Alternative DMMs to Fluke?
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From: Keith on 6 Apr 2006 22:04 On Thu, 06 Apr 2006 12:13:09 -0700, DaveC wrote: > Not that there's anything wrong with Flukes, inherently, but I like having > choices. > > Are there other brands that are considered as good quality as Fluke? > I've had a few Fluke 77s for fifteen or so years. No problems, except one wandered off so I bought a pile of $3 HarborFreight DVMs to put in tool boxes and lend to possible thiefs. They're the sacrificial lambs so the Flukes stay warm and dry on the workbench in the cellar. -- Keith
From: Ben Miller on 6 Apr 2006 22:30 www.bmillerengineering.com "Joel Kolstad" <JKolstad71HatesSpam(a)yahoo.com> wrote in message news:123b9jjioi43924(a)corp.supernews.com... > AC!). I used to own a Fluke 87 and was annoyed that it suffered from the > then-common problem of the zebra strip separating from the LCD, thereby > causes various LCD segments to fail. A quick trip through a Panavise > fixed it for good... or at least until I sold it some time later. For what it is worth to anyone with that problem, there is a relatively inexpensive display retrofit kit available all the time on eBay that replaces the zebra stripe with a newer type, and also upgrades the display itself and the backlight. It is worth the money if you want to update a Fluke 80 series meter. Mine has been working great, and the new display has larger characters. > P.P.S. -- They're really pretty awful, but you can buy a *lot* of those > $2.99 Harbor Freight meters for the price of a Fluke...! And you can have them blow up in your hand due to inadequate safety design. It happens! Probably not an issue for a homeowner doing troubleshooting around the house, but forget them if you do industrial work. Buy one of the major brands that has an IEC CAT III or CAT IV rating at least 600V. As for my preference, my field multimeters are Fluke, and I like their reliability. However, I suspect that other major brands such as Tektronix, Amprobe, etc. would be fine as well. I recommend against Rat Shack, Harbor Freight, etc. for serious work, both for reliability and safety reasons. Ben Miller -- Benjamin D. Miller, PE B. MILLER ENGINEERING
From: Charles Perry on 6 Apr 2006 22:53 "DaveC" <me(a)privacy.net> wrote in message news:0001HW.C05AB65500439BB9F04075B0(a)news.readfreenews.net... > Not that there's anything wrong with Flukes, inherently, but I like having > choices. > > Are there other brands that are considered as good quality as Fluke? > > Thanks, > -- > DaveC > me(a)privacy.net > This is an invalid return address > Please reply in the news group > I prefer Fluke. All of our lab technicians and field engineers use them. I would recommend Tektronix, but they have discontinued their DMM line. Charles Perry P.E.
From: Michael on 7 Apr 2006 11:10 Jim Thompson wrote: > > On Thu, 6 Apr 2006 16:37:20 -0700, "Joel Kolstad" > <JKolstad71HatesSpam(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > > [snip] > > > >I own a Tektronix TX1 that seems pretty indestructable; I like it (although I > >wish it would remember whether you were last measuring AC or DC when you > >change it from voltage to, e.g., ohms and back -- it always defaults back to > >AC!). I used to own a Fluke 87 and was annoyed that it suffered from the > >then-common problem of the zebra strip separating from the LCD, thereby causes > >various LCD segments to fail. A quick trip through a Panavise fixed it for > >good... or at least until I sold it some time later. > > > >---Joel Kolstad > > > >P.S. -- Another pretty common question on here is what college students should > >get for meters, and my response to them is also not to bother with a premium > >brand until they're really figured out what features they like in a meter and > >just how abusive they are with them. :-) > > > >P.P.S. -- They're really pretty awful, but you can buy a *lot* of those $2.99 > >Harbor Freight meters for the price of a Fluke...! > > > > I have a Micronta that's served me well for I can't remember how many > years... maybe 20 or more. > > ...Jim Thompson Jim, your post reminds me that my Micronta handheld, model# 22-188, formerly my workhorse which I stashed away years ago as a spare, needs a proper fuse. I'd completely forgotten. I popped the fuse somehow and, because I was hot on some project at the time, kludged an ad hoc repair by soldering wirewrap wire across the blown fuse (and me an engineer!). I gotta replace that fuse! Thanks for the reminder. I would recommend this meter - or similar - to anyone who is just starting in electronics. It was inexpensive and is versitile and accurate enough for the beginner.
From: Joel Kolstad on 7 Apr 2006 11:37
"Charles Perry" <pipesandtobacco(a)hotmail.com> wrote in message news:49m2i6FpaadbU1(a)individual.net... > I prefer Fluke. All of our lab technicians and field engineers use them. I > would recommend Tektronix, but they have discontinued their DMM line. I was surprised to learn that HP (now Agilent) used to make handheld meters -- some guys at work have them; I've always thought of them only as the source of 6 1/2+ digit "bench top" meters in the $1000+ range. |