Re: Purchasing a new high end multimeter

On Feb 23, 2:52 am, "Mike" <nleah...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Feb 22, 3:54 am, "David L. Jones" <altz...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:



On Feb 20, 3:42 pm, "Mike" <nleah...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Hi - I've been using a fairly low end digital multimeter (Meterman
16XL) for many years now. It works fine - and gets the job done most
of the time. But it just isn't as accurate as I would like, and I
really wish it was auto ranging. Recently, I have been given some
money to spend on equipment. So - I have $500 to spend on a new
multimeter for myself.

Right now - I'm thinking Fluke 189:

http://us.fluke.com/usen/products/180+FVF.htm?catalog_name=FlukeUnite...)

Any opinions? I feel like Fluke is pretty much the ultimate when it
comes to multimeters - but then again, it's been a while since I've
bought any test equipment, and I've never purchased anything quite
this high end.

I'm not sure if I'd get the computer connection for it or not -
depends on how much extra that costs. It looks like without it the 189
goes for $400 or so. Not sure how much it goes for with it. Anyways -
where would I buy such a beast? I'm in Champaign, Illinois, USA.

The 189 is a horrible meter for general use IMHO, as far as Fluke's go
anyway.
It chews batteries, it has stupid menus, and it beeps at everything
you do.
A nice 80 series would be a much better choice for general use if you
don't need the data logging feature.

Recently there has been almost zero competition for the high end
Fluke's (Tek's were nice, but then Fluke bought them out), but a few
are coming on the market like this Agilent one:http://www.home.agilent.com/USeng/nav/-536902435.536910938/pd.html

Dave :)

Hi Dave - how would you compare the Agilent to the Fluke? I didn't
realize Agilent made handhelds - so I hadn't looked at that one. But
the features look very good and very similar to the Fluke, so I'm not
sure which would be better. Thanks,

-Mike


Hi Mike
Unfortunately I cannot comment as I have not played with the new
Agilent model myself, but eariler hand held HP meters were very good
quality. Agilent have just gotten back into the hand held market with
this model, and on paper it looks very nice. Agilent don't make crap
gear quality wise.

You can't go wrong with say a Fluke 87 V, and with the money left over
you could buy a (or several) lower cost PC connected meter for data
logging if you ever need it.

The 189 has a 72 hour battery life, and unfortunatley it appears like
the Agilent one is similar, although it runs from a 9V battery instead
of 4 AA's in the 189. The other model has a rechargeable battery. I
guess when you get to this performance level you have to live with
crap battery life.
A Fluke 87 V on the other hand has a 400+ hour life, and is much
better for general day to day usage, and almost as accurate at 0.05%
DC.

Dave :)

.

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