Is a Fluke multimeter overkill?

[Nostril Cheese]

Originally Posted by Bill Douglas

Speaking of looking foolish, I'd like to buy a book on how to be better with my multimeter. I really know very little other than battery voltage, mains voltage, and ohms.

i'd love to know how to check the smart meter on the house and see if it is actually correct.

BTW, Kiwis are the best electrical engineers in the world. Hands down.

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by sugarwood

I don't think I've seen even one serious justification of buying a Fluke in this entire thread.

So far, it seems like the Snap On of multimeters.
Good product but costs 1000% mark up because USA quality.
Snap On is simply not worth buying for anyone who is not a professional,
and even most pros probably don't need to pay Snap On's outrageous cult premium.

But, can someone speak to the FEATURES of Fluke?
Or is it really just Snap On?

Can anyone actually explain why a Fluke costs $500
and what it can actually do that a $16 Sears can't do?

I saw your earlier post. I have one like your $16 Sears unit in my rollaway. It works fine for most automotive troubleshooting..voltage, continuity, amps. For more complicated stuff, or when better accuracy is required, I use the more expensive auto ranging Sears unit that is more comparable to a Fluke. Fluke is a much better multimeter for more advanced electronic testing, much of which I know zilch about.

The justification for buying a Fluke is much like the justification for buying anything of good quality...if you want it and can afford it, why not?

Hey, my playing skill isn't good enough to justify my $1,000 plus custom cue made by Keith Josey...I should probably be playing with a $19.95 Wal-Mart made in Taiwan special? Nope...I wanted that Josey, I could afford that Josey, so I bought it. Matter of fact, some wise ass tried to shame me in the pool hall, by saying: "Gosh I wish I played good enough to use a custom cue." My answer was right to the point: "You do. Maybe you just can't write the check." He shut up.

If somebody here wants to use a $500 Fluke multimeter to check battery voltage? More power to 'em!

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by Bill Douglas

Speaking of looking foolish, I'd like to buy a book on how to be better with my multimeter. I really know very little other than battery voltage, mains voltage, and ohms.

i'd love to know how to check the smart meter on the house and see if it is actually correct.

All my know-how came from a book I bought at Sears: Craftsman #34= 82303.
"A simple and comprehensive guide to MULTITESTERS and their use for electrical testing." Published by right touch, Inc. By Harold L. White

It covers many areas...not just automotive. Home wiring, solid state electronics, small electrical motors, all sorts of instruction on how to test.

Alas, with Sears economic woes, I'm pretty sure it's out of print..copyright 1998.

Maybe?

Right touch, inc.
17150 Newhope St. Ste. 1005
Fountain Valley, CA 92708

714-540-9200

[Bill Douglas]

Thanks PW. that's the sort of thing I wanted!

[aschen]

high voltage protection/safety is much better on something like a fluke over a 29$ amazon special, there are some good tidbits in the video I posted.

I would be fine with a cheapo meter since I rarely go above 110v and never above 220. I do think the 120$ foreign market fluke is overkill but a nice piece. I think a 500$ meter is basically a toy for most home gamers. Might as well get the one with built in scope and data aquisiton if you have no price sensitivity.

[jyl]

Spend the money and get a quality US product.

[sc_rufctr]

Originally Posted by jyl

Spend the money and get a quality US product.

[rusnak]

Probably 20 years ago when I bought my '84 911 I knew that if I stuck with restoring it, I'd have a very nice air-cooled Porsche. So, like anything else, I accumulated knowledge. I bought books, including ones written by electricians specializing in automotive 12v troubleshooting. One of the first books that I bought specifically recommended a Fluke multimeter, and encouraged that you buy at least an auto-ranging unit. It also detailed some really cool cheapo pocket multimeters. It also described some rather hokey poor man test techniques, ha!

When I bought the first Fluke, I had a Sears multimeter that was slow and just not built with the quality test leads and durability of the Fluke. Because electrical troubleshooting can be dangerous and complex, it just helps to eliminate errors due to a fussy or less than 100% reliable diagnostic tool.

Over the years I added more knowledge and used the Fluke countless times on everything from 120v household wiring and equipment, to 220V 50 amp power. Just this week, I used it to install a new voltage regulator on my vintage forklift, and to fix and restore a light tower that I bought from another guy who could not figure out what was wrong with it. I got everything on it working like new for less than $600, which required testing 500+V AC capacitors.

Did it seem like overkill 20 years ago? Yeah, if I was not going to use it to gain experience. Would it be overkill now? Nope.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by red-beard

Zero
Zero
Zero
Negative Thirteen point one
Negative Thirteen point two
Negative Thirteen point two
Dude - You have the leads backwards
Zero
Zero
Zero
Thirteen point two
Thirteen point one
Thirteen point two
Thirteen point two
Thirteen point two
Thirteen point one
Zero
Thirteen point two
Thirteen point two
Thirteen point one
Zero
Zero

Yeah, it had better have some thought put into it

I'll let you know in a month. I found exactly ONE brand available, and it's a bit sketchy, but for $28 I'll give it a try. I only need it to work on golf carts and automobile electrical systems. Estimated delivery Dec 24 - Jan 21.


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076DHQDQL/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A3CHKVEURCLOPX&psc=1

[DanielDudley]

I think that having paid the Porsche tax over the years for repairs, I decided that I could afford to give home diagnostics a shot. It turned out that I had two distinct problems that were appeared to be a single problem. I thought that if a 20 dollar meter and some time could help me fix my car, I would be willing to give it a shot. This was after replacing what I thought was a faulty DME relay, after a soldering of the connections.

Over the years I have successfully gone through a number of electrical issues in cars. Most were done with a light bulb type circuit tester, and some with an old school analog VOM. I actually thought buying a new 20 dollar meter was splurging. I can't even say I would like a Fluke at this point in my life for the few times I'd use one. I certainly support anyone who wants one, but I'd feel like a poser myself.

I guess I figured that if swapping out the obvious part didn't work, I'd give a 20 dollar meter and some time a go. The problem with intermittent electrical issues is that your car might go to a shop and hang out in the side yard all Summer. It might cost you a few hundred, or it might cost you a thousand, or it might not get fixed. In the end, I went at the problem from multiple directions, tested a lot of simple components and eventually found the problem(s) out of dogged persistence. I learned a few things, and put the meter in the back of a drawer with my other meter. I use it once or twice a year.

I guess the reason I bought a 20 dollar meter was not because I wanted a meter, but because I wanted the utility of a meter, and the results of having one. I could have gotten a 12 dollar meter, but I thought that the 20 plus dollar meter might be more reliable and accurate. And if truth be told, it looked better and had a bigger display, reminiscent of a Fluke. I am never going to be the guy who seeks out electronics repairs. Ironically, most of the automotive electrical problems I have repaired over the years were in fact fixing wiring done by guys who thought they were electrical geniuses. I know I am not.

With proper training, I'd probably make a half decent electrical monkey. But I figure that the average mechanic isn't a whole lot better than I am at electrical diagnostics, so I get out there and put in the time. That probably isn't true, but that's what I tell myself. Willingness and 20 dollars will buy you a cheap multimeter. For me, the willingness is equal to 90% of the result. However, without this forum, and the help of a few guys in the technical section, my car would probably still be dead in the water. I have even been able to pass it on a couple of times, and that's a nice thing.

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by sugarwood

does anyone here know the difference between a $43 fluke and a $397 fluke?

$354

[red-beard]

Made in China

https://www.productfrom.com/products/CN/Fluke/0/1

Fluke flagship were made in China for a while, but they had pushback from the Trades.

[1990C4S]

Five pages for a thread where the answer to the question posed is this: 'Yes'.

As mentioned earlier, if you're just looking at battery voltage levels, buy something like this, put clips on it, and you get the bonus of a USB charger on board.

https://www.amazon.com/Charger-Waterproof-Cigarette-Voltmeter-Motorcycle/dp/B07DGNQNLR/ref=sr_1_10?crid=1SDOQ0WP3LAOI&dchild=1&keywords=usb+voltmeter&qid=1606922720&sprefix=usb+voltm%2Caps%2C173&sr=8-10

[GH85Carrera]

"Back in the old days" when I had a regular job in the photo industry at a professional photo lab we had lots of processors. All of them had chemicals that had to be at a precise temperature, + or - a 1/4 of a degree. That was checked 100% of the time before processing film. We had a accurate temperature control unit, and a temperature probe in the tank. When the probes act up they have to be tested. The company only had a cheap Radio Shack analog meter that was just not accurate. I often had to go home and get my Fluke to test it and determine if the probe was good or junk.

[vash]

Originally Posted by KC911

$354

fack!! nobody said there would be math.

[RWebb]

I guess it is not safe to tell you guys that I have 5 1/2 digit Fluke sitting on a shelf

[sugarwood]

Originally Posted by Bill Douglas

Speaking of looking foolish, I'd like to buy a book on how to be better with my multimeter. I really know very little other than battery voltage, mains voltage, and ohms.
.

I tried to start a thread on this very topic a few years back
I would be willing to collaborate the make a beginner's guide or something

Getting to know our 911's: Performing some basic tests before there is a problem

[RWebb]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omQiFV1CRl8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9KNAIjoEYs

[sugarwood]

I found this to be the single most useful thing I ever purchase for electrical car DIY.
If you only have two hands, even the best Fluke DVM is kind of useless without these

https://www.amazon.com/Electronic-Specialties-146-Automotive-Connector/dp/B00U3WSYJ4/
https://www.amazon.com/Outzone-Automotive-Electrical-Diagnostic-Connectors/dp/B074PQYT48

[dad911]

Tubes are 'the bomb' for audio equipment, I'm surprised there is no love here for a period-correct VTVM (Vacuum Tube Volt Meter)