Fluke 87V - where should I buy it? Edit: 87V vs 87III, please help, 3rd post.

[toli]

Hi Friends,

After buying (and hacking) the 1052E which I'm very happy with (before hearing about it I've almost purchased an Agilet 54622 for a higher price), its time to replace my working but barely sufficient 2000counts DMM. I want something that's 20000 counts or more, so the 87V seems to be a great option.

Now its only a question of where I want to purchase it from. I see Amazon has them for about 300$. Any idea if I can get it somewhere else for a better price?

BTW, if you have any other recommendations I'll be more than glad to hear about them. I need a general purpose DMM which I'll use for my builds.

[EEVblog]

I think someone mentioned an Amazon coupon code to get a discount on the 87V, but can't remember where...

Dave.

[toli]

I cant find that coupon (searched both here and on google). If someone remembers where it was, please let me know.

[toli]

Sorry for the double post.

I've just watched Dave's 87V review once more and this time the last part about getting a used 87III looked even better. These can be had for not much more than 100$ on eBay.com. Sure most of them come with just the meter and some lousy probes but 50$ will set me up with a new holster and some nice probes.

So the question is, what are the main differences between the 87V and the 87III? I've seen some specs but I'm sure some of you who have had a chance to use these meters will know much better.

Thank you.

[EEVblog]

Sorry for the double post.

I've just watched Dave's 87V review once more and this time the last part about getting a used 87III looked even better. These can be had for not much more than 100$ on eBay.com. Sure most of them come with just the meter and some lousy probes but 50$ will set me up with a new holster and some nice probes.

So the question is, what are the main differences between the 87V and the 87III? I've seen some specs but I'm sure some of you who have had a chance to use these meters will know much better.

Thank you.

There is some history here I think:
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/index.php?topic=354.0

And there is a good buying guide on ebay somewhere, forget the link.

Dave.

[toli]

Thanks Dave, I guess you are talking about this:
http://reviews.ebay.com/Fluke-Meters-80-Type-Models-and-Series_W0QQugidZ10000000007491382
?

So main differences are temp measurement, LPF, and Duty Cycle. Since I rarely use temp measurement and have it on my current meter, and I guess the LPF isn't too important for me, the III series looks very nice. Especially considering it has the same specs for reading accuracy. Real though one. Get a new series V for 300$, or a used series III with no accessories for 100$ or so.
edit: just noticed the III series cant handle caps more the 5uF, and that's just too low. /edit


BTW, I've never owned a Fluke. I understand they have life-time warranty. So if I buy a used series III meter, will it have warranty? If so, all I need is the meter or is there a warranty card I must make sure I get?

Thanks once again.

[alm]

edit: just noticed the III series cant handle caps more the 5uF, and that's just too low. /edit

Why would you need a higher cap range? I've never encountered unmarked electrolytics, and very few circuits have 5+uF caps that require tight tolerance, it usually just power supply bypass, where something like -20% +50% is fine, and one size smaller or larger is also often acceptable. I hit the lower limit much more often (caps smaller than 100pF or so) than large caps. I use my LC meter 99% of the time for caps, and it only goes up to 1uF or so. For electrolytics, all I usually care about is ESR, and you need a separate meter for that anyway.

BTW, I've never owned a Fluke. I understand they have life-time warranty. So if I buy a used series III meter, will it have warranty? If so, all I need is the meter or is there a warranty card I must make sure I get?

I've never had to make use of the warranty, so I never researched it, but I believe the life-time warranty ends five years or so after the product is discontinued (or 10 years from date of purchase, whichever is later), so I'd expect the warranty on all series III meters to be expired. The warranty conditions might have been different at the time the series III was sold (did they have life-time warranties then?). Warranty is also typically non-transferable (although they might not check). But it's hard to argue for paying $300 instead of $100 just for warranty, unless you expect the meter to die multiple times during the warranty period.

[EEVblog]

I've never had to make use of the warranty, so I never researched it, but I believe the life-time warranty ends five years or so after the product is discontinued (or 10 years from date of purchase, whichever is later), so I'd expect the warranty on all series III meters to be expired. The warranty conditions might have been different at the time the series III was sold (did they have life-time warranties then?). Warranty is also typically non-transferable (although they might not check). But it's hard to argue for paying $300 instead of $100 just for warranty, unless you expect the meter to die multiple times during the warranty period.

I'd second that. You could buy 3 Fluke 87-III's for the same price and one of them is bound to last a lifetime even if you got grossly unlucky with the other two!
So if you don't need the extra features, I'd chance it on an 87-III.

I've heard of people getting even their old series I fixed under the lifetime warranty. I don't know the exact conditions but I'm led to believe Fluke are very generous in their interpretation of it.

Dave.

[saturation]

Just for comparison, there is a Fluke 87V not widely mentioned, the Intrinsically Safe version.



Its priced near $900 for the same specs as the 87V.  Its clear a lot of added costs above measurement accuracy compared to cheaper DMM is in making DMMs durable and workable in hazardous conditions, whether its hazmat or CAT IV conditions.  For Flukes, the IS devices have red instead of yellow sleeves.