I went for the 289 and it seems to be an alright buy too!
£340 brand new with in date cal certificate...delivered!
Not deal of the century but a good deal for me so long as it doesn't crap out on me in a week or whatever
I've given it a quick functional test along side my Brymen and all seems well. My Brymen trounces it in the lower capacitance measurements though, the Brymen is impressive even down in the low pF! Otherwise it's almost same same with them both so happy with that! I have a Fluke 177 too so given the 289 has an in date cal Cert and it matches the Brymen as good as can be expected I have used it to check the 177 too and even that is still very very close to on the nose!
So I am thinking I got a decent 289, something to check my Brymen and other Fluke against and all for the £340 cost of the 289 so I am well happy. I have a cheap ebay voltage standard so i'll note the measurements now with all my meters and can keep an eye every few months and will see if anything wanders out of spec. I know it's not going to be anything scientific but it'll be more than enough for my needs and peace of mind.
£340 well spent!