Annoyed with the Fluke 289

[emax]

Recently, my very old Metex M-4650CR begun to show a 0.5VDV offset from real values, so I decided to buy a new DMM - after almost 30 yrs.

I am an amateur, occasionally designing, etching, soldering and programming minor embedded toys, and doing some stuff with RC-planes. Thats all. But I am a bit tech-addicted, like features and I like to be busy with all that fancy gear, part of the hobby, so to say.

So I came to eevblog where I found quite some good discussions concerning various DMM,  I tried the UT181A which is a great meter, but then I saw Joes video where he killed the UT181A. And since the secret of the mod wasn't revealed by Joe, this thing was out of my choice. I don't want to take care whether I crossed a carpet or not before using my DMM.

So I ordered a 289 which arrived last week. What a brick.

But I like it very much. There are some annoyances, sure. Booting takes long but for me this is not a real issue. I switch it on and have always to do some minor things before I start using it.

Trend display is indeed sloooow ... And there is no 'REL' button directly accessible. These are my only real complaints - but I can (and have to) live with this.

Display: After reading here I was very concerned about the quality of the display. But I must say: It is of course not as bright and colorful like the 181A TFT. But in a normal lab (or better say workshop-)situation, it is excellent to read as it just stands in front of me.  And in a dim room, the backlight is absolutly sufficient.

But what surprised me most was, that, side be side outside on a bright day, the 289 was much better to read than the 181A.

So to my mind, the rants about the display seem more a complaint about the boring user-experience with a monochrome LCD display - which I can understand. But in my opinion the display is perfectly ok for workshop-situations, it is very good in bright outdoor-conditions, and all in all it is not as bad as it is depicted in many posts.

I like that brick.

[Electro Detective]

I played with the variable contrast control till I got it just right for most daytime and indoor conditions,
and working great with the 2 stage backlight   

The 289 has a few 'annoying' downsides,
but it gets the job done, 
and still beats most high end meters in the 'all rounder' department 

[Amazing]

I'm glad you like the 289.  It just goes to show you have to be careful how much weight to give to opinions on the internet.  If you are looking for features, precision and logging all in one portable package, it's hard to beat. 

But for me it is, as I said, very "annoying".  I use it mostly in dim environments where it is hard to read. Even with the backlight, it is very low contrast.

Being a professional, convenience is paramount.  I'm usually knee deep in 3 or 4 other complicated problems and under deadline pressure, so I need my DMM to work with as about as much thought as I give to my chair.  So things like shutting off frequently, forgetting the mode it is in, and taking a long time to boot are real flow-killers.

The fragile kickstand is unforgivable, and the fact that it falls over if bumped slightly is just another unwelcome frustration. 

I know that better monochrome LCD technology has been available for decades.  So they really just cheaped out in that department.

But what surprised me most was, that, side be side outside on a bright day, the 289 was much better to read than the 181A.

I'll have to take it outside in the sun and see how it looks.

So to my mind, the rants about the display seem more a complaint about the boring user-experience with a monochrome LCD display - which I can understand.

This made me laugh.  I've never used a TFT DMM.  My previous goto-DMMs were an early 80's Keithley and an early 90's generic brand, both of which have more readable displays than the Fluke 289.

Currently I mostly use the Fluke 116 that came as part of a promotion with the 289.  It's not one I would have picked out (I think it's targeted at a HVAC folks), but for everyday voltage, resistance and continuity measurements, it's perfect.

So, best of both worlds, I guess. 

[Electro Detective]

289 and 116 is a good work combo and looks the business       

yes, the kickstand is a JOKE,
I have my meter secured with velcro in a small square zippable padded lunch type thingie,
which sits, stands, angles and behaves nicely indoors, and provides protection outdoors, 
it also houses the probes and DIY leads for those special troubleshoot ocassions 

But the bigger annoyance is the cheap plastic self fragmenting, ultra fragile, 'toffee brittle' black battery compartment screw,
watch out for that one.. 
have some duct tape handy in case it crumbles and the entire back pops out.
My screw is half gone, the 3 bits left I 'reassembled' and pushed back in, are just holding on (fingers crossed)

I'll bet Fluke will want to flog me a replacement back 'Part no.' so I can cop another cheap plastic screw again...they can keep it 

But the biggest annoyance is the internal superCRAPacitor issue   

[emax]

> the internal superCRAPacitor issue

I've read about it. Not so nice, true. I'll keep an eye on it.

For the professional one there are for sure other priorities than for a hobbyist like me. I don't care about batteries, so I don't let it switch off automatically. And since it mostly stands on my desk, I havn't yet had a problem with the stand. This might of course change in the future. 

As of today I am quite happy with it.

Concerning the display: Perception is an individual thing, so for the ones who think about buying one: don't rely on me - but don't rely on others as well. Make your own judgement. And in bright light (e.g. when outdoors with RC-planes) things differ very much from 'standard' environments.

[switcher]

Just goes to show that newer isn't always better.

I think I'll stick with my 8060A (1982), 77 (1983), 89 (1998), and Maplin Precision Gold (1987)

[Electro Detective]

Just goes to show that newer isn't always better.

I think I'll stick with my 8060A (1982), 77 (1983), 89 (1998), and Maplin Precision Gold (1987)

Especially if the older gear has better quality control OS components and still on spec, I have some of those meters still kicking too 

That said, the 8060A may have leakage issues with its electrolytic capacitors,
and if the 89 is the earlier 189 model, check for the supercapacitor issue

Both are ongoing topics at EEVblog 
www.eevblog.com/forum/search/

[Mr. Scram]

The 289 is the top-of-the-line Fluke meter, but I find it so annoying!

The LCD display is low contrast and hard to see. 

Using the backlight is required pretty much at all times.  Maybe outside in the sunlight it wouldn't be needed.

The backlight is always turning itself off -- a necessity given the battery life.

The kickstand is plastic, weak, and unstable.  The meter will fall over sideways with the slightest bump.  The kickstand hinge mechanism is just barely strong enough to hold up the meter -- bump it slightly and it pops off and the meter falls flat.  Plus it's a plastic bump and slot arrangement that holds the kickstand on, and every time it pops off it gets chewed up and less able to hold the meter up.

Continuity is a menu-enabled option, which means that it forgets it was in continuity mode when it powers off and you have to set it each time.  Continuity should be a primary function on the rotary switch.

Other than those convenience problems though, it is an awesome meter.   But I wish I'd gotten the 87V instead.  I only bought the 289 because I had a project that required logging.

Anyone else feel the same way?

The 287 is showing its age. There's no doubt a redesign would be much more power efficient. But Fluke is owned by Danaher and they won't renew models if they're still selling. Squeeze a model for all it's worth and then squeeze some more, that's the Danaher method and probably the reason the 87V hasn't been upgraded yet either.

[hgjdwx]

289 a lot of defects, voltage, resistance autorange speed is slow, big volume and some functional operation inconvenience, boot slow, inefficient, display low contrast, shows the result is bad, and support vulnerable, top-heavy unstable, and open the buzzer needs into the menu, and the buzzer is a very common gear,
In many ways, it's even less than 187.
Especially in the aspect of function and performance of some of the details do not reach the designated position, like DC60mv range and 50? range mantissa drift is serious,
The small capacitance can not be measured in dozens of pf, and the nS range open circuit  is negative.

Sorry for my English!

[IanB]

I find the 289 to be a step down from the 189.

If the 189 were still on the market I would have bought one by now.

I have looked at the 289 several times and bypassed it each time. It just does not have the elegance of form and function that the 189 has.

[Mr. Scram]

I bough a Fluke 289 and found myself not liking it at all, so a few month later I sold it again!

I still have my trusted 87V but I find myself more and more to only use the Keysight U1273A and U1253B.
Especially since I can have 3 Keysight meters logging my measurements remotely at the same time on my iPad.
Try that with a 289!

 

The Keysight site tells me the app is for Android. Do you use third party software or is their information incomplete?

[Mr. Scram]

I found it. It's weird that the app page says it compatible with the U1177A and bot iOS and Android, but that the U1177A page only mentions Android. Somehow many of these big companies have trouble keeping the information on their website consistent. I've had a lot of trouble figuring out compatibility before. It really shouldn't be that hard.

https://www.keysight.com/main/editorial.jspx?cc=GB&lc=eng&ckey=2471469&nid=-536902461.1091000.02&id=2471469&cmpid=zzfindhhmeterapp

[Terry01]

I just recently got my 289 and love it. I agree the boot up is slow but I can live with that just doing hobby stuff. I have a couple of other meters that are decent enough that start instantly if I just need a single quick measurement. If i'm working on a board or whatever I just start the 289 a couple seconds sooner than I would another one of my meters.

I love mine but can see where others find it a problem.

[Dubbie]

I have a 289 and a Bryman 869s I always reach for the Bryman for single meter measurements. I don’t have to worry about it scoffing batteries like a fat kid eating chips and it’s just all round faster. I probably wouldn’t buy the Fluke again.

[Terry01]

I fitted my 289 out with lithium AA's so we'll see how that goes. I have used it loads in the last week or so since it's new and ive been trying it on for size. It's still got a full 4 bars.
I got a 12 pack of lithium AA's for 8 quid so that gives me 2 fills for reasonable money. To be honest I've been hammering this set just to see how greedy it is, but it's been ok so far if i'm honest. I've had the back light running and graphing loads too just to try it out. I don't know exactly how much the super cap thing affects the life of your battery pack, it's really quite a lot if others are to be believed. I have no reason to doubt what others say about this either.
What I have noticed though is some people say it's greedy as hell and chews batteries like no tomorrow and others say i'm still on my 1st set after 2 years and only dropped 1 bar so think maybe the super cap thing is well at play in different meters. I know every one will have different usage but some people are getting literally over 2 years and more than others out of a set of 6.

I have the Brymen 867s and the Fluke 177 for quick measurements too. One thing that drew me to the 289 I bought was it was still well in calibration when I bought it so was able to check my other meters against it and it gave some kind of bench mark as to where my other meters were. They are both pretty much dead on with the 289 in most things which is good to know and gives me something to work from in future to know if any of them start drifting or whatever. I've taken plenty notes on them all, I know it's no scientific way to do it but it'll be good enough for me.
I just do simple hobby stuff.

[edgelog]

But the biggest annoyance is the internal superCRAPacitor issue   

I just got a new 289, and it looks to me as if there's a battery in the spot where the super cap used to be. It's even marked "BT1". Or is it a super cap after all?

[JohnPi]

i bought my '289 for the logging feature, but didn't investigate enough -- you can't set a definite sampling interval; it tries to log more densely when the signal is changing and less when there are gaps -- but I want to choose how to do that, not let the meter (there is an option to set the threshold, but you can't do 0).

For logging, I now use my Mooshimeter instead -- it's probably not as accurate, but the battery lasts forever, I can log tons of data, and it connects easily to my phone.

I like my 87-V, but that's the last Fluke I'll buy.

[edgelog]

i bought my '289 for the logging feature, but didn't investigate enough -- you can't set a definite sampling interval; it tries to log more densely when the signal is changing and less when there are gaps -- but I want to choose how to do that, not let the meter (there is an option to set the threshold, but you can't do 0).

If I go to "Setup" -> "Recording" -> "Event Threshold for Recording", I can set that to "off", or a choice of numbers from 1 through 25%. "Off" ought to be what you're looking for (no, I haven't tested).

[emax]

The longer I have it, the more I love it.

The only little imperfection which comes to my mind is the somewhat wobbly support. But on the bench it has a defined place where this doesn't matter, and outdoors it usually lies flat. I'd anyway never give up all the advantages for this little shortcoming.

Concerning batteries: I use Eneloops. The Fluke shows "battery half drained" already after a short while, but this doesn't bother me any more: the Eneloops maintain this state for quite a long time and if they are finally drained, I just take a fresh sixpack out of the fridge and everything is fine.

I am very satisfied with the overall performance and precision. I must admit that I am not a professional user which has to stand the booting time every day. But whichever DMM I compare it to, the 289 wins in almost every respect: Data logging off any pc is a piece of cake. Precision, sturdiness, safety, even the display is a pleasure because it is absolutely perfect in bright sunlight and still good on the bench. The modern TFT displays suffer all from the same problem: They are hardly outdoor-suited (and I use to use the Fluke outdoors). For example the Uni-T display fell outdoors simply beyond the pale, and in sunlight it was plainly unreadable .

Another competitor is the Extech GX900. It has some really nice features. But it doesn't feel as sturdy as the Fluke (see mjlortons review), drops resolution earlier than the 289, offers 1/5th of the datapoints for logging and - costs even more. No, I haven't yet found something convincing which could replace my 289.

This is, of course, my very personal appraisal.

For me, it is a really great meter.

[0culus]

I haven't been able to try out a 289/87, but I love my 87V. It's a simple, no-nonsense meter and that's what I wanted. However, for a second nice, name brand multimeter, is a fancier one worth it?

[BravoV]

I haven't been able to try out a 289/87, but I love my 87V. It's a simple, no-nonsense meter and that's what I wanted. However, for a second nice, name brand multimeter, is a fancier one worth it?

Well, features wise, you can read each datasheet yourself, but sizes wise, here to give you the idea of 287/9 compared to your 87V, it feels like a brick. 

The BBB, the Beauty, the Beast and the Brick.  (87V,189,287)

[0culus]

I haven't been able to try out a 289/87, but I love my 87V. It's a simple, no-nonsense meter and that's what I wanted. However, for a second nice, name brand multimeter, is a fancier one worth it?

Well, features wise, you can read each datasheet yourself, but sizes wise, here to give you the idea of 287/9 compared to your 87V, it feels like a brick. 

The BBB, the Beauty, the Beast and the Brick.  (87V,189,287)

Wow, that thing IS a brick. And I thought the 87 was big...

[joeqsmith]

I haven't been able to try out a 289/87, but I love my 87V. It's a simple, no-nonsense meter and that's what I wanted. However, for a second nice, name brand multimeter, is a fancier one worth it?

Well, features wise, you can read each datasheet yourself, but sizes wise, here to give you the idea of 287/9 compared to your 87V, it feels like a brick. 

The BBB, the Beauty, the Beast and the Brick.  (87V,189,287)

A friend of mine has the 289 and loaned it to me to try out.  They really like the meter.   Personally, I would take that 189 you show over the 289.  IMO, that 189 is just a nice all around meter.   

[BravoV]

Wow, that thing IS a brick. And I thought the 87 was big...

Also the 189 and 287/9 have the yellow rubber jacket molded tight permanently at the dark gray hard case, not like 87V which is detachable, that makes it even smaller when detached.

[BravoV]

A friend of mine has the 289 and loaned it to me to try out.  They really like the meter.   Personally, I would take that 189 you show over the 289.  IMO, that 189 is just a nice all around meter.   

+1, as I own these three, 189 is my 1st choice, no contest here.

Imo, 87V is more a technician's DMM hence limited features, while 287/9 is more like a miniaturized full features bench DMM with all the bells & whistles, the 189 has the sweet spot and also boot instantly like 87V does, and almost has all the 287/9 features except graphical chart, also the dot matrix LCD at 287/9 is sux compared to solid dark and sharp LCD segments, believe most people are with me here on the display part. And 189 uses AA cells.