This is an old thread but the answers are kind of vague. Tektronix sold some forgettable import meters then they decided to get serious. They were best known for their scopes, not DMMs. The big gun at the time, as now, was the Fluke 87. Tek brought out two top of the line meters to compete, the TX1 and the even better specs, TX3, made in the USA.. Subsequently, Danaher, Fluke's parent company, bought Tektronix. Fluke rebranded the TX1 and TX3 as the Fluke 183 and 185. The only difference is the protective boot went from blue to Fluke yellow and the make and model silk screened on the front. Fluke added to the series with two additional models with more ergonomic shape, integral boot and even better specs, the 187 and 189. Fluke called them top of the line so am not sure how the various 180 series DMMs stacked up against the 87 of the day. I have a TX3 and it is a serious 4.5 digit meter with a basis DC accuracy of .05%. It came with a NIST traceability certificate. The performance was the equal of many bench top meters. It has a very long list of features. It still meets all my needs.