Fluke 77-4 Vs. 17B...

[AviG]

I'm a beginner electronic tech, in need of a good reliable multimeter but very limited in funds so I'm on the bottom end of the Fluke lineup of multiteaters, I've brought these two multimeters because I can get the 77-4 at about the same price of the 17B which is about 90-100$ shipped. The 17B has uA (never needed it before) and a temp sensor, the 77-4 is supposed to be very reliable, then again the 17B is reliable as well. So what say you guys??

[T4P]

If you don't mind that the 17B is made in china and is not up to par with fluke's standard well go ahead.

At that sort of prices and the lack of fluke's standard quality on the 17B it's far more prudent to get a UT61E

I'll say 77V, neither has TRMS

[retiredcaps]

If you have roughly $100 and live in the USA, then I will cut and paste my response in this thread below

From thread "Help me figure which meters to get: Fluke 289 or Extech MM570A plus second meter"

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/general-chat/help-me-figure-which-meters-to-get-fluke-289-or-extech-mm570a-plus-second-meter/

I wrote ...

All prices below are USD and based on recent ebay auctions.

The Fluke 170 series are pretty quick to "boot" and easy to use.  You can quite easily find a Fluke 175, 177 and 179 for about $100 or less used on ebay.  If a backlight is important to you, avoid the Fluke 175 as it does not have one.

A Fluke 87, 87III can be had for about $100 and $120 respectively.

If you don't need True RMS, a Fluke 83V goes for under $100.  A Fluke 83 III is in the $70 range.  A Fluke 77IV can be found as low as $60.  Curiously, when I had the Fluke 83 III and 83V, I found the 83 III faster in autoranging than the 83V.

I would avoid the Fluke 17B for any one of the above options.

[retiredcaps]

I saw this earleir for $65 + free shipping. The photos shown make it look like they work fine, but read the auction carefully and decide for yourself.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/180963594811

I have no affiliation with the seller and cannot vouch whether they are good or not.

Feedback for the recently sold (Aug 25 to Aug 31, 2012) Fluke 77 IV suggest they are good though.

A new Fluke 77 IV sells for $346 CDN.

I would considering getting one, but seller doesn't ship Internationally and I recently got a Fluke 175 and 177 for just a tad more.

[AviG]

Thank you for the extremely relevant info. Since I need True RMS for power amp gain calibration, I also need the temp sensor for power amp repair, I just bought the 179 with additional electronic probes, original fluke case and the thermal probe in a Like New condition for $140 shipped on eBay.
Looking forward to putting it to good use
Thank you all

[T4P]

w/ Extra probes and still 140$ O_o you guys have it lucky ...
What sort of extra probes? TL175 or TL75 or a OHL?

[AviG]

I don't know which extra probes are they, I just saw there are extra probes, here is a link to the eBay auction so you can look for yourself:
Fluke 179 on eBay

[T4P]

SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET DEAL! Those "Extra" probes are worth a lot new.

[retiredcaps]

Since I need True RMS for power amp gain calibration, I also need the temp sensor for power amp repair, I just bought the 179 with additional electronic probes, original fluke case and the thermal probe in a Like New condition for $140 shipped on eBay.

Good thing you recognized the need for True RMS and didn't pick the Fluke 17B or 77IV.  The temperature probe is insanely expensive ($36 list price) if you have to buy it separate. 

I estimate that only 5% of the ebay auctions include the probe for models that support temperature (87V, 179, 187, etc). 

I lucked out and found one (new) for $6.  The seller had 20 to sell, but I wasn't sure of the quality or if it was the real thing so I only ordered one with the intent of ordering more if I was happy.  Since it came from China, it took about 3.5 weeks to arrive and I determined it was a real Fluke (to my eyes).  When I went to go order more, the seller raised the price to $35.  However, 2 other people noticed the original $6 pricing and also placed an order.

[grenert]

Thank you for the extremely relevant info. Since I need True RMS for power amp gain calibration, I also need the temp sensor for power amp repair, I just bought the 179 with additional electronic probes, original fluke case and the thermal probe in a Like New condition for $140 shipped on eBay.

Looks like you got a good deal.  I have the precursor 79III, and it is a nice meter to use.
Note that the ACV measurement on the 179 is only specified to 1 kHz, so you should not use signals above that for your calibration.