Any reason not to choose an 87V in 2018?

[Muttley Snickers]

I'm not sure if it has been mentioned already but a member just sold a brand new Keysight U1282A in the Buy/ Sell Section and stated that he may have another one, they are a very nice fully featured 66000 count meter so certainly worth a look, I think it went for around $350 but not sure which currency.

[IanB]

While I respect what people have said about the Brymen meters they seem to have niggling quality problems.  I haven’t found somewhere that someone doesn’t have a weird problem with a particular model.

I don't have any problems with the BM869s. It feels like a mature, stable, solid product.

I have the BM235 and that is also fine.

However, if you have an inherent bias against Brymen meters you shouldn't get one. You will just spend your time looking for something wrong with it.

[EEVblog]

Any reason not to choose an 87V in 2018?

Because there are better bang-per-buck meters available.
Brymen are kicking butt in the high CAT end of town.
That said, the 87V is still a great meter

[EEVblog]

totally hate the AC mode on the fluke 8x rev V  series, totally hate it ...

Agreed, really annoying. I was  they changed it from default DC in the 87-III

[EEVblog]

The 87V was and still is the staple electrical meter. Electronics on the other hand, have a much higher choice since you won't be in a CAT IV environment, though many meters are certified for that usage.
Have you considered the 121GW? It's pretty spiffy. I'd still take my 869 over it though.

I wouldn't buy the 121GW for primarily high CAT rated work, it's not designed for that. It has a genuine UL CAT III rating of course, so it's fine for most stuff. But if you want to get specific, it's not in the same class as say as a good CAT IV rater meter. I think Brymen are the only ones that do a CAT IV 1000V meter?

[bd139]

For ref, BM869S is on top of the spreadsheet at the moment. BM867S covers my requirements perfectly as well.

Only thing is we have supply problem in the UK. Telonic sell both for bugger all but have no stock. TME sell both but they're much more expensive.

Edit: I don't need differential temperature measurement or anything to do with VFD so 867S is on top now

[EEVblog]

For ref, BM869S is on top of the spreadsheet at the moment. BM867S covers my requirements perfectly as well.

Isn't the Fluke 87V one of the worst meters on Joe's list?

In terms of electrical ruggedness, basically any meter that is independently CAT IV UL rated is going to be fine, and that includes the 87V even though it does poorly in Joe's tests.

[TheAmmoniacal]

For ref, BM869S is on top of the spreadsheet at the moment. BM867S covers my requirements perfectly as well.

Isn't the Fluke 87V one of the worst meters on Joe's list?

In terms of electrical ruggedness, basically any meter that is independently CAT IV UL rated is going to be fine, and that includes the 87V even though it does poorly in Joe's tests.

Joe retested a newer revision of the 87V, it did far better - among the top. Might have been a fluke.

[bd139]

Not overly concerned as long as the rating is accurate and verifiable i.e. not some hooky crap with a label on it and that's it. I'm going to be 90% CAT II or lower installation and 10% CAT III, 0% CAT IV with this. Maybe more CAT III if our resident sparky sticks himself across a busbar in the DC 

Joe is primarily interested in seeing where the line is. I'm mostly interested in knowing the line is above the label on the front

[2N3055]

869 has better DC accuracy and much better AC accuracy with 100kHz bandwith (-3dB point is few hundred kHz).
VFD mode is handy to measure class D audio amplifiers and other PWM stuff.. It is basically low pass filter mode...
That is why I opted for 869 and not 867. It makes for a more universal instrument.

As for source, check brymen.eu or welectron too.. brymen.eu seems to give 3 year warranty..

I have a 869S and 525S. I took 525S for logging and general work... That one is probably more than most people need..

[EEVblog]

Joe is primarily interested in seeing where the line is. I'm mostly interested in knowing the line is above the label on the front

In that case its just a matter of independent UL/ETL testing. Most of the big names do it, with the exception of the Japanese ones that do it in-house.

[tooki]

I’ve got a Keysight U1241C at the moment which I rather like and a couple of junk meters. However I need another reliable DMM so i can do multiple measurements at the same time. I was going to hit a bench meter but nothing comes up in my price range or quality metric. These are going to be used on primary side of SMPS etc worst case so no fake CAT rating junk will be factored in.

This leaves me with the 87V of which there are new boxed ones floating around for a reasonable amount of cash.

Any reason not to choose an 87V in 2018?

So far i see better longevity, calibration stability, basic accuracy, parts availability and protection than the U1241C.

I’d look at the Fluke 28 II as well. Here in Switzerland, for example, the 28 II actually tends to sell for less than the 87V! (Unlike in USA.) And it’s got the advantage of being ruggedized and using AA batteries instead of 9V.

[larsdenmark]

Everyone should own a 87V - just because! I have a few,  but still use my BM869s most of the time. The Brymen meter simply has more features, higher accuracy and it feels really nice. BM867s is supposedly also a nice meter, but I don't own that one and can't compare.

Reasons to go for a 87V anyway:
- Autohold
- Handles frequent drops on concrete floors a lot better than the Brymen
- Less cluttered screen (and fewer digits) - if you're into that kind of thing.
- It's yellow!

[Fungus]

While I respect what people have said about the Brymen meters ...  I haven’t found somewhere that someone doesn’t have a weird problem with a particular model.

Anybody here have weird problems? 

[iainwhite]

Head says BM869
Heart says 87V

Go with your heart

[bd139]

Got email from Telonic who appear to have just unpacked their stock. BM867S on way to arrive tomorrow.

Thanks all.

Went with head. Head is less complicated.

[2N3055]

Got email from Telonic who appear to have just unpacked their stock. BM867S on way to arrive tomorrow.

Thanks all.

Went with head. Head is less complicated.

That's what a good head on you shoulders is for :-)

Regards,
Sinisa

[exe]

2bd139 I'd love to know your opinion about it (after some use) as I want to buy 869s.

[bd139]

Will post a review after a month or so of use. 

[Tepe]

Only thing is we have supply problem in the UK. Telonic sell both for bugger all but have no stock. TME sell both but they're much more expensive.

Have you tried looking for Brymen meters under other names in the UK? In Denmark they are sold as Elma meters, for instance.

Edit: Missed that you have already ordered a meter..

[X]

I got a Fluke 28 II, because it turned out to be a fair bit cheaper than the 87V, and had an IP67 rating to boot. I believe the kit for the 28II may not be as well equipped as the 87V kit is though, but it has your basic thermocouple and probes with crocodile clips included.

Some things I don't like:
 - diode function only goes up to 2V which is no good for most LEDs out there and some rectifiers - can be worked around by connecting a diode across a variable current-limited voltage source and measuring DC voltage across the diode, but this is a bit cumbersome.
 - current goes to AC by default.
 - inconsistent on/off (particularly when the meter decides to turn off on its own, and you have the dial stuck in a range instead of the OFF position).

[bd139]

Only thing is we have supply problem in the UK. Telonic sell both for bugger all but have no stock. TME sell both but they're much more expensive.

Have you tried looking for Brymen meters under other names in the UK? In Denmark they are sold as Elma meters, for instance.

Edit: Missed that you have already ordered a meter..

I had a good look around at sale options and Telonic who is my usual supplier of Rigol stuff came up but were out of stock. Sent them an email and they had a delivery this morning conveniently. For ref, order link is here: https://www.telonic.co.uk/Brymen-BM867s-Multimeter-p/bm867s.htm

I got a Fluke 28 II, because it turned out to be a fair bit cheaper than the 87V, and had an IP67 rating to boot. I believe the kit for the 28II may not be as well equipped as the 87V kit is though, but it has your basic thermocouple and probes with crocodile clips included.

Some things I don't like:
 - diode function only goes up to 2V which is no good for most LEDs out there and some rectifiers - can be worked around by connecting a diode across a variable current-limited voltage source and measuring DC voltage across the diode, but this is a bit cumbersome.
 - current goes to AC by default.
 - inconsistent on/off (particularly when the meter decides to turn off on its own, and you have the dial stuck in a range instead of the OFF position).

That would all annoy the shit out of me.

[Terry01]

I have had the 867s for around a year or more now. Not notice any funny problems or anything like that...... unless I count as a "funny problem" for the meter? Who knows??
I've blown a couple of fuses and some other stupid chit and it kindles up fine every time soon as the crispy bit is replaced. It's never skipped a step as far as accuracy is concerned and matches my calibrated 289 near dead on.

I would highly recommend the 867s buddy. You won't be disappointed.   

[iainwhite]

Wow - 108ukp +vat seems like a great price from telonic for the BM867S

[bd139]

Yeah that’s what I thought. Also free next day courier here in U.K.

I’ve put a lot of money through them in the last couple of years as well with no problems. Excellent company. In fact my last purchase with them came with a cheap Brymen pocket DMM which lives in the car now.