Fluke 101 selloff?

[Fungus]

I was just on eBay and there's a few sellers selling the Fluke 101 for about $37, shipping included.

eg.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/352851361474

https://www.ebay.com/itm/273524954227

Time to get finally get one, methinks.

[Gyro]

Entertaining specification items...

- Hold: Impossible
- Operating Cycle: Possible

Impossible to hold? or impossible to push the hold button?
Operating cycle? - It works?

[bc888]

Wow, from South Korea. Think they may be real? Ebays getting better on that stuff.

[Fungus]

Wow, from South Korea. Think they may be real? Ebays getting better on that stuff.

Ummmmm.... yes. It's one of Fluke's "Asian market" models. That's where you normally get them.

You'll actually have trouble buying one in the USA, Fluke's "USA!" models are all expensive.

Rest assured though, the 101 is 100% fluke. It's actually one of their hardest-to-kill models. Plus it fits in a shurt pocket, who doesn't want that?

https://dam-assets.fluke.com/s3fs-public/6000031_6116_ENG_A_W.PDF

[AG6QR]

I think I paid around $50 for mine about two years ago.  It's an excellent value for a solid, rugged, simple meter.

There is only one pair of input jacks, and they are always high impedance.  No fuses, no current measurement.  That makes the meter simple to use and eliminates the possibility of attempting to measure a voltage source when your probes are in the current jacks.  It also prevents you from measuring current.  Is the tradeoff worth it?  I think it often is, but I have other meters for the times when I need to measure current.

It is a tiny meter, quite thin.  It has no stand to prop it up, so I usually end up laying it flat on the ground or a tabletop. 

[Electro Detective]

I bought an unloved one from the local pawn establishment just to see what the big deal was about 

It works fine for a basic prodder, but the bare bones 114 leaves it in the dust.

and no matter how convincing the user reviews and meter survival demos are
there is no way I'd be sticking a 101 in any high zap potential zones without proper PPE,
wood poles, electrical tape,
and distance.   

Did I mention it's annoyingly small, rolls about and won't stay put ? 
and not really 'pocket friendly' sporting a full sized Fluke generic lead set

Still, it's Fluke enough and worthy, and a better bet than most cheapie meters aka car wheel chocs with the suss slapped on CE stickers,
and optimistic CAT ratings, which may refer to how well they hold up after a twister has taken out the manbarn   

[joeqsmith]

Or buy a fleet of Fluke 18x. 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lot-of-4-Fluke-187-189-Multimeters-for-Parts-or-Repair/233425795873?hash=item365942fb21:g:BXMAAOSwR9Nd6tJB

[Fungus]

It works fine for a basic prodder, but the bare bones 114 leaves it in the dust.

114 is three times the price/size.

Did I mention it's annoyingly small

Just what I want!

and optimistic CAT ratings

joe hasn't managed to zap one yet, he's taken out Fluke 87Vs, etc., but not a 101.

[LazyJack]

Oh dear. Shouldn't have seen this topic. Just decided I needed one under the Xmas tree and ordered. I have an 87, an 87V, an 83-III, and an 85 and now this small one is joining. Plus an 8842A. Is is still normal or should I just go directly to the TEA topic? :-)

[bd139]

I might grab one at that price. Although it'll only arrive at that price if they mark up the customs declaration wrong

[Fungus]

I might grab one at that price. Although it'll only arrive at that price if they mark up the customs declaration wrong

China post at Xmas. Can they possibly do every little packet?

[Electro Detective]

and optimistic CAT ratings

joe hasn't managed to zap one yet, he's taken out Fluke 87Vs, etc., but not a 101.

"optimistic CAT ratings" comment was referring to most cheapo meters (not 101)
the ones that are a great bargain and work well..till something goes badly wrong,
stuff rarely heard about or see on the so called 'news' 

Also there's more plumbing in a 87V, so more stuff to get zapped into metrology oblivion once the initial protection gets hurdled over

i.e. I'll throw a 114 and 101 at a problem first, to 'investigate' what's going on,
before I get accuracy picky with a big dollar Fluke, and risk cooking it and the credit card 

-----------------------

Buyer BEWARE:  Better make sure the seller ships you a genuine Fluke badged 101,
and not the FlookHungLow badged model flogged here in Austrailia > www.ebay.com.au/itm/Mini-Fluke-101-Digital-Multimeter-Clamp-Meter-AC-0-1A-400A-MS3302/173816933038
i.e. why pay Fluke 101 dollars for an orange holstered Aneng or similar 101 knockoff/rebadge?   

[BravoV]

Damnit  ... blame on you Fungus.

[Fungus]

Damnit  ... blame on you Fungus.

That's two.   

[Electro Detective]

Or buy a fleet of Fluke 18x. 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lot-of-4-Fluke-187-189-Multimeters-for-Parts-or-Repair/233425795873?hash=item365942fb21:g:BXMAAOSwR9Nd6tJB

What's the bet all four have zapped fuses and or battery corrosion that killed them, assuming they are dead dead 

including the one with broken screen

or some in-house can do jack of all tries had a go at the CAL and botched it 

[Fungus]

What's the bet all four have zapped fuses and or battery corrosion that killed them, assuming they are dead dead 

The description says all four of them have battery corrosion, so... keep your money. 

I bet the price goes way high though and it's $209 shipping to where I live. I'll pass.

[Gandalf_Sr]

Hmmm, 4 x Fluke 189 (actually one is a 187) for $200ish?  Sounds like an purchase for a masochist; I'm pretty sure that, if my life depended on it, I could make 1 good one from the 4 broken ones but I can buy a good used one for $200 anyway so why go to all the hassle? I suppose if you made 2 good ones you could sell one.

The Fluke 101 is OK but I wouldn't buy it because it has no current measurement.  If anyone in the US wants one, they are available on Amazon Prime now for $40.50 US.

I gave my Fluke 117 to my son who needed it for house electrical work but I don't miss it.  I was going to replace it with a Fluke 289 but gave up as the prices used are silly ($330 US and higher). Instead I picked up a used Keysight U1242C for $205 US on the eBay Keysight store - mine even came with the serial-USB optical cable.  The U1242C turned out to be a great meter that I think is positioned against the Fluke 87 V but with 2,000 readings in-meter storage capability plus the Keysight data logger software is free and very usable; it also takes the U1117A Bluetooth adapter that links to my iPhone.

[bd139]

For electronics work I rarely if ever use current these days. I usually use a resistor in circuit as a shunt and measure voltage. Mainly because I'm lazy and utterly fed up of having to rewire everything to make a single measurement.

[BravoV]

Same here, I rarely or almost never used my DMM for current measurement, I think the last time I did that probably a decade ago.

Most of my handheld DMMs, especially the high end ones are "plugged" at the current terminals, either to stop dust accumulating there, or stupid accident. Photo of my 287 with the plugs below.



And another reason I took the dive on this 101 is the size. As I consider it has a niche sized DMM and yet quality build, as sometimes I experienced awkward positions using ordinary sized DMM, either at a tight space like in car or other tight cramped area in small enclosure, or the distance is quite far that the standard wires length of the probes are not long enough, while bringing the DMM side by side close to the measuring point is quite hard as the space limitation, and difficult to place the DMM in there, especially with huge DMM like Fluke 28x, even 87V still considered quite big, this tiny 101 just fits in for this purpose. 

[Gyro]

For electronics work I rarely if ever use current these days. I usually use a resistor in circuit as a shunt and measure voltage. Mainly because I'm lazy and utterly fed up of having to rewire everything to make a single measurement.

It's not laziness, it's common sense. It's rare that there isn't somewhere in the circuit that you can't derive current from voltage drop, and without the additional burden voltage of the meter.

My bench meters don't even have current ranges (they do have useful 10mV ranges though). I've built up a set of current shunts that can be 'permanently' wired in circuit which I can chose to minimise burden.

[bd139]

In my case the laziness arrived before the common sense did 

[joeqsmith]

joe hasn't managed to zap one yet, he's taken out Fluke 87Vs, etc., but not a 101.

That is a true statement.  During my first round of testing,  I ran the Fluke 101 up to 13KV, 2ohm source, 100us FWHH with no damage.   I later ran it up to 12KV 2ohm source 50us FWHH with no damage. 

I also ran the Fluke 107 to a whopping 14KV, 100us FWHH, 2ohm source without any damage!  I've only had two other meters survive at that level and both were modified to pull it off.   One happens to be a somewhat clone of the 107.


Along with the fact of how old my 189s are,  Fluke knows how to design both a mechanically and electrically robust meter.     I would fork over a $100 for the best case and one of the switch contacts from that bunch of 18x.   Maybe the buyer will part them out.     

[Shock]

I've used the Fluke 101, I think they make a great gift and not much that you can mess up on them. Since I own a Fluke 112 that is my preferred small multimeter. It's a bit older but has True RMS and the basic features.

[Black Phoenix]

I've used the Fluke 101, I think they make a great gift and not much that you can mess up on them. Since I own a Fluke 112 that is my preferred small multimeter. It's a bit older but has True RMS and the basic features.

Good memories this one makes me remember. My first contact with Fluke was with this one, the Fluke 112 during my vocational degree in Industrial Electronics. I agree, simple smaller greater.

[Fungus]

I've used the Fluke 101, I think they make a great gift and not much that you can mess up on them. Since I own a Fluke 112 that is my preferred small multimeter. It's a bit older but has True RMS and the basic features.

They don't make those any more though. 

nb. That's the sort of meter Fluke should be making more of, not that stupid "MAX" thing...  (IMHO  )