Choosing between Fluke 179/177 vs Keysight U1242C vs Fluke 87V?

[bd139]

Pah you lot and your fancy meters. Mine had 2 entire KΩ per volt.

If you put it inside a battery transistor radio the battery would go flat on the radio before you got a reading. It could measure frequency though by counting the puffs of smoke when you put it on the mains 

[rsjsouza]

Hahaha! Gotta love the accuracy: "This battery is still new, it reads 1.5V! No, wait... 1.4... 1.3... "

[2N3055]

Pah you lot and your fancy meters. Mine had 2 entire KΩ per volt.

If you put it inside a battery transistor radio the battery would go flat on the radio before you got a reading. It could measure frequency though by counting the puffs of smoke when you put it on the mains 

LOL puffs of smoke....

I guess I had the fancy one...


It's missing a gun turret to make it a tank. And by carrying it around you got a daily workout too....
But it was 50k/V, and was quite advanced. And it is still in spec...

[joeqsmith]

I watched Dave's interview with the old man where he had rolled his own analog meter. 

One of the first things I ever made with a microcontroller was a power supply.   I used a VFD out or some sort of timer for the display.   It could display current and voltage using an 8-bit SAR ADC.    That was about as close as I got to making my own meter.   Even the basic panel meters they give away for a couple of bucks would far exceed the performance.   

[MiroS]

Dave, sure nothing wrong with 10000, but for electronics  I wolud say 50000 is minimum. Those days even 10000 for car electrician it may be too short, eg. for some AMG car battery charging circuit  15.000 and 15.002V makes a significant difference  ...  which is clearly out of that range not mentioning plenty of typical examples from electronics world.

Try measuring say 6V with your 50,000 count meter, oops, it's now no better than that 10,000 count meter. Both show 6.000

Well  6V is not 15V right ?  Higher voltage for power devices and very precise control over  low voltage. it seems to be now constant trend .

[joeqsmith]

You are right.  Sometimes 10K counts just won't cut it and you need to pull out a bigger hammer.   Getting ready to make some measurements and testing the jig with an IET standard. 


Another home made AC volt meter.  It makes me want to roll my own.  I bet I could improve on my first VA meter.   

https://youtu.be/pikTXYkwvP4

[Electro Detective]

What's all this count rubbish?  I started with a VTVM then my trusty Radio Shack analog meter.  The free HF meter would have been a big step up.

You started fancy there. Mine was an ICE Supertester 680R 20kΩ/V.

Hey, I've still got my Tandy/Radio Shack analog meter 20,000 something? ... somewhere...

A big purchase back in the day, bundled with a battery checker and 25 watt soldering iron, ready for anything electronic to be fixed 

I'll bet it's still working (I took the battery out!  )  in spec, and I could use it a lot better (and safer) nowadays and get most stuff done

without needing the digital big guns   


(well, just for a day to prove a point or two.. to noobs and meter snobs  )

[Al75]

I guess I had the fancy one...

Woow! I had this Soviet made multimeter in my teen ages when Latvia was part of Soviet Union, yes!

[Hydrawerk]

I have a printed Conrad catalogue from year 2004. Fluke 179 is there! So bear in mind that it is an old product. It is only a 6000 count DMM.

[Valver]

I was considering buying the U1242C primarily because it has an AC coupled,  AC mV function. I work with audio tube amps and need to measure power supply ripple voltage. Neither the Brymen  BM235 nor the UT61E that I recently bought are capable of doing this. (Edit, OK, I just saw Joeqsmith's review of the Keysight U1231A so I don't think I'll go for the U1242C,  )

I would prefer buying the BM869 but I am not sure whether it will do the job. I am just referring to the AC voltage reading here, not AC+DC or Dual display. Any advice would be appreciated, if not, it's probably safer to go with an AC coupled meter.

Typically I need to measure between 10mvAC to 2vAC on a 500V DC  supply with .01 mV resolution.

Thank you kindly.   

[Mr. Scram]

I have a printed Conrad catalogue from year 2004. Fluke 179 is there! So bear in mind that it is an old product. It is only a 6000 count DMM.

If a model stays relevant this long, it''s probably fairly useful.

[bd139]

If a model stays relevant this long, it''s probably fairly useful.

Yes exactly that.

In this day and age we seem to have forgotten that a product can be 100% totally "done" and not need to be changed. We're being trained away from this becuase it fills the pockets of the manufacturers these days.

[paulbt]

Hi,

No need to make a brand new topic, I will just revive this one.

In the last days I compared Fluke 179 and Keysight U1241C (Fluke 87V is double the price so it has no reason to be here...)

                                     Fluke                           Keysight
backlight                           y                                  y (+flashlight)
K-type probe                      y                                  y (+ ambient temp on 2nd display)                               
Datalogging                       n                                  y
Autohold                           y                                   y (+configurable settle time)
counts                         6000 (6600)                       10000
VDC accuracy              0.09%+2 digits                    0.09%+2 digits
min-max-avg                     y                                  y
delta/null                           n                                 y
uA meas.                           n                                 y
freq. meas.                 y (for V and A)                    n ?
AC BW                           1KHz                               2KHz
autorange speed             very fast                         average
input protection             very good                         good?
drop-proof                        1m?                              3m
ingress protection         n/a (or low)                        IP67
price                              x money                          x - [10...20]%
warranty                     limited lifetime                    3 years

I was planning for the next year to buy the Fluke 179 (as 2nd dmm for electronics hobby), but after seeing that the Keysight offers more than the Fluke for less money, I think I will change my mind. I need to admit that some features are not really useful for me like: flashlight, AC measurements, high-end input protection, drop-proof, IP67 ... but even without them, I still see the same winner.

So is there anyone who has/had both these meters and can confirm my comparison and conclusion? or at least tell me (tell us) more about the Keysight one (user experience, bugs, robustness). The only review I've found is 2 hours long, but it's in french and there are no subtitles available

[Mr. Scram]

While I don't have experience with the U1241C I do have experience with the U1272A/U1273A and a few other Keysight handhelds. I adore Keysight's desktop kit but somehow I never really liked the handheld meters. No strong dislike either, but I find myself reaching for a Fluke 179 or 87V instead to see what's really going on. The features the Flukes have are well chosen and executed. I really like the autohold feature, which I don't think any other manufacturer does as well.

Initially I was very skeptical about the popularity of Fluke meters and felt they were an overpriced and underfeatured option. Then I won a cheapish 87V at an auction to sell on and was prepared to hate it but it won me over fairly quickly. I still own it and use it regularly as the daily driver. I like the 179 almost as much. My workload or preferences may differ from yours though, so your mileage may vary.

[rsjsouza]

I had a 179, a U1233A and currently have a 87V, 189, U1273A and U1282A.

IMO, if you intend to use the meters in a rough environment, both the 179 and the 87V win - they are solidly built and have a proven record of surviving (it is not uncommon to see beaten models of these two for sale that are still in spec). The 189 and the U1282A have a very solid feel as well, although a notch down from the other two. The U1233A and the U1273A feel a bit less solid of these but the build quality is still palpable.

With regards to features, the U1241C seems to have a well round collection of features. If it has Autohold, then it would be almost the same.

The U1272A/U1273A and U1281A/U1282A have autohold. The Keysights also win over the 189 in triggering options for datalogging, but that is another realm.

[Mr. Scram]

I had a 179, a U1233A and currently have a 87V, 189, U1273A and U1282A.

IMO, if you intend to use the meters in a rough environment, both the 179 and the 87V win - they are solidly built and have a proven record of surviving (it is not uncommon to see beaten models of these two for sale that are still in spec). The 189 and the U1282A have a very solid feel as well, although a notch down from the other two. The U1233A and the U1273A feel a bit less solid of these but the build quality is still palpable.

With regards to features, the U1241C seems to have a well round collection of features. If it has Autohold, then it would be almost the same.

The U1272A/U1273A and U1281A/U1282A have autohold. The Keysights also win over the 189 in triggering options for datalogging, but that is another realm.

In my experience the U1272A/U1273A autohold isn't anywhere near in the same league of those of the Flukes.

[bd139]

U1241C autohold is dire.

[paulbt]

U1241C autohold is dire.

Hi!
Can you please do a short video about this to show us why you consider it "dire"? Or maybe a comparison video between fluke and u1241c autohold? No need to speak or explain, just measure a voltage and a resistor with each one and we should notice the difference...

[bd139]

I actually did one ages ago wide by side with an 87V on this but Google terminated my account after they fucked up my GSuite account. I don’t own the meter any more. I ended up hitting it. It was the worst.

The hold window and threshold made it impossible to use plus it had a manual initiation required.

[Mr. Scram]

I actually did one ages ago wide by side with an 87V on this but Google terminated my account after they fucked up my GSuite account. I don’t own the meter any more. I ended up hitting it. It was the worst.

The hold window and threshold made it impossible to use plus it had a manual initiation required.

I was thinking of that video. Instant classic! 

[rsjsouza]

I had a 179, a U1233A and currently have a 87V, 189, U1273A and U1282A.

IMO, if you intend to use the meters in a rough environment, both the 179 and the 87V win - they are solidly built and have a proven record of surviving (it is not uncommon to see beaten models of these two for sale that are still in spec). The 189 and the U1282A have a very solid feel as well, although a notch down from the other two. The U1233A and the U1273A feel a bit less solid of these but the build quality is still palpable.

With regards to features, the U1241C seems to have a well round collection of features. If it has Autohold, then it would be almost the same.

The U1272A/U1273A and U1281A/U1282A have autohold. The Keysights also win over the 189 in triggering options for datalogging, but that is another realm.

In my experience the U1272A/U1273A autohold isn't anywhere near in the same league of those of the Flukes.

How so?

In my experience, the U1273A and the 87V have a fast enough Autohold with similar thresholds and both have, at times, failed to trigger an obvious discontinuity. The U1282A is the most erratic or the bundle.

[Fungus]

I was planning for the next year to buy the Fluke 179 (as 2nd dmm for electronics hobby), but after seeing that the Keysight offers more than the Fluke for less money, I think I will change my mind. I need to admit that some features are not really useful for me like: flashlight, AC measurements, high-end input protection, drop-proof, IP67 ... but even without them, I still see the same winner.

Have you looked at Brymen?  You'll be, like....

https://brymen.eu/product-category/multimetry/

[Shock]

I'd pass on the Keysight and Fluke 177. If you want something fully featured look at a new Brymen BM869s (I doubt you will find many of them secondhand).

The Fluke 87V are good meters, a little overpriced but they aren't really aiming at the hobbyist market. At the moment I have two Fluke 87V and a crusty looking 87, I paid next to nothing secondhand so it wasn't much of a sacrifice.

[Ed.Kloonk]

I had a 179, a U1233A and currently have a 87V, 189, U1273A and U1282A.

IMO, if you intend to use the meters in a rough environment, both the 179 and the 87V win - they are solidly built and have a proven record of surviving (it is not uncommon to see beaten models of these two for sale that are still in spec). The 189 and the U1282A have a very solid feel as well, although a notch down from the other two. The U1233A and the U1273A feel a bit less solid of these but the build quality is still palpable.

With regards to features, the U1241C seems to have a well round collection of features. If it has Autohold, then it would be almost the same.

The U1272A/U1273A and U1281A/U1282A have autohold. The Keysights also win over the 189 in triggering options for datalogging, but that is another realm.

I have a 179 and 1241A.

One thing I can tell you is that I prefer the Fluke to two reasons.

1) The Voltage-->shift for DC really annoys me on the Agilent. I mean, I understand why AC is the first setting, but gee it drives me bonkers trying to test DC and keep battery life which isn't that great nor convenient (4 AAs). The fluke has AC or DC mode. The range button is easy to find.

2) The fluke has a better light. Since I use meters away from the bench more often, I travel with the fluke. I keep the other one at home as a spare in case I do the unthinkable to the Fluke.

[nightfire]

I have a Fluke 179 at work and an Agilent u1272A at home for hobby use. IMHO the use case and target audience for those meters are different: When you need some really reliable multimeter for your toolbox that can also take some fall and rough handling in an industrial environment, go Fluke. My 179 is about >8 years old, inherited from a colleague before me, and recent calibration showed it still is very well within spec.
For electronic tinkering other brands like Agilent/Keysight or Brymen will offer more bang for buck. Comparing the build quality of my U1272A with a 179,  the 179 wins slightly.