# Fluke not what it used to be anymore?



## electricmanscott (Feb 11, 2010)

Hello, welcome to 2011.


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## Edrick (Jun 6, 2010)

Here's the problem if you want a company to continue to offer those services we the customer have to stand up and do something about it.

Fluke is not for the regular consumer and as such if the electricians and network guys actually make a fuss about it they will listen because unlike the regular consumer who just buys the bottom of the line junk you guys buy something for it's quality and if enough people actually do something about it they will listen.


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## user4818 (Jan 15, 2009)

Despite being made in China, Fluke does not seem like junk to me. They likely have a top notch factory making their products. I'm sure it's not some dimly lit place with a dirt floor with children chained to their workstations. :no:


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## Marcus (Mar 30, 2010)

Just because they're made in China doesn't mean the quality is going downhill, does it? Besides, I was told by the guy that calibrates my meters (who is a Fluke dealer/warranty agent) that all the internal components have been made in the Asia region for quite some time but the outer cases have been made in the USA. They stamp 'made in USA' on the meter itself but 99% of the internals are from Asia. Assembled in USA, perhaps? I don't care either way, as Fluke gear has never failed me before (Apart from the leaking batteries in my old T5-600).

Hilti on the other hand, let me down - my new(ish) 22V Li-Ion drill/driver is made in China and the quality of it resembles nothing of Hilti that i have ever owned in the past. I think I'll give them a miss next time I'm shopping for a new drill.


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## ilikepez (Mar 24, 2011)

I haven't used the tech support so I can't comment on that. However some of there newer meters seem to be targeting a cheaper market segment and seem to have a bit less robust construction. They do seem superior to anything else on the market however. 

Still I hope they keep building there high end stuff in the US. I try to avoid buying items made in China.


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## cdnelectrician (Mar 14, 2008)

They have been making their clamp meters in asia for quite awhile, and the lower cost versions of their DMM's are made in asia too. But they higher end instruments I believe are still made in the USA like the 87-V meters etc. (last time I checked) Anyone have a new 87-V meter? If so what does it say on the back?


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## 76nemo (Aug 13, 2008)

Electric_Light said:


> Some of their meters are now China made. I feel that their tech support is not as competent anymore and service materials are much less available now.
> 
> Just until a few years ago, a great variety of replacement parts, including chassis, rotary switch, etc can be purchased through Fluke online store. Much of these parts have disappeared and component level service manuals are not offered on most modern models. These are what made them valuable. If I crack the window, I used to be able to just order the case myself change it out.


 


My initial response matched that of electricmanscott, but I don't want to run the risk of sounding sarcastic.

I disagree with you and Fluke for having service manuals as they did back many years ago, and for a number of reasons. I'll give you a few just so you can get a small glimpse of why that's not offered now.

#1 If you're a supplier of any type of test equipment, do you really think it's a smart idea to list replacement parts and schematics for the unit? Now just give that a few moments thought........I'm not being a smart aleck. Think about that.

If a part goes in one of the companies products and Ralph the repair man takes it upon himself to try and troubleshoot the unit and throw in replacement parts and hope for the best when he returns it to Tim who uses it in a CATIII environment and all hell breaks loose, guess what piece of equipment is going to make the media when the root cause of failure was determined to be the instrument itself?

Any repairs to testing instruments should be done by authorized/qualified technicians. Technicians who are qualified to put the equipment in repair under full load and certify it's CAT compliance. From working on a bench for several years I can't tell you the number of equipment I've seen look fine at idle I/E, and go completely sideways when a good load was put on it. It's a matter of life and death, and I think that was a major flaw on Fluke's part for many years offering that type of information when alot of their equipment was rated CATIII/IV on certain levels. All of the repairs need to meet recent IPC and IEC standards, along with a few others not mentioned.

#2 Many of the components are still available you won't find online. You need to talk to Corp. directly. I bought some gear for my 39 and 1520 that showed discontinued long ago online. Some things may still be available if you get through to a market technician.

#3. The support is still there. Alot of the same support that's been right there along side R&D for many o' years. You won't find a 4 year electronics eng. on the other end. My advice is to be patient with the support team and wait for the right answer. You won't get any half witted opinions from that team. You'll get the answer you're looking for even if it just takes a call back.

#4 As for some of the oversea's stamping compared to "Made in the USA", that's a different conversation in itself, I'll leave this as it is and give the mic back to you.


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## zwodubber (Feb 24, 2011)

I use a Fluke thermal imager and am considering upgrading to a newer model (I use a Ti20). When I started doing research on a new camera including Fluke and Flir, the response I received from Fluke helped keep me on board with them. I received no response from Flir. 

An honest response and they're support is excellent.



"Here is what makes a Fluke thermal imager different from all competitors:

1) Rugged and Reliable... a long Fluke tradition and promise with any test tool we make. We know what happens on the job... and we know that you need to count on your tools regardless of where or how you work.

2) Easy to Use... also something that we believe is crucial. If you can't figure out how to operate the tool, you're probably not going to use it properly, or even use it at all. We keep it simple and make sure that you can figure it out even when you don't have the manual.

3) Superior Image Quality... this tool is an "infrared" imager... so we pay special attention to make sure that it produces the best possible thermal image that the individual specifications allow. In my opinion, we offer the cleanest, clearest images in the industry. I often tell people that "good images" are not only related to one specification or another on a product borchure. There are many things that go into good image quality... thermal sensitivity, spatial resolution, optics, LCD display, electronic processing, palette presentation, etc. Many people have looked at our cameras next to the competition's, and realized that Fluke has found a "secret recipe" for great image quality.

4) Design and Build Quality... we pay attention to the little details of how the imager "feels" in you hand... and how it looks. It is meant to be a tool that you can feel good about and that you can count on, day-after-day. Our founder always said that "the customer should always get a little more than he thought he paid for." This is in our blood.

We may not have the most features... we may not be the lightest... but we are definitely the best. We've been making test tools for over 60 years now, and that is a legacy that we do not take lightly. If you don't believe me, I urge you to take a look at our products next to the competition's and see for yourself."


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## ilikepez (Mar 24, 2011)

cdnelectrician said:


> They have been making their clamp meters in asia for quite awhile, and the lower cost versions of their DMM's are made in asia too. But they higher end instruments I believe are still made in the USA like the 87-V meters etc. (last time I checked) Anyone have a new 87-V meter? If so what does it say on the back?


Yeah its still made in the USA. Same thing with the 27-II and the 28-II. I don't know about the rest of the higher end stuff like the thermal imagers and scope meters.


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## Stan B. (Jul 25, 2008)

I've never done a service call in a Chinese factory.


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## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

electricmanscott said:


> Hello, welcome to 2011.


So true..:no:


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