Get a Fluke DMM

[ak_47_boy]

IMO

Tektronix for scopes
Fluke for multimeter's
HP for everything else

IMO

If you want to measure current use a shunt and a ohms law.

[anatech]

Hi ak_47_boy,
After my demo use of digital oscilloscopes recently, Agilent for 'scopes. I started a short lived thread on what I found. I had each for approximately a week.

The Agilent 6000 series was the nicest unit to use, probably the most reliable. The DPO4000 Tek scopes were bulky and ran stinking hot (this worries me for future problems) and the Agilent 5000 series was pretty good, but you could hear the fan and it was too light so that connecting probes required two hands.

For a bench meter, Agilent again with Fluke coming in second. For a hand held, Fluke. Agilent has come out with a new hand held meter I would like to try.

Fluke also has some new bench generators that should be considered and Tek has come out with some pricey arbitrary waveform generators that might be very good. My gut tells me the Agilent may still be better.

-Chris

[GeeVee]

Hi all.
Reading through this post, it would appear that there are many individuals with good knowledge of DMM's.
About 6 months ago, I managed to pick up at an electronics disposal auction two DMM's.

I got lucky an managed to secure them for a good price.

They are:
FLUKE 85
TEK DMM870

In view of the fact that I already have a FLUKE 87, I dont need all three, and I am looking to sell one of the recently aquired.

Which is the better one, the 85 or the 870?

Thanks in advance for your comments.

Regards,
George.

[anatech]

Hi George,
The Fluke 85 is the better one.

-Chris

[Magura]

Ok, here's an ad for Fluke:

My trusty Fluke 110 went south, 2,5 years old. I had no idea where the reciepe was, as I bought it through a now closed company. It lost the dial, it simply just fell off...well tough luck!

Called up Fluke and asked how much the repairs would set me cack, just to get a hint if the instrument was woth it. The guy asked for the serial number, and said that they had heard of this issue before, and I should just send it to their service center, they would sort it free of charge....I went on about the missing reciepe, and he went, yeah, it dosn't matter, just hand it in anyway.

Now a couple of weeks later, I got a parcel from the service center, containing a brand new Fluke 114 (I sent them a pretty well used Fluke 110)....


I think I'm gonna stick to Fluke for hand held meters

Magura

[lukator]

Fluke multimeters are very good units but they cost much more that their real value, must of the clamps are made in the Orient, before where much better as they where Chauvin Arnoux units from France, now you can find very good instruments from other manufacturers, avoid cheap units from China they are junk... you can buy from the Japanese company Sanwa superb multimeters at less than 1/2 price of a Fluke, aslo some manufactures from Taiwan as Appa are quite good, if you work hard for your money be wise ... don´t give your money away with Fluke 60% of the price is to compensate the high overhead of Danher (Fluke owner)

[anatech]

Hi Luis,
I wish I could agree with you, but after all I've seen in a calibration lab I can not.

Much of the value of a Fluke is unseen on it's face. People who own a good Fluke (they make cheap ones these days) will not buy anything else - and for good reason.

The only meters I would look at and try would be the new Agilent ones, or an Escort. Otherwise, for a hand held, it's a Fluke.

I think it comes down to the fact that if I take a reading, I must be able to depend on the number I am shown on the display.

-Chris

[jleaman]

Originally posted by anatech
Hi Luis,
I wish I could agree with you, but after all I've seen in a calibration lab I can not.

Much of the value of a Fluke is unseen on it's face. People who own a good Fluke (they make cheap ones these days) will not buy anything else - and for good reason.

The only meters I would look at and try would be the new Agilent ones, or an Escort. Otherwise, for a hand held, it's a Fluke.

I think it comes down to the fact that if I take a reading, I must be able to depend on the number I am shown on the display.

-Chris

I agree, i like a meter that is accurate.