Buying used Fluke 87 V, how to know if it's ruined

[Cookie3]

Hi! I found used Fluke 87V that came up on local listings, but im not sure how should i run it through its paces to see if anything it damaged in any way besides fuses. I could probably ask seller to let me open it to see if there are any visibly blown components, and also bring couple of components resistors, capacitors with me to see if it show correct values. But im not sure it be enough to see if there is any non obvious damage. I've read couple thread about guys multi-meters with bolts instead of fuses  . Is it good idea to be a used multi-meter at all. I've also read that some earlier 87V had some issues. Is there a way to spot them?

Best Regards

[bd139]

It's probably obvious if it's knackered. I've bought a ton of second hand meters over the years. I've had a couple of lemons but they were obviously lemons and I paid literally nothing for them.

Best thing is take a battery, diode and a resistor with you and test it on each range:

1. Test it zeroes if you short it on voltage.
2. Test it measures a battery voltage fine.
3. Test it measures a resistance fine and a short fine.
4. test it measures a diode as open circuit reverse biased and with a voltage drop forward biased.
5. Check for battery leaks in the battery compartment.
6. Check for damage to the enclosure and probe ports.
7. Check the switch functions well and doesn't snag or isn't intermittent.
8. Check all the display segments and backlight works.
9. Look for damage and loss of anodisation on the fixing screws for the case indicating it has been futzed with.

If it's got bolts or kitchen foil for fuses and the above is ok then it'll cost you some proper fuses and probably be totally fine.

Always expect to have to replace the probes, the fuses, the battery and clean it regardless of the obvious condition.

[2N3055]

I would never buy used meter except from someone I can trust personally. Even then I would test it first.
If you can buy it for very little money, (that is 30-50 USD) than you can go and gamble, and then send it to for a professional  calibration and checkup.
Whole idea about "Fluke is great" is that it is safe and accurate.
Which for a used one you have no guarantee for either of those two.

Meter is safe for high energy overload only ONCE... Accurate too only if it wasn't damaged....

I would rather buy brand new Brymen than used WHATEVER big brand.....
It would probably even be cheaper, once you replace and repair all the stuff on Fluke.
Or if you want Fluke, save up, buy a brand new one, take good care of it and have it for life.

I personally switched to Brymen few years ago and never looked back.

But that's me.

[bd139]

Some very good points there.

I just hit jackpot with a used 87V that was mint and with cal cert still in but that's a rarity. Also have a BM867S. I wouldn't have had the Fluke if the pricing wasn't stupid low and the condition stupid good.

[joseph nicholas]

I recently found a Bryman 857s in a local second hand store with the original probes.  I could only check if AC volts was working by stickiing it in a local outlet.

The miliamp fuse was blown so that is what you'll probably find in the vast majority of used high end multimeters for sale, aside from obvious damage as others have pointed out.  BTW the branding on the Bryman was Extech. 

[Fungus]

Basically: No way to know for sure.

It's probably obvious if it's knackered. I've bought a ton of second hand meters over the years. I've had a couple of lemons but they were obviously lemons and I paid literally nothing for them.

Best thing is take a battery, diode and a resistor with you and test it on each range:

1. Test it zeroes if you short it on voltage.
2. Test it measures a battery voltage fine.
3. Test it measures a resistance fine and a short fine.
4. test it measures a diode as open circuit reverse biased and with a voltage drop forward biased.
5. Check for battery leaks in the battery compartment.
6. Check for damage to the enclosure and probe ports.
7. Check the switch functions well and doesn't snag or isn't intermittent.
8. Check all the display segments and backlight works.
9. Look for damage and loss of anodisation on the fixing screws for the case indicating it has been futzed with.

Do that, and... take along another meter to compare if it gives the same readings. If it's out of calibration then something bad happened.

[jeroen79]

It's probably obvious if it's knackered. I've bought a ton of second hand meters over the years. I've had a couple of lemons but they were obviously lemons and I paid literally nothing for them.

Best thing is take a battery, diode and a resistor with you and test it on each range:

1. Test it zeroes if you short it on voltage.
2. Test it measures a battery voltage fine.
3. Test it measures a resistance fine and a short fine.
4. test it measures a diode as open circuit reverse biased and with a voltage drop forward biased.
5. Check for battery leaks in the battery compartment.
6. Check for damage to the enclosure and probe ports.
7. Check the switch functions well and doesn't snag or isn't intermittent.
8. Check all the display segments and backlight works.
9. Look for damage and loss of anodisation on the fixing screws for the case indicating it has been futzed with.

If it's got bolts or kitchen foil for fuses and the above is ok then it'll cost you some proper fuses and probably be totally fine.

Always expect to have to replace the probes, the fuses, the battery and clean it regardless of the obvious condition.

With the resistor and battery you can even do a basic test of the DC current mode.

[retiredcaps]

I've read couple thread about guys multi-meters with bolts instead of fuses  .

I bought a "working" Fluke 87 I (original) and it was me who got the bolt instead of a fuse.

Personally, I wouldn't pay anymore than $200 CDN for an used 87V.

If you are a professional electrician, I suggest you buy new.

If you are a hobbyist and using this meter for home and the occasional 120V AC check, I would have no problems using an used Fluke 87V.

[GregDunn]

Locally, all the Fluke meters I've seen (as long as the display POST works) have been just fine; they track beautifully with my 8600A and 8800A to the limits of the display resolution.  I think a lot of people around here sell them when they're done with whatever job or employer required one, and so they're a bit dirty and scuffed but not burned up.  They've all been immaculate inside thanks to the good case design.  For me, getting a used, working meter for 70% or more off list price is a fair tradeoff - especially when the sellers have a 24-hour money back guarantee and the other items they have (Extech, Craftsman, Snap-On, Ideal, etc.) are priced the same or higher.

[jpb]

I bought my 87V off ebay as new old stock for £190, the new price in the UK is around £450. In the UK there are a lot of "new" 87Vs at around £200 or so. Of course it may have been used but the it was in the box and the yellow bumper was pristine.

In comparison, I bought a used Fluke 507 (insulation tester - I wanted it for checking ESD mats). It came with two other meters (a clamp one and a DMM) neither of which I particularly wanted but they were essentially free add-ons and gave me some reassurance that it was someone retiring rather than getting rid of a duff meter. The meter itself is fine but it was filthy and I had to do a lot of cleaning on it and the cables. I paid £124 for all three meters which I thought was a fair price but not a huge bargain.

Generally, I think the first buy was the better way to go - new old stock for a little more rather than second hand and well used. But I've been pleased with both purchases and certainly wouldn't pay new prices.

[Cookie3]

Thank you guys!

[Shock]

I would never buy used meter except from someone I can trust personally. Even then I would test it first.
If you can buy it for very little money, (that is 30-50 USD) than you can go and gamble, and then send it to for a professional  calibration and checkup.
Whole idea about "Fluke is great" is that it is safe and accurate.
Which for a used one you have no guarantee for either of those two.

That is why you go and test it and ask questions.
Waiting to buy a Fluke 87V for $30-$50 is unrealistic when they are around $400 new.
You make it sound like everyone is selling broken multimeters out there.

[Shock]

This is how you can easily test if the fuses are good without having to perform current tests.

[2N3055]

I would never buy used meter except from someone I can trust personally. Even then I would test it first.
If you can buy it for very little money, (that is 30-50 USD) than you can go and gamble, and then send it to for a professional  calibration and checkup.
Whole idea about "Fluke is great" is that it is safe and accurate.
Which for a used one you have no guarantee for either of those two.

That is why you go and test it and ask questions.
Waiting to buy a Fluke 87V for $30-$50 is unrealistic when they are around $400 new.
You make it sound like everyone is selling broken multimeters out there.

Just to get any hint of fanboyism out of the way, for years Fluke was my brand of choice. I used 8020, 8060a, original 87, 87 III, 87 V, 73 II, Scopemeter 97
 etc etc..

You cannot test it without proper equipment. In order for a Fluke to be Fluke you have to be sure it is still safe as Fluke and accurate as Fluke.
You can only test if it generally seems that it works.  For anything better than that, you need a nice lab or need to send it to professionals.
And if you look what is being offered on Ebay and online, most of it IS garbage.
Some people had luck getting NOS for 150-200 USD. That's a good deal. Some people even got good, used ones for 100 USD.
But that is not a norm. And it is not good buy to give even 100 USD for a dirty, banged up meter that you will spend few weeks repairing and searching for parts.
And god knows how much more money. And still have something you have no clue how reliable it will be. Or accurate.

It all drills down to a same thing as with old used scopes. If your hobby (or business) is to buy and repair old equipment then by all means do just that...

But what I find problematic is that if you just need a good dependable meter (scope whatever), you need to buy something that just works and is guaranteed to work.
Buying something completely unknown is just that, a gamble.

All of that is MY opinion, as I clearly stated. I will newer give more than 30-50 USD for 87V that I might need a 100USD to repair, when I can buy a new BM869 for 220-240 USD with warranty. In addition to that, I'm not impressed with 87V price. I personally think it should be cheaper than BM869 because in my eyes it is lesser meter.
I got rid of 87V and replaced it with BM869... So no, for a used, 87V I would not give more than 30-50 USD. Unless, as I said, it comes form someone I know that takes good care of equipment and I test it.

My opinion.

I appreciate you have yours.

Regards,
Sinisa

[bd139]

I disagree on the inability to test it properly. If you have a check out procedure and something to compare it to, then that's absolutely fine. Anything considered as a safety risk is obvious from inspection and the check out procedure. 99% of people don't need a full traceable cal, just a reasonable judge of accuracy. If you do need a full traceable cal they are not expensive to get done, at least here. 87V will cost me £55 including collection and delivery as it's closed case cal. You'd have to do the same with any other meter.

While the meter is very good and a very good price, I disagree with the superiority of the BM86x (I can only compare 867S). The display is inferior, it doesn't have auto hold, the fluke is faster to switch ranges, Fluke parts are actually available, it's easier to hold and the BM has some irritations etc etc.

I think there is a compromise somewhere in the middle.

Every time you buy something second hand it's a risk. If you go in knowing the risks and with your head on your shoulders you rarely if ever get burned. Most of the time there are some nice surprises. None of this is a reason to buy new every time. A second hand car is much more dangerous for example.

[retiredcaps]

This is how you can easily test if the fuses are good without having to perform current tests.

The test in the video doesn't tell you if you are getting a genuine HRC fuse, glass fuse or bolt.  You have to open the meter and verify.

[Shock]

This is how you can easily test if the fuses are good without having to perform current tests.

The test in the video doesn't tell you if you are getting a genuine HRC fuse, glass fuse or bolt.  You have to open the meter and verify.

Good point, looking at the fuse doesn't mean it is necessarily genuine either.
I always ask questions about it's history and if they are unsure it's a good opening to investigate further and negotiate the price.

[bd139]

Expect to have to replace the fuses. I’ve seen some crimes in my time.

[Shock]

Expect to have to replace the fuses. I’ve seen some crimes in my time.

I've had positive experiences overall. Had a couple of dodgy things happen but got compensated. The only time I've ever "lost" due to dishonesty (smoke damage) was in a combined deal and so I just turfed the item rather than returning it. I was ahead by miles on the other part of the deal so wasn't a huge mistake.