therefore our needs are different. I got along just fine for many years without Fluke meters. I've had RCA, Simpson, Radio Shack and Beckman multimeters to name a few. For measuring voltage, resistance, continuity and current flow the other meters were adequate.
Then I had a need to measure frequency, capacitance, temperature and true RMS voltage (on non-sinusoidal waveforms) and that is where Fluke really shines.
You probably don't NEED a Fluke but if you can find one at a good price you won't regret it.
A concern I would have with Ebay meters is what if you receive it and it is broken? Fluke warranty isn't lifetime anymore and does not extend past the original owner. Fluke repair can be pricey and could cost more than purchase of a competitive multimeter.
clark_nicholas
Well-known member
richfinn
Well-known member
Thanks I will look into that next time.
no probs, this site is very good and will help with any questions you may have.
http://vestest.com/