I picked up a 3478A for $109 with shipping recently. It arrived somewhat dirty, but it cleaned up really well. I can't say about the calibration but it is rock steady on any of three LM399 references. Pretty hard to beat in the "bang for the buck" department.
They are amazing instruments with few limitations:
- As mentioned before, they don't have back light - a minor inconvenience for me.
- Unshrouded connectors - I think this is bigger than the back light. You'll have to cut the probes shrouds.
- It only goes up to 300V - I don't remember the last time I needed to measure more than 300V though.
- Doesn't have high Z mode - this is a big one in my opinion, 34401 and Fluke 884x both have it and I used it many times.
Sure 34401 and Fluke are different beasts and if you need that resolution and you can afford one, go for it. I have both at work and a Fluke 8845A at home but my go to instruments are HP3478A and Fluke 179 for continuity. It just feels so right, so reliable, it's hard to describe. Fluke 8845A (and 34401 as well) is a bit annoying with its ever changing last two digits and slow buzzer so unless I really need that resolution or I need Hi Z or multiple meters, I don't feel like using it.