Is it normal for DMM replacement fuses to be this expensve?

[Red Squirrel]

I did a brainfart move and put my Greenlee DMM across battery terminals in current mode.      It's a Bussfuse dmm-b-11a. on Digikey and other legit sources it's over $100!  I found some knockoffs on Amazon for cheaper, but not sure if I want to chance that, or should I be safe? They look like the real thing... but with Amazon it's never guaranteed it is.  If it's really normal for them to cost that much I'll just swallow my pride and pay it and see it as a lesson, but considering the DMM was a few hundred dollars it seems weird that the fuse would be a large part of the cost of making it. 

[madires]

That's insane! DMM fuses are a bit more expensive than standard ones, but usually they are just a few bucks.

[WatchfulEye]

Multimeter HRC fuses are expensive. However, mouser and DK pricing seems ludicrous.

Farnell and TME are more sensibly priced. Although from recollection the prices have tripled since I bought a pack of spares (just in case)

There are equivent DMM fuses from littelfuse and others. There are also fuses rebranded by DMM vendors. For example TME sell a bussman DMM-B11A, and the same fuse as a brymen official spare part for half the price.

https://www.tme.eu/gb/details/dmm-b-11a/other-fuses/bussmann/

https://www.tme.eu/gb/details/bm-s_fuse-11a/accessories-others/brymen/?brutto=1

[madires]

SIBA, 10x38 mm, 11A, AC/DC 1000 V, superfast, EUR 8.99
ESKA, 10A, AC/DC 1000 V, superfast, EUR 11.80.
PeakTech branded, 10A, AC/DC 1000 V, superfast, EUR 3.52

ESKA and SIBA are comparable to Bussmann or Littlefuse.

[Red Squirrel]

Is there a place in Canada to buy those comparable ones?

[bdunham7]

It's a Bussfuse dmm-b-11a. on Digikey and other legit sources it's over $100!  I found some knockoffs on Amazon for cheaper, but not sure if I want to chance that, or should I be safe?

There is some stupid pricing on these, but reliable-but-not-cheap Grainger has them for $17USD and I think they go for similar prices directly from Fluke or Greenlee.  $100 or anything close to it is silly and I'm not at all sure how they got to those numbers.  Amazon and eBay will have plenty of fakes and generics, but I believe that the seller "Witonics" has genuine products at lower prices.  IDK what your situation in Canada will be, probably a lot worse than the US.

https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/fluke-electronics/803293/1802030

[madires]

Is there a place in Canada to buy those comparable ones?

Possibly. SIBA's US website is https://www.siballc.net/, and ESKA's US distributor is https://eskafuses.com/.

[themadhippy]

you sure that price aint for a pack of 10

[Red Squirrel]

It's a Bussfuse dmm-b-11a. on Digikey and other legit sources it's over $100!  I found some knockoffs on Amazon for cheaper, but not sure if I want to chance that, or should I be safe?

There is some stupid pricing on these, but reliable-but-not-cheap Grainger has them for $17USD and I think they go for similar prices directly from Fluke or Greenlee.  $100 or anything close to it is silly and I'm not at all sure how they got to those numbers.  Amazon and eBay will have plenty of fakes and generics, but I believe that the seller "Witonics" has genuine products at lower prices.  IDK what your situation in Canada will be, probably a lot worse than the US.

https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/fluke-electronics/803293/1802030

That Digikey listing is way cheaper than one I found.  I think I will just go with this one since I can get it on digikey.ca for $18.

[JDubU]

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Bussfuse+dmm-b-11a&crid=1E85DAP4FK4BW&sprefix=bussfuse+dmm-b-11a%2Caps%2C170&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

[JPortici]

Jesus. Last time i had to buy the bussman it was a couple of years ago, and they cost about 12€ a pop. I found them to be too expensive already but 80 for one is ridiculous

PS: I love how in multimeters that do 600mA full scale in the mA range (such as the BM867) they put a 440mA fuse. The first time i wanted to measure 500mA i got a nasty surprise 

[Ian.M]

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Bussfuse+dmm-b-11a&crid=1E85DAP4FK4BW&sprefix=bussfuse+dmm-b-11a%2Caps%2C170&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

That's how to get fakes that will explode your meter the next time you are unfortunate enough to blow one!  Amazon are notorious for comingling nominally identical items in their warehouses, so if one seller has fake goods they are mixed in with the genuine stock (if any) so you risk getting fakes from any other sellers of the same item except those that do their own shipping from within your own country, have a bricks and mortar presence in your country, and a good reputation outside of Amazon.   

[bdunham7]

Amazon are notorious for comingling nominally identical items in their warehouses, so if one seller has fake goods they are mixed in with the genuine stock (if any) so you risk getting fakes from any other sellers of the same item except those that do their own shipping from within your own country, have a bricks and mortar presence in your country, and a good reputation outside of Amazon.

Yep, commingling is an option for stupid or crooked sellers to lower their costs.  Try this instead:

https://www.amazon.com/Witonics-DMM-B-11-Replacement-Fluke-803293/dp/B09LFYJKTL/ref=sr_1_4?crid=36FFQ4NOEBFF8

[Red Squirrel]

I ended up going with the Digikey one, I had not originally found that listing bdunham7 posted, and that one was more reasonable. I also bought a $400 48v 1200w Meanwell inverter to get free shipping.     Going to need that for another project anyway.  Converting my server room setup to dual conversion.

[Halcyon]

I know it's currently sold out, but perhaps Dave will re-stock his fuse packs soon? https://eevblog.store/products/multimeter-fuse-pack

[tooki]

For reference, here's the definitive list of 440mA and 11A multimeter fuses I compiled a while back. These are the ones that are exact equivalents to the ones used in Fluke, Keysight, and other reputable meters. (ESKA doesn't make 440mA and 11A multimeter fuses.) In particular, these are all proper 10.3x35mm size on the 440mA.

When searching for DMM fuses, I found that the prices varied insanely, especially if you look for just one specific brand.

So look for all the possible parts. At least one of them will be affordable.

440mA:
* Fluke 943121
* Bussmann DMM-B-44/100
* Littelfuse FLU .440 (0FLU.440T, 0FLU.440M)
* SIBA URZ series, part # 210 06.0.44

11A:
* Fluke 803293
* Bussmann DMM-B-11A
* Littelfuse FLU 011. (0FLU011.T, 0FLU011.M)
* SIBA URZ series, part # 50 199 06.11

[bdunham7]

To put this all in perspective, here are some audiophool fuses.  Perhaps they would improve the tone of the continuity beeper?  I'm not sure how you would determine the correct direction, though.

https://houseofstereo.com/products/synergistic-research-master-fuse?variant=43225203671189

[shapirus]

To put this all in perspective, here are some audiophool fuses.  Perhaps they would improve the tone of the continuity beeper?  I'm not sure how you would determine the correct direction, though.

https://houseofstereo.com/products/synergistic-research-master-fuse?variant=43225203671189

Wow. At that price, they'd better use a wire that's thick enough in that fuse, to make sure it never blows.

But, seriously, the pricing on genuine DMM fuses is ridiculous. These prices only encourage people to look for cheaper options and, ultimately, end up buying fakes, which can be outside of specification, which may lead to DMMs getting damaged.
The fuses must be sold at wholesale prices instead, and some be included with the meters as standard accessories, to encourage people to use proper genuine fuses and not look elsewhere.

[bdunham7]

The fuses must be sold at wholesale prices instead, and some be included with the meters as standard accessories, to encourage people to use proper genuine fuses and not look elsewhere.

They're $11 and $6 each respectively if you buy 5-packs from a Fluke authorized distributor like Global Test Supply or TEquipment.  Anything much above that is silly, although there is plenty of silliness to be had.

[Red Squirrel]

To put this all in perspective, here are some audiophool fuses.  Perhaps they would improve the tone of the continuity beeper?  I'm not sure how you would determine the correct direction, though.

https://houseofstereo.com/products/synergistic-research-master-fuse?variant=43225203671189

Going to want to put a high end transistor with a lower current rating in line with that in order to protect the fuse.   

As for the DMM fuses I never really considered that these might be fairly universal, is it safe to just search for multimeter fuse and get whatever has the same rating?  I guess the key is to get one that won't explode and make a mess, and one that blows fast. I already ordered the one I need, but could not hurt to have some spares for all my other meters.

[nightfire]

As tooki put it already, there are only a few manufacturers worldwide that offer Multimeter fuses that go up to 1000V- mainly because they have to be able to extinguish AC+DC currents.

Basically, in Europe and US markets, there are only 3 fuse manufacturers available: Bussmann, Littelfuse, SIBA.
A trick is to use the fluke-branded fuses from a trusted source, as they are relabelled bussman fuses, but in most cases cheaper that the same vendor offering genuine bussmann packaged fuses.


@tooki: Hioki documents in the manual for the DT4282 that they use fuses from chinese manufacturer Hollyland in 10x38mm for both of the inputs, maybe worth an addendum to the list?

[tooki]

@tooki: Hioki documents in the manual for the DT4282 that they use fuses from chinese manufacturer Hollyland in 10x38mm for both of the inputs, maybe worth an addendum to the list?

Well we don’t even have part numbers in the Hioki manual, and the mA fuse is completely different (different current rating, different size) anyway, so I will pass for now.