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ACinSC 
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Joined: 16 Dec 2015
Location: South Carolina
Points: 2766
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 Topic: Fluke multi meter?
Posted: 24 Nov 2023 at 7:32am |
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Our 19 year old grandson wants one for Christmas. Any recommendations on one for general use that's not too expensive? Thanks
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steve(ill)
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Joined: 11 Sep 2009
Location: illinois
Points: 81301
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Posted: 24 Nov 2023 at 8:16am |
A lot depends on what your going to do with it and what you call "reasonable price".... THe name FLUKE on the case adds $100. to the price, but they are great meters.
Basic units do AC-DC and resistance to large scales.. Nice rugged meters. They start about $150 . From there you can get higher values that will do temperature , capacitance, etc and the cost goes $300.- 500. .......... unless your a REAL electrician, you probably are not in that ball park....
Here is the main line starting about $150. every time you spend $30 more, you get a little extra feature.
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Like them all, but love the "B"s.
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desertjoe
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Joined: 23 Sep 2013
Location: New mexico
Points: 13580
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Posted: 24 Nov 2023 at 8:23am |
Hey AC, I have a Fluke 25 that was given to me as a retirement present by the I&E group at work. It is a very precise tool that has served me well for these many years. I also have a Bosch Professional that I prefer to use first as the Bosch has a much louder annunciator (for these tired ears of mine), than the Fluke does. You might want to consider this one feature when you make your choice, both are high quality instruments. Good Luck.
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Les Kerf
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Joined: 08 May 2020
Location: Idaho
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Posted: 24 Nov 2023 at 8:53am |
 ACinSC wrote:
Our 19 year old grandson wants one for Christmas. Any recommendations on one for general use that's not too expensive? Thanks |
Any teenager that wants a Fluke meter rather than a video game deserves to have the best! 
I have a Fluke 88 Automotive meter that I paid $400 for about 20+ years ago, not sure if that model is available any more.
The electricians at the sawmill carried Fluke 87's, they are an excellent general purpose meter.
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ACinSC
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Joined: 16 Dec 2015
Location: South Carolina
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Posted: 24 Nov 2023 at 9:40am |
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Thanks guys I was hoping to spend about $100 . Googled Fluke multi meter and I'm very confused. Doesn't take much. He's mostly into automotive stuff. Thanks again!
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steve(ill)
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Joined: 11 Sep 2009
Location: illinois
Points: 81301
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Posted: 24 Nov 2023 at 9:43am |
If your an Electrician and you carry a meter in a pouch and go thru the elements every day.... the FLUKE is TOUGH.... I have one and they are indestructable...
If you use on ocasionally and keep it clean on the shelf in your garage.. you might consider a cheaper version ( manufacturer)
Several of the FLUKES are big and fit in your hand very well and have a wire stand on the back and magnet to hold them to a steel panel / wall ............. Many of the "other" brands are not much bigger than a pack of cigarettes ( ??) and hard to hold in your hand, and when wearing cloth / rubber gloves.
Edited by steve(ill) - 24 Nov 2023 at 9:48am
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Like them all, but love the "B"s.
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Coke-in-MN
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Joined: 12 Sep 2009
Location: Afton MN
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Posted: 24 Nov 2023 at 11:15am |
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Seems one thing is they type of testing one is going to do is also important .
Difference in analogue and digital readout for the application .
Over the years going from a growler and a hack saw blade to test starters and generators - to diode testing a lot has changed in auto-electric /
Days of charging up ignition capacitors with the high voltage spark plug tester (sand blast cabinet) and leaving them laying on the tool bench in station seem to be over
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Faith isn't a jump in the dark. It is a walk in the light. Faith is not guessing; it is knowing something.
"Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful."
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ACinSC
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Location: South Carolina
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Posted: 24 Nov 2023 at 2:11pm |
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Thanks guys, I found one for $100 that's for automotive use with good reviews
Sure ain't a Fluke though.
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Les Kerf
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Location: Idaho
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Posted: 24 Nov 2023 at 3:29pm |
Coke-in-MN wrote:
...
Days of charging up ignition capacitors with the high voltage spark plug tester (sand blast cabinet) and leaving them laying on the tool bench in station seem to be over |
Ahhh... the good old days!  |
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HudCo
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Posted: 24 Nov 2023 at 9:58pm |
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i use a flute 88 v that i have had about 20 years also i would like to have one with a amp clamp
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DMiller
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Location: Hermann, Mo
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Posted: 25 Nov 2023 at 6:13am |
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I still have a Simpson Analog meter, tried and true but have added digital meters. The Simpson will detect voltage or amp fluctuations the digitals will not, also kept a Allentronic auto oscilloscope I bought at a Sale for $25, guy selling it was happy as was ‘Obsolete’ yet the new Digital O-scopes are not sensitive enough or have to be buffered so heavily also cannot pick up glitches in Circuits using Square wave signals.
Meters are getting better, I have not the money to buy all the latest and greatest so could be newer that do detect better. Just have not seen one.
Edited by DMiller - 25 Nov 2023 at 12:12pm
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truckerfarmer
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Joined: 26 Jan 2013
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Posted: 25 Nov 2023 at 6:44am |
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Oh boy! This takes me back to the Fall of 1987. Went to school for Electronics 87-89. Still remember the instructor throwing a Fluke across the concrete floor and bouncing off the block wall. They were designed to survive a fall 8' or 12',( don't remember which). We had analog meters in school.
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Looking at the past to see the future.
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BrianC
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Posted: 25 Nov 2023 at 7:18am |
#1 most important feature: Auto shutoff. Dead battery is a bummer. Handy are alligator clip lead ends.
I think any Fluke with AC and/or DC clamp on current probe is going to be significantly bigger bucks.
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RP Farms
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Joined: 29 Jul 2023
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Posted: 25 Nov 2023 at 7:57am |
I bought this one, a Fluke T5-600 in 1999 entering the HVAC trade. It has served me well. I wish the amp meter would pick up DC amps but rarely do I need the amperage of a DC circuit, it has no capablity to read amperage inline on a circuit. When I bought this DC wasn't as common in the hvac world as it is now, most hvac techs I know have two or three meters on their truck anyway, many electricians and hvac guys have this exact one still. Voltage readings work well on ac or dc but if you had to test in millivolts or small resistance units this would not be the meter I would choose. It will work great on 90% of things in buildings, not the best choice for automotive work but I have done alot of trailer and vehicle electrical repairs with it. If I was still in the trade I woudl buy one of these, if I wanted it more for automotive work I'd choose a different one.
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Les Kerf
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Location: Idaho
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Posted: 25 Nov 2023 at 9:26am |
DMiller wrote:
I still have a Simpson Analog meter, trued and true.... |
The Simpson 260 was our standard multimeter when I was an avionics tech in the Marines back in the 1970's; I wouldn't mind owning one now but I have a much cheaper analog meter that gets the job done when I need analog capabilities.
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