Products > Test Equipment
Good multimeter for Industrial use at work (Fluke alternatives)
<< < (7/26) > >>
Monkeh:

--- Quote from: BeBuLamar on December 23, 2022, 02:48:05 pm ---Brymen may be just as good or better but if I work for your company and you provide me with Brymen I won't be happy.

--- End quote ---

Being proud of irrational bias is not a good look. An engineer who can't make a judgement on the suitability of a tool based on any metric but name and price is not an engineer worth hiring.
MerlijnD:

--- Quote from: AVGresponding on December 23, 2022, 04:42:53 pm ---
--- Quote from: MerlijnD on December 23, 2022, 03:21:06 pm ---
--- Quote from: BeBuLamar on December 23, 2022, 02:48:05 pm ---Brymen may be just as good or better but if I work for your company and you provide me with Brymen I won't be happy.

--- End quote ---

Why not?

--- End quote ---

Presumably because Fluke have a proven track record in industrial grade TE and Brymen don't, yet.

The scariest thing about working on serious UPS systems for me was always the battery strings; you get a short within the string (fuses are normally only at the ends) on a big one and it can be spectacular, loud, and very dangerous. I don't envy anyone that has to work on modern ones with big lithium strings.

We were always issued with Fluke meters, (I had an 83 and a 95), and though I'm a Fluke fanboy still (too many to list, but 87V daily at work and 289 daily at home), but I also really like my Brymen 869S, it's a damn good bit of kit, and I'd be happy to trust it at work if I didn't already have the F87V.

--- End quote ---

We don't do lithium, its kinetic. (DRUPS - Diesel Rotary uninterruptible power supply)
bdunham7:

--- Quote from: Monkeh on December 23, 2022, 04:47:21 pm ---Being proud of irrational bias is not a good look. An engineer who can't make a judgement on the suitability of a tool based on any metric but name and price is not an engineer worth hiring.

--- End quote ---

It's not irrational to factor in decades of experience with a product and a company or even to value those things more highly than advertised specs and low cost.  Then there is the secondary matter of workflow and procedures, where any change may cause an issue at some point.  Fluke's tradition of continuing particular models as long as possible (and sometimes even longer than you'd think possible) is a big plus for many customers. 
Swake:
My 2 cents

Brymen BM235: Always in the car with me. It is small & cheap. If it gets broken or stolen I don't care about the cost. Incredible price/function ratio. check out the VFD function. I feel comfortable poking around in smaller 3x400V systems. Note that I have upgraded the test leads.

Brymen BM869s: My Fluke 289 is too expensive to be taken on the road all the time, so I wanted to try this Brymen. Have it only a couple of months and it just doesn't feel the same as a nice Fluke. I still grab the Fluke sometimes to cross check what the Brymen BM869s is telling me... It is relatively slow and has too many features to be handy actually. Hold function is a joke. The display is very bright, way better that any Fluke (shame on you Fluke). The beeper is too loud inside the house, it hurts my ears. I know this all is subjective and personal taste, but it is what it is. On a budget I take the Brymen.

Fluke 83: Its over 25 years old now. Never failed me except ones when I had to clean the zebra strips within the display. Still reads within spec as on the first day. Frequently spends cold and humid nights outside. Still my first set of leads and only the 5th battery or so! Merits retirement.... Should sell it for a newer one, it's not even an RMS meter... but I can't, it became a love affair, it trusts me as much as I trust it.

Fluke 289: Broken battery tab just after the warranty ran out. Come on.... Its sooo frequent that the Chinese make clones for those tabs... Devours batteries. 8 years in service and still spot on. I know that what is on the screen is the right thing. Slow start-up and worthless screen contrast and backlight. This is the meter I grab when the number 3 positions behind the comma is important. It is not fragile but certainly not rugged either.

Fluke T5-1000: My goto for quick electrics works. I didn't purchase it and would never have till a friend offered me one and I started using it. This thing is perfect if you only have 2 hands and no room to hang or lay down a classic meter. Pouch on the belt is handy too.

Every couple of years these meters are being checked to see if V/I/F is still within spec. Check is done against a standard in a lab but it is not a calibration (too expensive and not required in my case). Any meter that is out of spec is thrown out as I wouldn't trust it anymore in the field or for daily use.

Conclusion: If on a budget take the Brymen BM235; If you really need a double display go for the BM869s. If the brand, inherent trust and having a million features is important go for the Fluke 287/289.
MerlijnD:

--- Quote from: Swake on December 23, 2022, 06:47:22 pm ---My 2 cents

Brymen BM235: Always in the car with me. It is small & cheap. If it gets broken or stolen I don't care about the cost. Incredible price/function ratio. check out the VFD function. I feel comfortable poking around in smaller 3x400V systems. Note that I have upgraded the test leads.

Brymen BM869s: My Fluke 289 is too expensive to be taken on the road all the time, so I wanted to try this Brymen. Have it only a couple of months and it just doesn't feel the same as a nice Fluke. I still grab the Fluke sometimes to cross check what the Brymen BM869s is telling me... It is relatively slow and has too many features to be handy actually. Hold function is a joke. The display is very bright, way better that any Fluke (shame on you Fluke). The beeper is too loud inside the house, it hurts my ears. I know this all is subjective and personal taste, but it is what it is. On a budget I take the Brymen.

Fluke 83: Its over 25 years old now. Never failed me except ones when I had to clean the zebra strips within the display. Still reads within spec as on the first day. Frequently spends cold and humid nights outside. Still my first set of leads and only the 5th battery or so! Merits retirement.... Should sell it for a newer one, it's not even an RMS meter... but I can't, it became a love affair, it trusts me as much as I trust it.

Fluke 289: Broken battery tab just after the warranty ran out. Come on.... Its sooo frequent that the Chinese make clones for those tabs... Devours batteries. 8 years in service and still spot on. I know that what is on the screen is the right thing. Slow start-up and worthless screen contrast and backlight. This is the meter I grab when the number 3 positions behind the comma is important. It is not fragile but certainly not rugged either.

Fluke T5-1000: My goto for quick electrics works. I didn't purchase it and would never have till a friend offered me one and I started using it. This thing is perfect if you only have 2 hands and no room to hang or lay down a classic meter. Pouch on the belt is handy too.

Every couple of years these meters are being checked to see if V/I/F is still within spec. Check is done against a standard in a lab but it is not a calibration (too expensive and not required in my case). Any meter that is out of spec is thrown out as I wouldn't trust it anymore in the field or for daily use.

Conclusion: If on a budget take the Brymen BM235; If you really need a double display go for the BM869s. If the brand, inherent trust and having a million features is important go for the Fluke 287/289.

--- End quote ---

Thanks for your insights!!
Navigation
Message Index
Next page
Previous page
There was an error while thanking
Thanking...

Go to full version
Powered by SMFPacks Advanced Attachments Uploader Mod