KEYSIGHT TECHNOLOGIES U3401A - WORTH OF MONEY

[mzdenkov]

Greetings!

As the name of topic says, is this DMM worth of 435 Euro + Taxes(25% for Croatia).
Ill have my budget in 2 months; and i cant decide between performance of KST and
LifeTime warranty    of Fluke 87V. Ive decided not to go with Rigol DM3058E.

Arguments for Fluke :

-Veteran in Electronic and Industrial measurements.
-LifeTime warranty
-Has a good name in reliability.
+Made in USA.

Arguments for KST:

-Good performance.
-Will do the work i need.
-Better specs, than 87V.
-Works on 220/230 V.

only minus:
-3yrs of Warranty.


Please do not try to go in war between Bench/Hand-Held  DMMs.

Cheers.!

[AF6LJ]

There isn't anything worth paying 25% tax on.

[Dave]

Arguments for Fluke :
-Veteran in Electronic and Industrial measurements.
-Has a good name in reliability.

Yeah, Fluke is a real veteran in the TME business, it's 68 years old now. It's so much older than Keysight/Agilent/HP at 77.
Damn unreliable Keysight, their equipment usually only lasts 3 decades.

I think it really comes down to whether you prefer a bench or handheld unit. Both have their pros and cons.
If you really want a bench unit, I'd consider getting a used unit off eBay. Something with more functionality and better specs, 4.5 digits is pretty miserable for a bench meter.

[mzdenkov]

Ill exclude Ebay option( cant trust noone ) - If i cant see it/ test it, I dont buy it.

[nctnico]

4.5 digits is pretty miserable for a bench meter.

I disagree. A bench meter is useful due to it's form factor, stackable and being mains powered. However if 4.5 digits (0.05% accuracy) is good enough then I can recommend the Vici VC8145. I have two for everyday bench use.

@mzdenkov: Keysight gear is being made in Asia as well (mostly Malaysia but I wouldn't be surprised a low end meter is made in China).

[ericloewe]

It should also be noted that Fluke's "lifetime" warranty is actually something like "As long as we sell this model or ten years, whichever is greater" (don't quote me on the details).

[mzdenkov]

@mzdenkov: Keysight gear is being made in Asia as well (mostly Malaysia but I wouldn't be surprised a low end meter is made in China).

I have that in mind and many things are mede in PRC or Taiwan , etc.  I'm always looking for stuff that has good community reputation. Hp/Agilent/Keysight are known to be good (Somebody said that U3401A still uses old technology that was implemented by HP) .

For example: Rigol is a Chinese company(i own their DS1052E osc.), and they make good oscilloscopes, but I cant find much reviews about their DMMs. 

[RiverTown]

Pozdrav
You are looking at two different instruments for different purpose. The real question is what do you need.
Fluke si portable, has higher CAT ratings etc.
Keysight U3401A on the other hand is designed to be used in the lab (low energy stuff), like all bench multimeters. It has lower CAT ratings, and you don't have to worry about battery because it's mains powered. Display is also easily readable both in the dark, and on the light.
U3401A is the basic bench multimeter so there is a lot missing features. It even don't have 4 wire resistance measurment.
I would probably go for the Fluke, or similar HQ hand multimeter, and if there is need in the future, then I would buy "real" bench multimeter with all main features.

There isn't anything worth paying 25% tax on.

By tax he ment VAT. VAT in Croatia is 25% and you can avoid it.

It should also be noted that Fluke's "lifetime" warranty is actually something like "As long as we sell this model or ten years, whichever is greater" (don't quote me on the details).

Lifetime warranty isn't really lifetime warranty.
Also there is something different about US, and other countries if I recall correctly. You (mzdenkov) should check that.
But that wouldn't worry me. Nor is 3 year Keysight warranty something crucial. These are high quality and tested devices, and if they fail in the warranty period that will probably be user error. Of course, some production defect are possible, but highly unlikely.