Brymen BM789

[EEVblog]

If you want a more robust meter than the BM789, Brymen does an "industrial" range.
(I know you know this...but not everybody does).

It's always horses for courses.
Some people just want the most features in a price range, which is why Hydrawerk asked for a price range metric.
Some want the best ruggedness and protection.
Some want the best accuracy
etc.

In the case of my video I compared them because Brymen actually produced the 780 series to compete directly with the Fluke 70/170 series. Hence the similar size and feel. But rather than criple it they opted to blow it out of the water feature-wise because they could.

[Fungus]

To be clear - there is no North American support for these Brymen multimeters such as repair, calibration, firmware updates? It's gotta be shipped trans-ocean for any of that?

I've never done it personally but Google comes up with hits for "North America Brymen calibration service". Try phoning one for a quote, see how they respond. Also look for Greenlee calibration services - Brymens are sold under the Greenlee brand over there.

AFAIK Brymen don't do firmware updates.

Repair? I expect my Brymen to out-last me. If it doesn't? I can buy three of them for (eg.) the price of a Fluke so I see no advantage in the famous Fluke warranty. Buying a new one is probably faster than sending it off to a repair service, too. 

[EEVblog]

AFAIK Brymen don't do firmware updates.

Correct. And neither do most dealers AFAIK. Although I will if you are in Australia and want to send it back and pay postage both ways. It's too expensive to send from overseas.
The 780 series is the only Brymen with firmware update capability. I guess they are testing what benefits it has. I don't know if future model meters will have it or not.

[NoisyBoy]

Agree with all the wisdom shared here. The 786/9 is the perfect size, very similar to the Fluke 17X.

I bought the 869S not knowing its actual size, I found it to be a little too large for handheld work. The Fluke 87V is about as large as I would prefer as a handheld meter, the 869S is even larger.

I have all these meters, they all perform excellent.  869S without the auto hold is a disadvantage if you need that feature, which I use occasionally.

I agree with Dave, feature wise, the 78X is absolutely superior to the 17X.  But the after sale supports for Fluke is a clear winner if you are in the US. 

[sonpul]

I will also add a very long work from 3xAAA Eneloop batteries and 15 min of backlight operation.
It turns out to be very convenient when the BM789 has the ability to work with two thermocouples T1 and T2. You can not pull the probes, but simply connect the thermocouple to free T2 connectors.

[multiJ]

It would be nice if someone who has both Brymen models (78X/86X) could take a couple of pictures (front/side) of them together for size comparison 

[skander36]

AFAIK Brymen don't do firmware updates.

Correct. And neither do most dealers AFAIK.
 ...

less those who make 121GW  , although there has been no update lately.

[Fungus]

It would be nice if someone who has both Brymen models (78X/86X) could take a couple of pictures (front/side) of them together for size comparison 

Also their industrial models, which are much smaller than the 869s. 

I also wish Brymen would put 3D pictures of their "industrial" meters on the site, too. They look kind of fugly when viewed head on and I think it puts people off owning a nice, low-distraction meter. These meters good on the bench, IMHO, and they're much smaller and slimmer than the 789/869.

It's almost as if Brymen is trying not to sell any. 

[joeqsmith]

It would be nice if someone who has both Brymen models (78X/86X) could take a couple of pictures (front/side) of them together for size comparison 

BM869s is similar to the TPI TPI194, UNI-T UT181A and the Fluke 189.  All much smaller than my bench meters and much easier to move around on the bench. 

https://youtu.be/pPCtnQa0Thc?list=RDCMUCsK99WXk9VhcghnAauTBsbg&t=979

[Fungus]

All much smaller than my bench meters

"Much"? 

[joeqsmith]

All much smaller than my bench meters

"Much"? 

Much much!

That vintage Fluke 8506A I saved from scrap must weigh as much as 10 BM869s and at least 5X the size.    Even as old as that Fluke is, I don't think you will find a handheld meter that would match it's performance.   The only reason I saved it was because of that thermal RMS stage. 

[BillyO]

The Fluke has a "2" in a circle molded into the shell on the inside.  That would indicate it is a high density polyethylene.  HD polyethylene has a density of about .93 at the most.  Polycarbonate would ring at about 1.2 so is good bit a tougher.  Looks like Fluke did a better job polishing up their molds though.  If that is worth anything. 

[EEVblog]

It would be nice if someone who has both Brymen models (78X/86X) could take a couple of pictures (front/side) of them together for size comparison 

Here you go.

[EEVblog]

and Fluke 87

[EEVblog]

And

[AVGresponding]

The Fluke has a "2" in a circle molded into the shell on the inside.  That would indicate it is a high density polyethylene.  HD polyethylene has a density of about .93 at the most.  Polycarbonate would ring at about 1.2 so is good bit a tougher.  Looks like Fluke did a better job polishing up their molds though.  If that is worth anything.

Polycarbonate is much more brittle than polyethylene, which is also highly resistant to acids and solvents.

[joeqsmith]

It would be nice if someone who has both Brymen models (78X/86X) could take a couple of pictures (front/side) of them together for size comparison 

Here you go.

Something is missing from the EEVBLOG lineup. 

[EEVblog]

Something is missing from the EEVBLOG lineup.

They won't let me sell the 869.

[joeqsmith]

Something is missing from the EEVBLOG lineup.

They won't let me sell the 869.

The 869s looks fine in red.   Where's the 121?

[armandine2]

It's almost as if Brymen is trying not to sell any. 

or don't have so many to sell?

[Fungus]

It's almost as if Brymen is trying not to sell any. 

or don't have so many to sell?

The Brymen web site shows the 850 series as "professional flagship" and their newest meter is an industrial shape.

[Doctorandus_P]

So, a short recap of Dave's video:

Brymen wins on:
* Specifications.
* Functions.
* Drift (lower).
* Beefier protection components overall (resistors, varistors).

Fluke wins on:
* Perceived better plastic.
* Perceived better PCB quality.
* Perceived better plating.
* Perceived better Zebra strip connection (although it's display flickers when pressed upon while Brymen don't).
* Bigger fuse.

There are lots of differences. Fluke parts are more integrated, while Brymen has more discrete parts.
Brymen has it's own custom chipset while Fluke has a msp430f437 (USD 10) ltc2435-1 (I think @15:46) costs around USD6) but fluke also has a custom asic.

I am also confused about the voltage divider network.
Fluke is praised for it's famous shine white ceramic, while the covered grey thing of the Brymen is just glanced over and ignored. I'd like to see and know what's under that grey coating, especially since Brymen apparently has better drift specifications.

But overall, quality is quite comparable, and as Fluke is just not affordable for me, I'd buy the Brymen anytime over the Fluke.
Even if it was a birthday present, I'd rather have the Brymen then the Fluke, as I regard it as overpriced and I dislike the idea of rewarding companies for such a policy. Brymen has a much better Performance to price ratio, and that is what I can appreciate.

Also, both DMM's will die if you drive over them with a truck or dip them in molten lava, or they can be unrecoverable if you drop it in a deep pit or a river. Such accidents do happen and when you have to buy a 2nd fluke, for the same price you could have had 4 of such accidents and be on your 5th Brymen for the same price. If you are a service technician out in the field, you may want the most reliable DMM, as a failed DMM can be a multiple hour drive and a wasted day. Or you are prepared and just take out your spare Brymen which was tugged in your car with service equipment...

Also, the split banana jacks are for a function to beep at you when the probe is in the Amp jack while the selector switch is in the volt range. I blew up one of my old (el cheapo) DMM's that did not have this feature, and it has saved me multiple fuses (each EUR10 or so) in the 30 years thereafter. This is an quite important feature for me, and I think the flukes don't have that.

[BillyO]

Polycarbonate is much more brittle than polyethylene, which is also highly resistant to acids and solvents.

LOL!

Calling polycarbonate brittle is like calling copper highly resistive.

Things made with PE:
sandwich bags
freezer bags
vapor barrier
food containers
Fluke meters


Things made with PC:
Bullet proof face shields
motocross goggle lenses
motorcycle helmets
explosion proof cabinets
Brymen meters

[Fungus]

Polycarbonate is much more brittle than polyethylene, which is also highly resistant to acids and solvents.

Calling polycarbonate brittle is like calling copper highly resistive.

Copper is resistive compared to silver.   

[BillyO]

Polycarbonate is much more brittle than polyethylene, which is also highly resistant to acids and solvents.

Calling polycarbonate brittle is like calling copper highly resistive.

Copper is resistive compared to silver.   

My point exactly.