Help me figure which meters to get: Fluke 289 or Extech MM570A plus second meter

[wade]

Hi All,

It's time for me to get a serious DMM. I want a good, accurate meter and ideally a decent second meter. My thoughts were as follows:

Option 1: An Extech MM570A and a BK Precision 2712 ; Cost is a little under $500 USD.
Option 2: Fluke 289 (no second meter with this option) ; Cost is about $600 USD.

My budget, ~$600 USD, will allow for one of the two options above. I am open to other suggestions. I am a hobbyist that is getting serious about my electronics projects, so I want to stick with good equipment. I'm sure you guys have a ton of opinions on this. I wish to make a decision by Monday, 09/03/2012. Thanks!

-Wade

[retiredcaps]

Option 2: Fluke 289 (no second meter with this option) ; Cost is about $600 USD.

Current ebay auctions has two new Fluke 289 with a Buy It Now option of $333 each.  So if you can stretch your budget another 10%, you can have two of them.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/221118304452

http://www.ebay.com/itm/221118302425

I can't vouch for the seller.

Or get one Fluke 289 and then get a Fluke 87V (used) for about $150-$175 off ebay to stay under your $600 budget.

[ModemHead]

Are you sure you need a Fluke 289? It's big, heavy and slow to boot up. I'd hate it if that were my only DMM. As a serious hobbyist, you might be better served with one really good multimeter you can have confidence in, like an 87V or one of its competitors. Take care of it and never let it leave your workbench. Use the rest of your budget for one (or more!) cheaper units. You can never have too many DMMs.

Full disclosure: I own a 289. But I never grab it first.

[IanB]

Remember that before affordable DVMs came along, plenty of hobbyists got along fine with analog meters.

There are very few occasions when you need a high accuracy meter in the hobby electronics and home build project environment. Far more important is a deep understanding of what you are doing and a good feel for how your circuit ought to behave.

I would venture that a professional EE equipped with a cheap DMM would succeed better than an amateur with a Fluke 289 every time.

I have multimeters (plural) that I like (and trust) and use regularly costing under $100. If you don't spend $600 on a meter, think of all the other useful things you could spend that money on.

[wade]

Thanks for the replies so far, some good suggestions. I definitely want good measurement tools since I am working on some small signal audio circuits, that's why I was looking at the 289, but it is a physically large, bulky meter and didn't realize about the slow boot time. I have been barely getting by on a cheap, 20+ old manual ranging DMM but I cannot make precision measurement with that. I plan on getting one or two decent DMMs and a decent scope. Keep the suggestions coming! I'll pull the trigger Monday unless something good shows up on Criagslist in my area over the weekend.

[retiredcaps]

I plan on getting one or two decent DMMs and a decent scope. Keep the suggestions coming!

I'm not a Fluke fan boy, but they are more easily accessible to me than other brands.  All prices below are USD and based on recent ebay auctions.

The Fluke 170 series are pretty quick to "boot" and easy to use.  You can quite easily find a Fluke 175, 177 and 179 for about $100 or less used on ebay.  If a backlight is important to you, avoid the Fluke 175 as it does not have one.

A Fluke 87, 87III can be had for about $100 and $120 respectively.

The 187 and 189 are 50,000 count, 0.025% DC V accuracy multimeters.  The 187 sells for about $150 to $175 and the 189 for about $200+.  The 189 does datalogging.  The 187 "boots" fast like any regular Fluke multimeter.

If you don't need True RMS, a Fluke 83V goes for under $100.  A Fluke 83 III is in the $70 range.  A Fluke 77IV can be found as low as $60.  Curiously, when I had the Fluke 83 III and 83V, I found the 83 III faster in autoranging than the 83V.

By the way, Martin's website has a lot of reviews, like Dave, on Fluke multimeters.  In some of his videos, you can see side by side comparisons in terms of speed, boot, screen size, erognomics, etc.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB46F445E454CD696&feature=plcp

PS. Excavatoree has written an excellent guide for buying Fluke multimeters off ebay.  See

http://reviews.ebay.com/Fluke-Meters-Models-and-Series-main_W0QQugidZ10000000007478323

PPS. All my Fluke multimeters are used and they are within spec compared to each other even though I have no idea of their previous ownership (use/abuse) and their age.  The oldest one is probably 31 years old and measures identically to the Fluke 87V in my basic tests.

[wade]

Thanks for those details! I've got some research/homework to do this weekend. 

[retiredcaps]

In Martin's Fluke 287 review, you clearly see him turn on the 287 at the 8:10 mark and it is ready at 8:20 (10 second bootup).

[M. András]

i counted 7-8sec boot time for my 289 if you dont switch it off every minute then its fine and dont forget to disable the autopower off or set it to hours its annoying when you just monitoring something and the thing shuts itself down when its not logging, if you decide on a fluke get it with the fvf kit if you buy it new you get the accesories much cheaper then buying them invidually

[ModemHead]

... I definitely want good measurement tools since I am working on some small signal audio circuits, ...

Then you'll probably want to pay attention to the AC performance specs (accuracy, bandwidth) of whatever you choose.  This is probably the weakest area for any handheld DMM.  And why you'll want a scope.

[Dane Bear]

I have a 289. It is the most powerful versatile multimeter That I know of. Whenever I make a lifetime purchase, consider spending a little more for upgradeable packages, and data logging features. There is NO reason to go over your budget on the 289. I bought mine from teqequipment.net. Took a little time (about 2 weeks for me) for delivery in Iowa. The start up time is about five seconds... just long enough to get a good sip of coffee.

[M. András]

whenever you buy  new meter from tequipment or other official distributors always ask for custom quote you can save a decent amount of money

[Achilles]

Well, I think the nicest plus of the 287/289 is the graphical representation, but that is more for slow changing signals. So that may help you if you want to check battery usage or whatever, but right now I don't see why you need that and pay extra for the feature.
I may get a 289 one day, too, but right now I use an ordinary logging function and data cable for those tests.
I suppose you use it mainly at home? The Battery consumption is no Problem? There is also a seller for the older Fluke 189II (the model reviewed by Dave here) if you don't need the extra battery runtime like in the 289 (that doesn't mean it is running very long either). The Fluke 287 seems to be a bit above that.
For 600USD I would go with a decent meter like Fluke 87V, Fluke 287 or 189II and keep the rest for a small oscilloscope. You may also check the Agilents on ebay. They can go quite low on the prices and are not bad at all (I use the U1253B and U1272A and like them a lot)

[wade]

I have been doing more research, watching Martin's videos, comparing specs of various in detail paying extra attention to the AC parameters and reading lots of old posts here on the EEVBlog forum as well as all of your responses. There's a dizzying amount of meters out there and everyone has their (usually strong) opinions. I am leaning towards the Extech MM570A (rebranded Brymen) which has good specs and getting a used Fluke 87V locally. There's also a used 287 locally that has a home-repaired battery contact in the back cover for $300. I may see if I can get it for a bit less instead of an 87V. I have a separate budget for an oscilloscope, probably a Rigol or Owon. I appreciate everyone's responses. It has been very helpful.