Best Multimeter? Fluke, Fieldpiece, others?

gerryb

Well-Known Member
TECHNICAL Contributor
Oct 12, 2006
1,974
Somers Point, NJ
Boat Info
"On Vacation"
2006 40 Sundancer
Raymarine E125 & HD Radar + Garmin 5208
Engines
QSB5.9 380 Cummins
Have several chinese models around the house and boat which have served the purpose but now looking to get something better. I want to be able to use it for automotive, mechanical, hvac, and electrical component testing (diodes, resistors, etc). An all-around quality piece that will be my "go-to" multimeter. Any recommendations? Doing initial research and I have a headache. A very large range of prices, models, features and opinions. What multimeter do you use troubleshooting boat/electrical issues and what feature do you find more useful than you thought it would be?
 
If you can find an old fluke 75 - 77 they are really rugged, cheap and easy to get along with.
Peak hold is a nice feature for working in cramped places. Put your leads on what you want to measure, wait for the beep, remove the leads and the reading is held

I should probably mention that a 77 was my test and engineering meter for the better part of 20 years.
80 series might be easier to find now days.
 
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I have been a Fluke fan for many years also - strongly recommended.

Dale
 
Another +1 on the Fluke 77. I've had mine for about 25 years. It's rugged, reliable, durable, and accurate. The newer meters have a lot more bells and whistles but for volts, ohms, and amps it can't be beat.
 
I should probably also mention the 77 that I was talking about is the really old series 1.
Grey in color.
There were 3 models in the series 73, 75, 77.
If memory serves, the 73 did not have peak hold.
 
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Well it seems a consensus, Fluke! I'll add mine is going on 20 years and works flawlessly.

Matt


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Fluke. I own several and have used many of their other products as well. Thermal cameras, otdr... Their stuff works and lasts.
 
Fluke 87-V. Awesome tool.
 
Fluke have the rep as being the best, and are extremely respected.

In a cheaper range, I would strongly recommend the UNI-T if they are available there. We have sold them here for over 15 years, and I have never heard anything back but compliments on them.


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Thanks for the unanimous feedback! Proud to say that I was just the winning bidder on a new Fluke 179. I definitely had to have the AUTOHOLD feature. That's something I think would by now be a pretty standard feature on all meters -:huh: - extremely useful when you can't focus on the probes and the screen at the same time (which is most of the time when working in a boat engine room).
 
Any Fluke 87 (I, III, V) is perfect. Finding an 87 model in Automotive version (extra accessories are included) can be a benefit for boat usage.

Else Brymen series if you want to go cheaper but still great.

I use Fluke 287/289 but that is because I use them for my other electronics work. They are darn precise and my 7 year one just passed calibration inspection within 0.05% of their official testers measurements. But that might be overkill and they eat batteries for breakfast, lunch and dinner - and starts up slow.

Btw I think Fluke 87 got lifetime warranty like my 287/289's. Warranty does not cover battery leakage though!! I got 2 of mine on eBay defective and got them repaired for free :) (So < $150 for a $550 meter)

I won't agree with Ian (sorry Ian since you sell them ....) on the Uni-T's they are simply not worth the money - they are the overpriced China meters - often missing important FUSES inside. (Ian - check out your fellow "Australian not Austrian" Dave's review's on EEVBlog....) so their CAT XXX ratings are often pure bull..... The same "Model number" like Uni-T 61 - can be found in many different versions - some with fuses - some without - so it is too much of a jungle to find one that is safe for both you and the instrument. But when they work they work OK - but finding the right one at the right price is not easy. Where I am they are only 30% less expensive than Fluke - so not worth it at all.
 
...What will this do that my $50 Craftsman does not? ...

The short answer is not much that you would need on a boat.

The thing about Flukes as you can probably tell from the posts is they just last.
And for the old 70 series they do just what you need on a boat with out some of the extras that you will never need.

There are meters made that can do all kinds of bizarre crap. (transistor gain functions !?)
The only thing I could possibly use on my old fluke that is doesn't have is frequency for checking the genny. Most all meters now do this.

I've got an unholy expensive Keithley 2001 that I think would do my dishes if I just took time to read the manual, but is way out of place on a boat.
Conversely, I've got an old BK Precision that has a rotary dial that can't even auto range - it lives at the bottom of my tool bucket in the garage.

I'd be willing to bet the Craftsman DMM you have will do all that you need and probably some stuff you will never use.

-Mike
 
Can't beat a Fluke. I have one that is 35+ years old and still works great.
 

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