What's a great Fluke Multimeter model for working on amps?

  • Thread starter Thread starter harddriver
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PLX said:
The Fluke multimeters you get nowadays are manufactured in the USA, the UK, Asia, and The Netherlands.

They were bought by Danaher Corp in '98
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All the ones I have seen say Made In the USA on the back so far.
 
I'm still taking all the information at hand to make a final decision.

The Brymen's don't look bad at all really but I think I want a Fluke.:2thumbsup:
 
Well... after much deliberation on the matter I decided on a Fluke 177 model. I purchased it new off of of Ebay for a good price. I went with the 177 because the only thing it did not have was temperature/thermocouple testing that the 179 had and I didn't need all the bells and whistles that the 87V had. It tesst for capacitance and has a 1000V range both AC and DC and all the other basic parameters I needed and the fact that it is still USA made makes a big difference for me.

All the UPC numbers seemed to check out and cross reference with Actual Fluke UPC codes with a seller with 3,200 100% Ebay sales so I just went ahead and bought it new.

My first Fluke, I'm excited...........does that make me an electronics nerd?:yes: Thanks again for all the help gents, I appreciate you guys!:2thumbsup:
 
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harddriver said:
Well... after much deliberation on the matter I decided on a Fluke 177 model. I purchased it new off of of Ebay for a good price. I went with the 177 because the only thing it did not have was temperature/thermocouple testing that the 179 had and I didn't need all the bells and whistles that the 87V had. It tesst for capacitance and has a 1000V range both AC and DC and all the other basic parameters I needed and the fact that it is still USA made makes a big difference for me.

All the UPC numbers seemed to check out and cross reference with Actual Fluke UPC codes with a seller with 3,200 100% Ebay sales so I just went ahead and bought it new.

My first Fluke, I'm excited...........does that make me an electronics nerd?:yes: Thanks again for all the help gents, I appreciate you guys!:2thumbsup:
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Nothing wrong with just wanting a Fluke that’s made in USA. Having one good one is definitely a good idea.

You may find you’ll need more than one meter in the future - don’t fully discredit other meters just because they aren’t made in USA. Even fluke sells models that aren’t made in USA.

I personally have 4 of those brymen meters and various different probes of all types based on what I need. Just don’t spend to just spend. You’re paying for the USA and the lifetime warranty that doesn’t cover user error, which 99% of the problems with meters fall under.

I’m not anti USA on test equipment but if a DUT fault causes meter damage, I’d rather cook one that’s $120 than $420.

Congrats again on the meter! Once again having one known solid meter is an excellent investment and it will last ages. Be sure to go ahead and invest in replacement fuses for it. They’re quite expensive but if you’re in the middle of something and a fuse goes, you’ll want some extras on hand so you can pop it in and go. If you have any further questions feel free to send a PM.
 
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I use the Amprobe AM500.

Andy Marshall turned me on to them a few years ago. I don't use any of my Fluke anymore since.
They are like $50.
 
glpg80 said:
Nothing wrong with just wanting a Fluke that’s made in USA. Having one good one is definitely a good idea.

You may find you’ll need more than one meter in the future - don’t fully discredit other meters just because they aren’t made in USA. Even fluke sells models that aren’t made in USA.

I personally have 4 of those brymen meters and various different probes of all types based on what I need. Just don’t spend to just spend. You’re paying for the USA and the lifetime warranty that doesn’t cover user error, which 99% of the problems with meters fall under.

I’m not anti USA on test equipment but if a DUT fault causes meter damage, I’d rather cook one that’s $120 than $420.

Congrats again on the meter! Once again having one known solid meter is an excellent investment and it will last ages. Be sure to go ahead and invest in replacement fuses for it. They’re quite expensive but if you’re in the middle of something and a fuse goes, you’ll want some extras on hand so you can pop it in and go. If you have any further questions feel free to send a PM.
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I looked at the Brymen's and they looked like quality meters no doubt and actually made in Taiwan is a plus to me when looking at quality electronic items. I just have wanted a USA Fluke for quite a while but my old go to meters( I have 3) have worked fine for years but they are approaching their end of life span so I got more motivated to get something new! I didn't pay 400$ for mine. You can find the 177 from 250-300ish which was what I paid. I'm happy with the price so I hope the meter lives up to my expectations.:2thumbsup:

I'll keep my eyes out for some smaller Fluke 115-117's or even a Brymen but I didn't see a US distributor when I searched them, maybe I missed it but my mind was already set on a Fluke so I didn't dig further. Thanks for suggesting fuse's for the Fluke, I have some extras for my other meters. I did pick up a Probe Master set of test leads and kit for the Fluke, I guess the test leads are kinda cheap according to the hubbub on the net.
 
harddriver said:
I looked at the Brymen's and they looked like quality meters no doubt and actually made in Taiwan is a plus to me when looking at quality electronic items. I just have wanted a USA Fluke for quite a while but my old go to meters( I have 3) have worked fine for years but they are approaching their end of life span so I got more motivated to get something new! I didn't pay 400$ for mine. You can find the 177 from 250-300ish which was what I paid. I'm happy with the price so I hope the meter lives up to my expectations.:2thumbsup:

I'll keep my eyes out for some smaller Fluke 115-117's or even a Brymen but I didn't see a US distributor when I searched them, maybe I missed it but my mind was already set on a Fluke so I didn't dig further. Thanks for suggesting fuse's for the Fluke, I have some extras for my other meters. I did pick up a Probe Master set of test leads and kit for the Fluke, I guess the test leads are kinda cheap according to the hubbub on the net.
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Yeah there’s no us dealer for the brymen stuff. I had to import mine years ago and pay import taxes. Yes even the China fluke stuff is decent and that’s great you have more than one as there are times you need more than one to measure current and voltage. Congrats again
 
harddriver said:
Thanks for all the suggestions and dialogue..........it is appreciated!

Where are the Brymen's made? USA?

Looks like Taiwan? I still like the fact that the Fluke is USA made. I found a nice 87V Fluke somewhat nearby for a decent price but sometimes on things like this new is the way to go that way you know it wasn't zapped by the previous owner......:yes::dunno:
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87V's have protection against hitting ohm's with voltage if it matters, Ive accidentally done it in my work while switching through a bunch of testing and it never blinked :doh:
 
Well I received my Fluke 177 and.......................................................... it is a USA model new in the box with all the Fluke paperwork. The Ebay seller was awesome and super super quick with the shipping and honest. I couldn't be happier, I checked it out yesterday used it some, LUV it.......Luv the backlight display button.

The unit is built well and the test leads aren't as crappy as people on the internet was saying but oh well I have some from probe master coming anyway. It's seems much better with my old expensive large Craftsman multimeter from over a decade ago, it's probably way better on accuracy and made in USA baby!:yes::2thumbsup:

For small jobs my old Radio shack multimeters did the jobs just fine but it will be nice to relegate them to the shit jobs now!

Thanks again for all your recommendations!:2thumbsup:
 
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Dave M said:
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That’s what happens to Green Horns toying
around in main breaker boxes instead of keeping
the damn jobsite clean & mean.
 
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