Fluke 85 and 87

[Auggie]

Is there much difference between the fluke 85 III and the fluke 87?

[DJPhil]

You can look here to compare the 83, 85, and 87 three series flukes. The newer 87s will be five series (87-V as opposed to 87-III), and you can find the detailed specs for them here.

(Edit: corrected typo)

[fsleeman]

I was thinking about getting one of the 87 meters but not sure which one to get. The biggest consideration for me is cost and from what I can tell I could get a meter from $80 to $300 depending on the version and if it new or used. Does anybody have thoughts about getting a used vs. new meter and have people had luck getting these on ebay? What do you get with the lifetime warranty from Fluke?

[rossmoffett]

I was thinking about getting one of the 87 meters but not sure which one to get. The biggest consideration for me is cost and from what I can tell I could get a meter from $80 to $300 depending on the version and if it new or used. Does anybody have thoughts about getting a used vs. new meter and have people had luck getting these on ebay? What do you get with the lifetime warranty from Fluke?

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/index.php?topic=189.0
Lifetime warranties aren't terribly useful, if it fails due to user error or bad operating environment this usually isn't covered, and it won't generally fail otherwise.

[armandas]

I was thinking about getting one of the 87 meters but not sure which one to get. The biggest consideration for me is cost and from what I can tell I could get a meter from $80 to $300 depending on the version and if it new or used. Does anybody have thoughts about getting a used vs. new meter and have people had luck getting these on ebay? What do you get with the lifetime warranty from Fluke?

And your warranty will not be honoured if you bought your meter on eBay (or any unauthorised seller for that matter).


http://reviews.ebay.com/FLUKE-Instrument-Warranty-when-Purchased-on-ebay_W0QQugidZ10000000013214965

[Andrew]

I consider lifetime warranties a marketing tool at best and a ripoff at worst.

There is usually so much small print involved that "lifetime" boils down to

We warrant that we won't repair your equipment free of charge during your whole lifetime, the lifetime of your children and at least the lifetime of your grandchildren.

[fsleeman]

Thanks for the warranty information, I did not realize it had those restrictions. I have purchased products that actually honored life-time warranties no questions asked (like KOSS headphones) but I am not surprised Fluke wouldn't want to do this for something so expensive.

My basic question is if its worth getting a used Fluke meter instead of getting a new, in the box meter? I know there are differences in the specs for the 87, 87-III and 87-V meters but for a hobbyist or semi-professional user does it justify the extra $200? Is there anything the new meters that people actually miss in the earlier versions?

[EEVblog]

My basic question is if its worth getting a used Fluke meter instead of getting a new, in the box meter? I know there are differences in the specs for the 87, 87-III and 87-V meters but for a hobbyist or semi-professional user does it justify the extra $200? Is there anything the new meters that people actually miss in the earlier versions?

In short, no. There are only very minimal improvements in the newer models. An old original 87 is still an excellent meter.
In fact I like that the original model defaults to DC current instead of AC current in the new ones.

Dave.