×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Which DMM can you recommend?

Which DMM can you recommend?

Which DMM can you recommend?

(OP)
My old digital multimeter has passed away and I'm looking for a new one.

I've looked at the Fluke 175, but find it somewhat pricey. It has the functions that I need, plus some that I don't need, for instance TRMS, where my feeling is that you pay quite a lot for that.

I need:
Resistance
AC/DC voltage up to 1000 V (I can live with 500 V)
AC/DC current up to 10 A
Capacitance, frequency etc. is nice, but not 100% necessary.
Super high precision is also not that important.

Is Fluke that way to go today?
Or can you suggest other brands/types?

Thanks in advance,

Benta.

RE: Which DMM can you recommend?

(OP)
0.3...0.5% is fine.
The Fluke is listed at 199 Euro plus 19% sales tax.
I know I can get much cheaper DMMs, but am looking for something a bit better than "Chinaware", and my question was really if Fluke is still a high-end brand, and which other brands could come into play.

My target price is 100...150 Euro, which should be possible for a quality DMM, that doesn't have things I don't need.

Thanks,

Benta.

RE: Which DMM can you recommend?

All the EE's I know agree that Fluke is still the yardstick by which all other DMM's are measured.

Timelord

RE: Which DMM can you recommend?

If this is something to be used as an engineer in a work environment, just buy the Fluke and forget about it. if it is for your personal or home use, then you can look for bargains.

The Fluke is probably overpriced, but it will be the right color and should perform well - especially if you are prone to dropping things, like me.

RE: Which DMM can you recommend?

Used Flukes turn up on ebay all the time. Or check out Gossen-Metrawatt, Agilent, AVO / Megger. All make decent meters and some of the second-hand ones are an absolute bargain.

RE: Which DMM can you recommend?

I have a Meterman (now Amprobe) and a Fluke meter. The Fluke was more expensive than the Amprobe of course, but when I wanted accuracy, that's where I got it.
Roundabout story - I once bought a Agilent meter. The current measurement never made sense. At first I thought it was me, but then I compared with a Fluke on the same line. I returned the Agilent and bought my own Fluke. Believing the number on the screen is worth most of the money I spent on that one.
Tip: while buying the meter look at the leads and make sure you're getting a set you will prefer to use. The Amprobe came with leads that have aligator clips that unscrew from pointed tip probes, so I can use them both ways. The Fluke didn't come with them so I ended up getting another set of leads. Leads that are insulated with silicone jackets do not get stiff in the cold.

STF

RE: Which DMM can you recommend?

(OP)
Thank You All!

I've looked at your suggestions:

HP: now Agilent
Amprobe: looks good, but for appr. the same specs the price is equivalent to Fluke
Gossen-Metrawatt: the same
Agilent: the same
Megger: the same
Keithley: only tabletop types, I need hand-held.
Extech: worth a closer look.

In the end, I'll probably take the path of least resistance and buy the Fluke. But you have confirmed that Fluke is still the one to go for (the "yardstick").

Best Regards,

Benta.

RE: Which DMM can you recommend?

(OP)
By the way, concerning used test equipment:
I've always shied away from this.
You never know who has used it, and particularly HOW. And for test equipment I need to trust the readings.

Cheers,

Benta.

RE: Which DMM can you recommend?

'ere, 'old on. You require accuracy and yet don't want a meter with true RMS? You need to trust the readings, how, without a TRMS can you, when measuring an AC waveform?

Fluke used to be the yardstick. I'm not sure about their DMMs now days, but like another well known poster on these sites I found their handheld oscilloscopes to be overpriced pieces of ****, with a software interface that was written by a six year old.

Saying that, the DMM I have and gets regular use is a Fluke. A venerable 8020 B model. Had it since about '88. TRMS and all, and cost an absolute bomb back in the day.

RE: Which DMM can you recommend?

(OP)
sibeen, you're right, but like I said, I don't need TRMS and if I can avoid paying for it I prefer that.
In the AC measurements I do, AC peak value is of more interest, and neither TRMS or average can give me that (I use the 'scope for this).

Cheers,

Benta.

RE: Which DMM can you recommend?

sibeen
"their handheld oscilloscopes are overpriced pieces of ****, with a software interface that was written by a six year old"

Did you quote me there? Well, I know you didn't. But I could have said it.

Gunnar Englund
www.gke.org
--------------------------------------
Half full - Half empty? I don't mind. It's what in it that counts.

RE: Which DMM can you recommend?

I hate Fluke. I will always go for my other meters if they're handy. They're cheaper, have 3 times the functions, allow ME some control, often have better leads, and they aren't Flukes.

There is a huge number available. Look for the features you need not the brand. They pretty much all use the same schemes now internally.

Jameco link has the largest offering I've seen. Make some comparisons and you'll see a heck of a lot more bang for your buck than Fluke -The BWM of meters.- (That's not a good thing by-the-way.)

Keith Cress
kcress - http://www.flaminsystems.com

RE: Which DMM can you recommend?

Keith - don't hold it in - let us know how you feel. looking around Very happy with my Fluke DMM. Beyond the DMM, I can't really say much one way or the other.

RE: Which DMM can you recommend?

I don't think Fluke have the huge lead on quality any more, not like they did in the 80's and early 90's. The others have caught up a lot. Fluke's range has increased in breadth so far that they no longer produce a handful of excellent instruments, but produce a multitude of fairly good instruments. The hardware build is generally good, it's the firmware / software / user interface on the more complex instruments which lets them down in usability. And as Gunnar noted a year or two back there are some fairly serious and fundamental problems in a couple of cases.

Their handheld scope (which was the old Phillips design re-badged and tinkered with) was always inferior to the contemporary Tektronix THS range. I'd still take an early 90's Tek scope over the current Fluke one, but that's because Tek are a scope manufacturer and Fluke are a multimeter manufacturer dabbling in scopes.

RE: Which DMM can you recommend?

Scotty, I loved the old (now) THS 720P. I won't state that the software was great, but it was what it was for the times. If one came up on ebay at a reasonable price I'd grab it in a minute.

RE: Which DMM can you recommend?

Giving my 'favourite of all time scopes', undoubtedly the Gould 4084. In the late 80s, so far ahead of anything else, at least in the power game, I still doubt anything has really caught up.

RE: Which DMM can you recommend?

Check out Dave Jones on You Tube called " EEVblog ". He has done some very good and informative DMM reviews/comparisons.
Steve

RE: Which DMM can you recommend?

I remember those scopes, very good for their day. They had a remote unit on a flying lead if I remeber correctly. The ink on the toilet roll printer used to fade!

RE: Which DMM can you recommend?

I have used BK Precision for a good meter with a lower price than a Fluke.

RE: Which DMM can you recommend?

Is it really about price?

I mean, if you do this for a living, the cost of a DMM every fifth year can't be decisive. The price is the last thing I look at.

The way the company that produces/sells the instrument is way more important. At least to me.

If the company tells everyone that you live a dangerous life and are irresponsible if you do not use the instrument with the right color and the right name on it - then I stay away from that company. There are so many others that are good.

Fluke did a good pioneering job a long time ago. I think back in the eighties. Their 8040 was good when it comes to accuracy and specs. But downright dangerous when you looked at the connectors (Cu plate tunnels soldered to the PCB, getting loose so you easily dropped a test lead from it and hit ground or something else). That was when John Fluke Mfg Co asked us what we really wanted. We told JFM and out came the yellow instruments, of which I still have a working 87 (Serial Number 48050551). I love(d) it. Sturdy and lots of measurement capabilities that we never had before (What about two peak measurements? One for motor current peaks, 100 ms, and one for voltage peaks, <1 ms.)

That put JFM back on track. But now, it doesn't even know that it is derailing. That company needs either a completely new board of directors or a bankrupcy.

Their new scope series was a catastrophy. And I still think it is. I haven't heard otherwise.

Re TRMS: If you leave that out - I don't know if I am interested in helping you at all. Scope or not.

Gunnar Englund
www.gke.org
--------------------------------------
Half full - Half empty? I don't mind. It's what in it that counts.

RE: Which DMM can you recommend?

One thing that I really dislike about the cheapo DMM's that I have used, is the slowness of the reading updates. For instance on one meter I have got, it can take several seconds for the ohms to settle.
Whether the meter has effective internal protection against voltage and current overload is something else that could be considered.
A very new Fluke model, the 325 clampmeter, which is quite well priced, is also worth considering.
It does have a lot more capability than the OP wants, but I consider DC amps in a clamp style is a fantastic capability. I have tried one of these and it does look Good.
Ray.

RE: Which DMM can you recommend?

Regardless of brand, make sure you get the appropriate Cat rating.

RE: Which DMM can you recommend?

another vote for fluke

RE: Which DMM can you recommend?

@benta - I keep trying to find something which is better overall than my Fluke meters, but, well, I end up preferring my Flukes. I previously replaced a 20 year old model 77 DMM with a 179 and I *really* like my new 381 clamp meter with the removable wireless display which replaced a 337. I do agree that the Fluke ScopeMeters are terrible - particularly, as others have noted, the software - but that seems to be true with almost all of the current generation of oscilloscopes, regardless of brand (and I include - indeed, highlight - Tektronix in this regard).

@sibeen - I am in 100% agreement with you about the old Tek THS-720P portable oscilloscopes, and I've even called up Tek once or twice to beg them to revive that product line. I still use the THS-710P I purchased brand new in 1997, despite also now owning its theoretically superior replacement, an AEMC/Metrix OX7104-III (but that is a tale for another post...).



RE: Which DMM can you recommend?

Just to keep this thread going... I've surprised myself by grabbing my Extech before my Fluke when they are both available at work. I'll second the vote for Extech.

Z

RE: Which DMM can you recommend?

So originally the question was cost vs. performance. As stated accuracy in not important. In your case like mine 99% of the time we just need to verify 480v is not present when pulling out a fuse or looking for a dead leg. For that I have been using the harbor freight DMM which is free if you got a coupon. I got a whole box full of them in the basement and don't bother replacing the batteries when they go bad just get out a new one. Also don't care too much when they get stolen.

Yes they are total crap and I always verify that the readings are working by checking on a known hot side before reaching in. I also keep a good meter like a fluke for the rare stuff I need an accurate measurement for. So get both a beater for the everyday stuff and on rare occasions blow the dust off a good one.

RE: Which DMM can you recommend?

A discussion on another forum involved getting the warning feature to prevent blown fuses or meters when you rotate the dial to a Volts position but leave the red probe lead connected to the Amps socket.

The Fluke 177 meter was reported to beep a warning and not blow fuse (at 120V) and the Agilent U1242B got kudos for displaying 4-20mA as 0-100%.

RE: Which DMM can you recommend?

Dan the "warn before blowing" is a nice feature. I've probably toasted 20 fuses pulling that boneheaded move. I've had to train myself to always take an amp reading then immediately moving the lead back to the voltage socket.

Keith Cress
kcress - http://www.flaminsystems.com

RE: Which DMM can you recommend?

The Amprobe DMM I have does that too.

STF

RE: Which DMM can you recommend?

I didn't know a generic color could be trademarked.

A US importer recently had a shipment of cheapie Chinese made DMM's denied entry and was required to destroy them because the department of homeland security determined that yellow case was a Fluke trademark infringement.

https://www.sparkfun.com/news/1428

I've got some old Harbor Freight cheapies that have the yellow case and I never confused them for a Fluke, not at $3 each.

Amazing that Fluke can own 'yellow'.

RE: Which DMM can you recommend?

Indeed. Every DMM I have is yellow. Perhaps it was a very specific yellow?

Keith Cress
kcress - http://www.flaminsystems.com

RE: Which DMM can you recommend?

As far as warnings for blowing fuses while on the wrong setting, it's hard to beat my Dranetz. It has a shutter to prevent you from inserting a probe in the current jack when you are in voltage setting, and when the probe is in the voltage jack you can't move to current and vice versa. you couldn't blow a fuse if you tried at least by being on the wrong setting. Plus it's a 500 V Megger too!

RE: Which DMM can you recommend?

Check the Brymen.
They are OEM manufactures and you can find rebranded Brymen DDM under many names like Extech, Greenlee.

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources