Fluke multimeter, yes but which one: 113, 114, 115 or 116 ?

[hemdale]

Hi guys,

I'm decided to get into some electrical batteries & flashlight "studies". I've find out that Fluke comes highly recommanded and rather than buying several cheapos, I'd rather get a ver ygood one in the first place...and that's it.

For ervyday usage and batteries / flashlights readings, which one would you recommand ?

My guess would be that the 113 or 115 would be fine but I know I have to consider milliVolt and milliAmps readings. Any opinion on the 113, 114, 115 or 116 is more than elcome.

Cheers,

Bruce

 

[The_Driver]

Remember: 2 Multimeters are way better than one, so you can check if one is faulty

For hobbyist use the lower current/voltage ranges are much more important than the higher ones. When will you measure 1000V?

Take a look a this great video on the topic. This guy also reviews a lot mulitmeters (expensive & cheap ones) and has done 50$ and 100$ multimeter comparisons.

 

[Wrend]

I've been thinking about picking up the 87V.

I have some much less expensive MMs that do well enough for me for the most part though, so I haven't gotten around to spending the extra on the 87V. Sooner or later I'll probably pick one up.

 

[tobrien]

just get the most basic Fluke model imo.

i just use my discontinued Fluke 111 and it's rock solid and works perfect for me. I don't really need anything else, yet this 111 has more features than I'll likely ever need/use. it's a lot like if you buy Adobe Photoshop and all you do is crop and resize, ya know? it's nice to have the headroom though

 

[amham]

I'm a metrologist by trade, that's someone who calibrates/tests/repairs electronic instrumentation. I test scores of multimeters each week using high end Fluke calibrators made for this exact purpose. I constantly tell my customers, BUY FLUKE and nothing else. Out of thousands and thousands of meters tested Fluke is consistently within manufactures tolerance. They do not fail and even those that are years old are still in cal. The 87V is a particularly accurate meter but you do not need to spend that much, any fluke will do. Just pick a model that falls within your resolution needs. I use a 287 which can be had for abut $350, a very good meter indeed. Just remember, do not fall for a low price or what appears to be a resonable brand name...BUY FLUKE!

 

[precisionworks]

I've been thinking about picking up the 87V.

Over the years I've owned more Fluke meters than I can count. My current "good meter" is the 87V with Fluke's TL223 test leads, TPAK magnetic hanger & i400 amp clamp. My beater is the Fluke T Plus Pro. Both were purchased new on eBay for substantially less than Amazon & other online sellers.

Any opinion on the 113, 114, 115 or 116 is more than welcome.

You can download a pdf Comparison Chart by going to this link & clicking on DMM Comparison:http://www.fluke.com/Fluke/usen/Products/categorydmm.htm?id=DMMfunnel-en

 

[hemdale]

Ok so for small batteries and any small appliances, should I get de 113 or 115 ? I'll be measuring quite low currents and I'm not an electrician.
Thanks for your help?

 

[precisionworks]

I'll be measuring quite low currents

The 113 hasn't the ability to measure amps (nor milli amps nor micro amps) so it's out.

The 115 will measure as low as 0.001 amps (1 milliamp).

FWIW the Fluke 87 V will measure as low as 0.00000001 amps (0.01 µA)

 

[CMAG]

I have the 115 good meter as Precision say .001 amps up to 10 amps and can handle a 20a surge

 

[hemdale]

Ok ! So shall I pull the trigger for a Fluke 115 am I good to go ?

 

[precisionworks]

shall I pull the trigger for a Fluke 115

As long as the current you measure is 1 milliamp and above it will do fine. If you need to measure microamps the Fluke 116 goes as low as 0.1 μA

 

[hemdale]

Hi guys,

First of all, I would like to thank you all for your very helpful input. :twothumbs I've just ordered yesterday the Fluke 116 and got it delivered to me this morning ! Whoaa, that was fast.
Finally decided on a Fluke 116 over the 115... I know I won't be using the micro amps that much but I though the temperature probe could be handy sometimes (and I'm definitely NOT a HVAC technician... )

Gonna be playing with batteries all weekend now !

 

[tatasal]

I'm a metrologist by trade, that's someone who calibrates/tests/repairs electronic instrumentation. I test scores of multimeters each week using high end Fluke calibrators made for this exact purpose. I constantly tell my customers, BUY FLUKE and nothing else. Out of thousands and thousands of meters tested Fluke is consistently within manufactures tolerance. They do not fail and even those that are years old are still in cal. The 87V is a particularly accurate meter but you do not need to spend that much, any fluke will do. Just pick a model that falls within your resolution needs. I use a 287 which can be had for abut $350, a very good meter indeed. Just remember, do not fall for a low price or what appears to be a resonable brand name...BUY FLUKE!

I have a Japanese-made Sanwa CD771 dmm. What do you think of this meter? Thanks

 

[ABTOMAT]

87s are nice, 87Vs are nicer. Actually, I have two 87Vs so I'm gonna have to sell one to pay some bills. I'll miss being able to dual-wield meters.

 

[Tapis]

Hi,

I'm also looking for a good quality digital multimeter to check all the half-used small batteries laying around the house, and bumped into this thread. The 87vs and 116 look pretty nice, but they're probably overkill for my needs. What about the 15B shown below, which can be purchased for about $60 on eBay?

http://www.fluke.com/fluke/inen/digital-multimeters/fluke-15b.htm?PID=56017#

 

[TedTheLed]

Well, I dun no, I saw this on page 2 of the manual supplement changes, #2 "This equipment is intended for use in business environments and is not to be used in homes.."

so, better be careful..

 

[Tapis]

I guess Fluke just don't want unknowledgeable people (like me) play with it around the house, checking their electric lines for fun. I don't really see why this warning wouldn't also apply to the other Fluke multimeters mentioned above.