# Fluke meter, which one is right for me?



## hdgeno777 (Jan 19, 2014)

Looking at purchasing my first Fluke meter, and there's so many to choose from I'm having a little trouble deciding which one to buy. I've been in the trade for almost 15 years, 10 years now as a journeyman.

I work in northern Alberta, it's far away from cities, so naturally I end up doing a little of everything. Service work, commercial and light industrial construction, and controls are the things I do the most. Currently working on BMS installs in two buildings.

Of all the things I do, controls wiring is certainly my favourite, and seems to be my strength. All that being said, which meter would be the one I should go with? I'd someday like to have a Fluke 773, but that's not going to happen right now. Thanks in advance for the help!


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## Jhellwig (Jun 18, 2014)

I do instrumentation a lot and have hardly ever had a need for a 773. Get a 179 or an 87V.


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## BrettC (Apr 10, 2016)

I like the 117. 

http://www.fluke-direct.com/products/search?search=117

I also like this lead set:

http://www.fluke-direct.com/product/fluke_tl220_suregrip_industrial_test_lead_set

The 117 should be able to handle all of your needs and it won't break the bank.


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## Corysan (Jan 20, 2017)

87V will do nearly everything you will need in the trade. Supplement it with a decent amp meter, stand alone is better than an accessory clamp. You will need little else for the rest of your career.


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## Jhellwig (Jun 18, 2014)

BrettC said:


> I like the 117.
> 
> http://www.fluke-direct.com/products/search?search=117
> 
> ...


I have a 117 and don't care for it. To clunky and the selector switch sucks.


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## hdgeno777 (Jan 19, 2014)

Thanks for the replies so far! I was looking at the 117/323 combo, and the price is more in the range I was looking to spend. That being said, I'd be willing to spend more if it means I end up with a better/longer lasting meter. The 87V is one I keep going back to in my research, and I like what I see in the 179. Keep the advice coming, more is better


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## hdgeno777 (Jan 19, 2014)

On the 87v, do I just buy a clamp and then I'm able to read mA signals? I'm prolly too tired to make this decision tonight lol


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## BrettC (Apr 10, 2016)

hdgeno777 said:


> Thanks for the replies so far! I was looking at the 117/323 combo, and the price is more in the range I was looking to spend. That being said, I'd be willing to spend more if it means I end up with a better/longer lasting meter. The 87V is one I keep going back to in my research, and I like what I see in the 179. Keep the advice coming, more is better


They're just really different meters with different features. The 117 and 87V are comparable in size and I personally find them pretty similar in the hand. But they do have different ranges and features for different applications. The 117 has a Lo-Z feature which can be useful but is somewhat redundant if you have a solenoid voltage tester (a real one, not one of those "digital" ones) and the 87V will have more industrial applications. I have both. The 117 I had in school and keep around the house and the 87V I have at my job in the steel mill. the 87V is certainly a more robust meter. Eventually you might have both. 

FWIW I also have a Klein meter with similar features to the 117 and would not recommend it; stick with Fluke.


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## hdgeno777 (Jan 19, 2014)

I currently have an Ideal 61-766, so I'm guessing that the no matter which Fluke I get it should be better


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## Jlarson (Jun 28, 2009)

Never really been a 87V fan. Used a lot of 87 series but never bought one of my own.

789, 1587, 289 for me, I figure if I'm paying fluke prices might as well get all the features I need. I use the 789 all the time troubleshooting and commissioning. 

I do have a little 112, simple but the little bugger is tough and reliable. Wish they had kept them instead of making the Chinese 117. Occasionally nib 112's go for cheap.


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## Tortuga (Sep 22, 2014)

I've got an 87V, 116, 323, 376 and T5-1000. I like the 87V the most, it's got all the features I need and it reads a lot faster than the others. I normally keep that and the T5 in my bag I carry every day.


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## Corysan (Jan 20, 2017)

> On the 87v, do I just buy a clamp and then I'm able to read mA signals?


You can get a milliamp meter accessory clamp. This is really unnecessary as you can read it directly through the meter if you can open the circuit to put your meter in series in milliamps. For a clamp, I recommend a stand alone because you can take voltage readings and current readings at the same time. Whatever you get, you will definitely want a low pass filter on it. You need it to accurately measure VFD output. If you are not working with VFD's now, you will someday. The are becoming more and more prevalent as price comes down. IMO, 87V might not be the perfect DMM, but it is the most well rounded for electrical work. That said, 90% + of your testing can be done with a good clamp meter- if you only want one meter for general purpose.


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## Corysan (Jan 20, 2017)

P.S. most of your readings will be volts, amps, continuity. It sucks not having the capability to test something like a capacitor or a diode when you need it. The guys who don't like the 87V, they probably do more than the features on the 87V allow, it has too many features that are unnecessary for them, or the price is too high. I think that you need to consider what kind of work you do now. What kind of testing capabilities you need regularly, and what capabilities would really be helpful that you don't already have. Then consider where you want to go with your skills. The biggest key to a DMM is to really understand how to use it for al that it can do, or you will be wasting money, and your potential.


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## B-Nabs (Jun 4, 2014)

I love love love my 376. I do commercial construction (mostly renovation), and it does everything I need and more. First I had a 374, and my only problem with that meter is that it only reads up to 6K ohms of resistance, so is not very good for working on fire alarms where the EOL resistors are often 10K. Other than that they're nearly the same meter. I've considered getting a DMM but don't desperately need one, and I'm not sure which I would go for. The thing that attracted me to the 37x meters was the ability to clamp DC current. It's not a feature I use very often, but it has come in very handy. For instance in a place where I was supposed to add heads to an existing emergency battery pack, rather than walking around counting heads and guessing etc, I could just clamp the output and test the pack, and immediately know how much room I had to play.


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## LuckyLuke (Jun 1, 2015)

If you do a little of everything then a fluke 289 with a clamp on would be my go to choice for sure.


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

I've got several Flukes and love them all. I'd go with two meters instead of using a amp clamp accessory with a DMM. There are times you want simultaneous current and voltage readings.

I like the 87V, 117, and 77 meters. Just make a list of the ranges you want to read in and go from there along with price.


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## hdgeno777 (Jan 19, 2014)

I ended up buying the 117/323 combo on Amazon. Thanks a bunch for all the advice, and the next one I buy will likely be the 87v or the 179.


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## MechanicalDVR (Dec 29, 2007)

hdgeno777 said:


> I ended up buying the 117/323 combo on Amazon. Thanks a bunch for all the advice, and the next one I buy will likely be the 87v or the 179.


Best of luck with them, you should be very happy with that choice.


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## Flyingsod (Jul 11, 2013)

hdgeno777 said:


> I ended up buying the 117/323 combo on Amazon. Thanks a bunch for all the advice, and the next one I buy will likely be the 87v or the 179.


I have a suggestion. I don't know what you have now but if you don't have one make your next selection an analogue meter.

Aside from that bank the money for an 87v and earn some interest till you find yourself in actual need of one. Barring an anomaly I think you'll be surprised how long the 117 and 323 Will be sufficient.





Sent from my C6725 using Tapatalk


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## Cemo (Feb 5, 2011)

My favourites for controls


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