Swapped my old multimeter for a Fluke 117 last month and it paid off already

I used to just use a cheap $20 meter from Harbor Freight for everything. Finally broke down and got a Fluke 117 after I misread a voltage on a dryer at a house in Austin. The accuracy difference is huge, especially on those tricky control board checks. Has anyone else noticed a big jump after upgrading their test gear?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_mary2mo ago

Those cheap meters work fine 99% of the time. You probably just needed new leads on the old one.

brooke7112d ago

Ha, funny enough it's actually the opposite problem a lot of times! I've seen those cheap meters give a reading that's too perfect, like a dead battery showing 12.6 volts when it's really at 11.8. The high-end Flukes I've used will tell you the ugly truth, but the budget ones kind of smooth things over. That's how you chase a ghost for an hour thinking your wiring is fine when it's not.

jackson.jenny2mo ago

And those cheap meters can lie to you just enough to waste a whole afternoon...