Fluke Fluff

[Shock]

Finally got my two "ultimate" (LOL) bench meters, so it's time to move up in the world.

After some prolonged Ebay trawling, (in US dollars) came to $120 for both combined. Total savings of approx $890 and shipping buying them new here. I did trade another Fluke as part of the deal which saved $30 or so.

A lot of rubbing former owners grime off the Fluke 87V restored it. The Fluke 117 ended up being as best as I can tell, brand new.

The deals I passed on were two Fluke 87Vs at around $160 each, two dirt cheap Fluke 117s one which was practically free but the seller scared me off.

The golden missed deal of the century, a sub $100 Fluke 289 that had a poor listing (owner replaced it with some cheap meter because the Fluke 289 was too fancy). A couple of years ago I hesitated and missed out on another "buy it now" expensive Fluke.

So now in true EEVblog fashion I will say all Chinese brand meters are junk and you're wasting your money. Joking, but after seriously sampling the secondhand Fluke market and buying over a dozen Flukes under $30 each (20 and 70 series) and some slightly more expensive 110 series it redefines wasting $100 on a Chinese brand when there's plenty of secondhand deals around.

[retiredcaps]

After some prolonged Ebay trawling, (in US dollars) came to $120 for both combined.

That is an excellent deal.

When the Canadian dollar was par with the US dollar and USPS shipping rates were reasonable, I would buy broken Fluke meters for under $20 USD.  Sometimes I would get a good deal on a working meter for under $100 like a Fluke 87V or 18x.

But those days are long gone and I haven't look on ebay in nearly 3 or 4 years now.

[Shock]

That is an excellent deal.

When the Canadian dollar was par with the US dollar and USPS shipping rates were reasonable, I would buy broken Fluke meters for under $20 USD.  Sometimes I would get a good deal on a working meter for under $100 like a Fluke 87V or 18x.

But those days are long gone and I haven't look on ebay in nearly 3 or 4 years now.

I did exactly the same. When the US exchange rate returned to normal and shipping prices went up it made things a little sad.  I have a bit of a workaround in place for shipping now (I do my own) which makes it a little less expensive.

The Fluke 117 is really just because it has LoZ and Voltalert which is a bit extravagant. I've got two Uni-T 71Ds for logging and my shelf queens are two Keithley 179s. Plus I'm keeping spare sets of Fluke 27/FMs for voltage/current monitoring.

I'm not really compelled to have a billion features on a handheld DMM nor digits but may just upgrade the Keithleys next. Sort of a work in progress like everyones bench I guess.

I feel a purge coming though, as I'm expanding to critical mass. It's like keeping children from a former marriage, you know you love them but they are occupying all the rooms.

[Shock]

FWIW, the Continuity/buzzer and Min Max modes on these are killa, the AutoHOLD on the 87V is addictive...
and speaking from experience you will need a 289 to complete the Trilogy... when the wallet recovers 

Thanks I'll do some comparisons. I've only played with the Fluke 87V a little so far and need to sit down with it. I was quite impressed with the DC mV range, forget what I was doing at the time, watching a circuit discharge or something exciting like that hahah.

Yeah I want, I've been coveting the Fluke 287 BravoV and the Fluke 289 Shahriar has as I keep seeing images of them.

Something I do have though now is a Fluke 98B Series II Scopemeter in the repair pile. It's a bit of an oddball scope but the price was a giveaway. I'm hoping it's a supply problem, my preliminary testing seemed to indicate it's having issues drawing startup current.

Here is a photo another user posted of his in mint condition. I did get most of the case candy with my Fluke 98B but it will need some TLC to get it this sparkly.

[PTR_1275]

There are definitely bargains out there on the flukes. I’ve bought a 289, 381, 233, 1587FC (new in box), 724 and then a 725(new in box but 6 years old). All up it’s cost around 2 grand.

Each meter has its specific use and application in my line of work. Most of them can’t be matched easily with cheapies. A mate has a Fluke 28 ex (got it for a similar price to the standard 28 on eBay) and that’s a solid meter.

[Shock]

There are definitely bargains out there on the flukes. I’ve bought a 289, 381, 233, 1587FC (new in box), 724 and then a 725(new in box but 6 years old). All up it’s cost around 2 grand.

Each meter has its specific use and application in my line of work. Most of them can’t be matched easily with cheapies. A mate has a Fluke 28 ex (got it for a similar price to the standard 28 on eBay) and that’s a solid meter.

Nice set of meters, I'll have to pretend for now my Fluke 27/FMs are like your mates Fluke 28 II Ex . My whole workshop is probably the same price as that meter alone.

You reminded me with your clamp meter, I have a Fluke 322 for repair with a display issue that needs scoping and a few Fluke Y8100 Current Probes to restore which might be useful for something.

[Shock]

Ok it appears I have another new old multimeter (I know right?), needs a little TLC but is operational.
Wondering if it's even worth messing with. Anyone know which model in the 80s series this is?

[Shock]

FWIW, the Continuity/buzzer and Min Max modes on these are killa, the AutoHOLD on the 87V is addictive...

You're right, I tested the continuity on the Fluke 87V and it's very quick to beep.
The Fluke 117 seems fast as well but the bar display seems slightly quicker on the 87V.

[Shock]

Clean the sockets, plugs, probe tips on both meters and enjoy real deal speed   
The Fluke 189 is the quickest I've come across (it has a bird chirp instead of beep)  but the 87V is like only a hair behind in the race 
If you want to get some serious troubleshoot trace work done quickly, look no further than what you have 

I gave the Fluke 87V the clean from hell when I got it, the sockets were clogged. The Fluke 117 is immaculate I think it's probably been only used half a dozen times.

They are both very fast, probe tip cleaning makes a huge difference, it's a pity the bananas are harder. They could benefit from a comparative accuracy/calibration check though. I might line up a few and see who is the odd one out.

The meter above looks like an 83, 85 or 87, the first series, hard to tell which of the three   
It should have top notch performance too, and IIRC a bit more responsive than the 117
and if it gives you any grief, loads of posts here about fixing them

Couldn't tell from photos so I tore it down, with the cover off I can faintly see it's a Fluke 87. So apparently I have two now. Random, as I wasn't really trying for a second but pulled the trigger on the price (rather than the model). I think you're right it looks like the first series and I can see photos with Fluke 87s with blue buttons.

Is there any other way to tell the model without reading the label on this series?

While it was apart I checked the fuses, it seems to zero out ok. Another filthy one, I am not in love with it at all.

[BravoV]

Next aim ... Fluke 189 ... duck&cover&run .... 

[Shock]

Next aim ... Fluke 189 ... duck&cover&run .... 

Whats better Fluke 180 series or 280 series, and which model?

[BravoV]

Whats better Fluke 180 series or 280 series, and which model?

Well, for me as I own 287 (similar to 289) and 189, word better is subjective as 28X series is more for logging meter with high accuracy, graphic display for log view & deep memory, while 189 ... subjectively of course, to me is the most versatile daily use grab meter as it boots really fast (hate 28X boot time) and with a really sharp & contrast LCD display compared to 28X, also feature wise is really good too especially for electronics instead of electrician work like 87X does. And 18X models use 4 AA cells. 

The 28X models are the successor of 18X which is discontinued.

Used Fluke 189 which I scored while ago.



Size comparisons between this popular Fluke models => 87V 189 287.

BBB .. the Beauty, the Beast and the Brick. 

[Shock]

BBB .. the Beauty, the Beast and the Brick. 

That's not a brick, this is a brick!
Might be too extravagant in the immediate future. I wouldn't know where to put all the numbers on those big displays.

(image removed)

[Rabid Badger]

I've had my Fluke 87V/117 pair for going on 4 years now.  They compliment each other nicely.

I got the 117 when my old Craftsman died.  I knew nothing about meters or electronics in general at the time except that Fluke was supposed to be good.  Then I saw Dave's review of the 117 (the first EEVBlog video I ever watched) and heard him say that my shiny new meter was useless for electronics.

"Well shit, what does this crazy Australian think is a good electronics meter?"

I eventually found his 87V review, bought one, and subsequently fell into the electronics hobbyist rabbit hole from which I've yet to emerge.

Thanks a lot, Dave.   

[shteii01]

there was an eBay guide to flukes.  one of eBay regulars wrote it. if I recall right, series 1 and series 2 have the lightning bolt, series 3 is when they started listing cat rating. find that guide, very useful.

[Shock]

Here is the end result a few years later.
Aside from a box of boards for repair I'm about done.

[bdunham7]

The scopemeter didn't make it? 

[med6753]

Ok it appears I have another new old multimeter (I know right?), needs a little TLC but is operational.
Wondering if it's even worth messing with. Anyone know which model in the 80s series this is?

That is indeed a first generation 87 as shown here.

[Shock]

The scopemeter didn't make it? 

Still have it but it needs some more work. The repair pile is huge.

[Shock]

I added a new pair of Fluke TL71 leads to the Fluke 87, cleaned it up and gave it away to a beginner, so happy it will finally get some use. Thanks to H.O for supplying a (free) new old stock front cover to replace the old one.

[NoisyBoy]

That is very generous and a very lucky beginner