Why are Fluke Multitestesters so expensive?

[Escape08]

Yes, it's US made but I'm looking at used ones eBay and there are Flukes selling for more $500. Why would someone pay that kind of money on a used multester? There is a used $30.00 Fluke but it's really old like it's made in the 1970s. A new Cen-Tech multitester sold at HF cost $19.00 sometimes on sale for $14.00 and could do the same but not all.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/204469740771

https://www.harborfreight.com/9-function-digital-multimeter-with-audible-continuity-59410.html

 

[Skippy722]

The Fluke will be safer, more accurate, and maintain its accuracy over time better. The Hazard Freight one is fine if you’re poking around your car or house, but I definitely wouldn’t trust its “600V” rating.

 

[ctechbob]

My model 73 I bought way back in 1997 has been dropped, kicked, frozen, and drug around since I've owned it and it works just like the day I bought it.

I've repaired them a few times, but the silicone leads I bought with the meter still work great as well.

It has paid for itself many times over.

If you're just a home gamer who wants something to use every now and then, go cheap. If you want it to last for years, buy a Fluke (Or another equivalent)

 

[MSCH]

it depends on what a person is working on what sort of multimeter they can get away with.
Fluke's are for people who are working on some very serious stuff where one mistake can be costly or deadly.

 

[Cujet]

I have 2 Fluke 77's and just purchased an Ideal meter from Lowes, as it can measure capacitance of large caps. They are equally accurate as far as I can tell.

I did read that one Ideal owner had his meter fail after a relatively short period of time (maybe 2 years). The Fluke's I have (one of which is 20 years old) and still pass calibration every year.

 

[Astro14]

Yes, it's US made but I'm looking at used ones eBay and there are Flukes selling for more $500. Why would someone pay that kind of money on a used multester? There is a used $30.00 Fluke but it's really old like it's made in the 1970s. A new Cen-Tech multitester sold at HF cost $19.00 sometimes on sale for $14.00 and could do the same but not all.

Are the Flukes really selling for that?

Because that is an asking price, and I often see ridiculous asking prices on eBay.

Fluke builds quality products. I have a couple. But I won’t pay new prices for used gear…

 

[Randol]

I have a Fluke 75 that I bought back in 1983 that still works great, that's 40 years (jeez I'm getting old). Would a HF DMM last that long ? Will a new Fluke last that long.

 

[MSCH]

I have a Fluke 75 that I bought back in 1983 that still works great, that's 40 years (jeez I'm getting old). Would a HF DMM last that long ? Will a new Fluke last that long.

I don't know.. its like me saying I have an old Ingersoll Rand Impact gun that I bought in 1980 and used commercially until retirement.
it still works.. would a Harbor Fright equivalent function for that long with the same amount of use. Then again, if all you need is a cheap meter, why pay for more?

I just remember when I was still working we were working on Allison Hybrid drives and Allison specced using a certain Fluke meter.
reason was the unit itself functions between 600vdc0900vde as well as 600vac/900vac and if you screw up it might be the end of you.

 

[97K15004WD]

I have Fluke Meters. I work with them most every day. I literally trust my life to them.

Worth every penny.

 

[Skippy722]

Are the Flukes really selling for that?

Because that is an asking price, and I often see ridiculous asking prices on eBay.

Fluke builds quality products. I have a couple. But I won’t pay new prices for used gear…

Seems like it, lots of Fluke 189’s sold in the $400+ range. The modern equivalent (I think?) 289 is $875. A 287 is $735.

 

[MSCH]

I have Fluke Meters. I work with them most every day. I literally trust my life to them.

Worth every penny.

exactly... I worked on stuff that close enough was all it took so just about any old meter was good enough.
if I didn't trust the reading I'd just get another any old meter and if the readings agreed, it was good enough.

have seen cases where any old meter was lying because the 9 volt battery inside the meter was half dead and the technician in question didn't realize it and would go right down the most difficult path available and try to repair something based on a crap reading instead of double checking using a different measuring device.

the same thing is true of trusting any electronic measuring device without checking it against another method or device.

low oil pressure. high engine temp etc..

 

[cptbarkey]

I inherited my father's who worked at Nasa/Unisys and worked on mainframes, and hard drives the size of washing machines. Its priceless to me.

 

[Lubener]

Flukes are expensive because they are good. You get what you pay for. If you do not want to spend much, go to Harbor Freight.

 

[jhellwig]

Yes, it's US made but I'm looking at used ones eBay and there are Flukes selling for more $500. Why would someone pay that kind of money on a used multester? There is a used $30.00 Fluke but it's really old like it's made in the 1970s. A new Cen-Tech multitester sold at HF cost $19.00 sometimes on sale for $14.00 and could do the same but not all.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/204469740771

https://www.harborfreight.com/9-function-digital-multimeter-with-audible-continuity-59410.html

Ebay prices have been stupid for a while on anything but people pay it because they see it is cheaper than new and they buy way more than what they need. Unless it is an auction it is a site full of "I know what I got" posts.

The fluke 189 can do a lot of cool stuff but if you don't know what you are looking at it is useless compared to a cheap Fluke.

 

[MasterSolenoid]

I have a Fluke 12 (simple to use).
I can check microfarads when checking a capacitor.

My other Craftsman meter does NOT have microfarads.

 

[spackard]

EEVblog got into the why. Because labs across the world specify them in their standards for measurement. So a measurement made here can be repeated hundreds or thousands of miles away; same goes for time between measurements. You can repeat an experiment or test and have confidence in the readings.

If you don’t need that kind of repeatability there are plenty of meters that will do the same job for less money. He recommends buying one of the others.

But I have a Agilent DMM, bought used off EBay, and it does make up its mind about the measurement much faster than the Cen-Tech. First measurement displayed is usually 3 digits accurate, and the next measurement is 4 digits accurate; the cheap meters kind of drift over time towards giving an accurate measurement. You have to wait for it to settle. If you’re looking for a change you’re not sure if there’s a change or if the meter leads maybe shifted and the meter’s hunting.

 

[BHopkins]

Way back in the late '80's, after the Challenger disaster, one of my co-workers was instrumenting a Space Shuttle component, when he knocked his Fluke 8060A off the edge, and it fell 18' to the concrete pad below. When he retrieved it, the case was cracked, but it still worked. He brought it back to the lab and checked it against a precision HP bench meter, and the Fluke was still in calibration. Don't expect that sort of performance out of a HF, or any other cheaper DMM.

By the way, I looked on Ebay, and I can find plenty of Fluke meters for reasonable prices. Plenty of used 179 models available, anywhere from under $100 to $300, depending on condition and accessories.

 

[rekit]

I showed my old Simpson meter to an AC guy and he said it was worth a lot, but when I looked it wasn't going for much.

 

[Fitter30]

95% of what i worked on was 480/3. Worked on roof top units, boiler and mechanical rooms. With tools stored in a service van hauled around in the back 365 days a year and used multiple times a day. Would you trust your life with less than professional meter, leads that could get nicked, dropped, got damp, cold or hot and would keep decent calibration. Fluke multi meters also have a very good case for meter protection.

 

[Donald]

I have a Fluke network cable verifier. You run a new cable or have a cable you think might be marginal or have an issue, so you you attach the remote end to one end and the Fluke meter to the other. It will drive it at speeds up to 10 Mbs. It will tell you what speed it will run at at meet specs.

Saves a lot of screwing around and possibly replacing RJ45 connectors that were not a problem.

The $60 Klein tester just tells you the 8 wires are connected to the right pins. But not how good a connection it.

The Fluke was $2000.

The church I attend hired a company to run several hundred feet of CAT6 to 9 new WIFI access points. They ran the cable and used my Fluke meter to verify that each run met the specs at 10 Mbs. Afterwards they asked their boss to buy them a Fluke meter like mine.

$2000 is a lot. I am not in the business. But what the heck.