Fluke 8846A Discontinued. Is it worth it to pay higher prices?

[Echelon]

So I have been wanting to buy a bench multimeter for home lab.  I have had my eye on a Fluke 8846A for a few years.  Now that I am getting close to being able to afford it, I found out that Fluke has discontinued it and the retailers with remaining inventory have raised the price by 700 to 1000 USD.  The price they have now seemingly settled on is almost $2200. 

Right now I am just using a $50 rebrand handheld multi-meter from a local hardware store.  It's designed for electricians, not electronics.  There is no microamps range.  The update time is slow and there no ability to manually range, further adding to this problem.  The backlight doesn't hold on, the meter automatically shuts down while I am tinkering with my circuits, and continuity latching is poor. 

Overall, I would really like something much nicer, on mains power, dedicated to my lab.  I really appreciated the dedicated mode buttons and minimalist approach.  I really don't like gear that gets in my way so do not want to be wading through a bunch of menus.  Gear that I don't completely trust is a hard no.  I also liked the built-in frequency counter.  Having the ability to do very precise measurements for learning about certain subtle electrical characteristics or the ability to trade that off for speed when that is not required was very nice.  The VFD was also pretty cool.  It's just going to sit on my work desk, I doubt it would ever be in danger of being physically damaged. 

My question is this: Are there better meters and options on the market now that I should stop focusing on this one or is it worth it to pony up the extra money to get one before everyone sells out?  One of the hard things is that test equipment is so niche that you can't exactly try before you buy.  I can't go down to the local store and demo a bunch of makes and models. 

I welcome discussion, opinions and insight.  Also, I'm brand new to the forms, let me know if this is in the wrong place. 

[bdunham7]

Yowser!  No advance notice (AFAIK) and no replacement! I wonder if they just ran out of Cyclones or what--I'm sure it was due for an update and respin at the very least.  If Fluke decides not to come out with any direct replacement, that would be an indication that the company is headed downhill, IMO.  Perhaps they just ran out of the old model before the new one was ready, or maybe they are introducing a new model at a lower price point and want to clear the old inventory first. 

I have one and I like it for a number of reasons, but I would probably balk at paying $2200 for the basic meter, especially if affordability is in any way an issue for you.  However I would say the question of whether there is anything better is debatable--there are some features and specs that are unmatched by any competitive product.  You could wait a bit and see if they come out with a replacement.  If not, take a look at the options they suggest, like the DMM6500.  Or, since you have such a basic meter now, do an intermediate step up to something like one of the BK Precision bench meters, something from Keysight or Siglent (read about and discuss these options as there's plenty on the forum already)  or even something used.  It appears to be a terrible time to go shopping right now!

Edit:  Apparently they did issue an EOL notice, but I'm not sure when they sent it out.

 https://us.flukecal.com/support/safety-notices

[Echelon]

Looks like the distributors had pretty short notice too and it doesn't look like there was much of any EOL period to place orders.  It does seem like something broke behind the scenes over at Fluke.  I searched around before posting this thread and didn't really see any discussion of the discontinuation on the internet.  https://media.digikey.com/pdf/PCNs/Fluke/FCAL%20Obsolete%204-12-2022.pdf 

Some of the Keithley 5.5 digit precision meters looked pretty close to what I was looking for too.  I'll need to spend more time comparing the exact specifications and feature differences.  I have the idea to eventually purchase a sweeping LCR meter or VNA.  But that will be much more expensive and ideally my multimeter would at least do some basic capacitance measurements.  I also need to try to better understand the differences between LCR meters and VNAs, but that is a topic for another thread. 

[free_electron]

what makes that machine special ?
i have one and find it an annoying machine. after a powercycle it takes oodles of time to boot.

i'd go for a used 34401a from hp/agilent

[Specmaster]

Hmm, have you considered a Fluke 8842A, it has a 1uA resolution, has 5.5 digits with the internal accuracy of a 6.5 digit meter with a DC accuracy of .003% and you could get one a second-hand one for around $100?

[Dubbie]

There is no way I would get a bench meter without some sort of graphing functionality.

[HighVoltage]

Although the specs of the Fluke 8846A are good, it is an outdated instrument and was already too expensive before the price increased.

I had a couple of them over the years and sold them again.
One reason: It is impossible to get parts for these instruments.

You can get easily two used Agilent 34401A for the same price as one Fluke 8846A.
And the 34401A can be repaired, if needed.

[Kleinstein]

Hmm, have you considered a Fluke 8842A, it has a 1uA resolution, has 5.5 digits with the internal accuracy of a 6.5 digit meter with a DC accuracy of .003% and you could get one a second-hand one for around $100?

The Fluke 8840/8842 are interesting 5.5 digit meters, but quite different from the 8845/8846. They offer a high impedance 20 V range, which can be a big plus and use the somewhat odd recirculating remainder ADC instead of a more conventional integrating ADC. Without the analog filtering they should be quite noisy and with the filter active the settling takes some time.  I would more see them compete with the HP3478 as relatively good 5.5. digit meters: the HP meter with a plus for low votlages and the Fluke with the plus of the 20 V range.

Even before the price increase the Fluke 8846 was a relatively expensive, old style meter.  Today it is more the question which meters are actually in stock and not only provide good specs on paper.

[BeBuLamar]

I think they pass the business to Keithley which belongs to the same Fortive. And I think most of Keithley products are made in China now.

[bdunham7]

what makes that machine special ?
i have one and find it an annoying machine. after a powercycle it takes oodles of time to boot.

It has certain specifications that competitors simply don't match.  If those are not important to you, then I suppose it isn't special. 

A hard powercycle (back switch), yes it takes a bit of time to start up.  But if you leave it on standby and use the front power switch it is instant.  But if you really don't like it, now is an excellent time to sell it--perhaps to the OP! 

[Arhigos]

Wow that's a surprising news for me.

I think they should now make a fluke-branded version of DMM6500 (just like they did with DMM4020 and DMM4050) before.

[free_electron]

There is no way I would get a bench meter without some sort of graphing functionality.

it is useless. you have a VFD with 192x64 pixels .. that's not even QVGA ... and the user interface to display, scroll and zoom is bass-ackwards...

if you need graphing : machines have GPIB/ Serial / USB / LXI : install Agilents Benchvue and off you go. Graph to your hearts content.
The only thing this machine has is a usb host , so you can plug in a memory stick and record long term, standalone. But then the newer TFT based agilent machines have that too..

[TomKatt]

Just an observation that going from a $50 hardware store handheld to a nearly $2K lab meter is quite a jump!  While I certainly would love a meter of that class, I'm just curious what led you to orders of magnitude better equipment?

Other than a permanent backlight, handhelds like Dave's BM786 are accurate and address most of your complaints about your current meter, for far less expense.

But something like a Fluke 8846A surely looks good on the bench    Personally, I'm a sucker for VFD displays myself.

[coromonadalix]

Depend of the OP needs,  does it need to be datalogging ?    you have softwares who can help with that too,   seeing the tektronix variants clones and the flukes one,  i would never ever pay that

yes  to the huge problem to repair them if needed,  just that is enough to pass over them


you have some rigols, keysight and others who can give you lot   without costing this absurd price


even the ''used'' price(s) will rise the same way it had  with the 34401a,  884x series etc ...  even old keithley 196  prices rose a lot too loll

[Hydron]

I'd say it wasn't worth paying the price even before it went up - it's not a recent model, and the DMM6500 is being sold by the same parent company with a lot of added features and a lower price even before the rise (this is what I picked when I went from a handheld to bench meter).

Would only make sense paying the premium if you had a setup that MUST use this specific meter - those with stock will be pricing them aimed at people in that exact situation (i.e. a captive market).

[Echelon]

So what would you say in regards to the Keysight 34461A or 34465A?  The problem with the 34461A is the low-end of the DCI measurements.  However, the 34465A is quite a bit more expensive. 

[BeBuLamar]

I don't see the need for graphic display. I do want data logging but the graphic is much better done on a computer after or during the data logging. I think if I invest in an expensive bench unit it would be primarily for the accuracy. No graphic on any meter would match that of a decent computer.

[voltsandjolts]

So what would you say in regards to the Keysight 34461A or 34465A?  The problem with the 34461A is the low-end of the DCI measurements.  However, the 34465A is quite a bit more expensive.

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/keysight-officially-lost-the-plot-dont-buy-if-youre-a-hobbyist/
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/keysight-products-not-to-be-sold-to-private-customers/
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/keysight-1200x-series-no-replaceable-parts-are-available/

Maybe a Keithley DMM6500 would suit you? It does have a cool UI
Fluke and Keithley are both part of Danaher.

[Echelon]

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/keysight-officially-lost-the-plot-dont-buy-if-youre-a-hobbyist/
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/keysight-products-not-to-be-sold-to-private-customers/
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/keysight-1200x-series-no-replaceable-parts-are-available/

Wow!  I had no idea about Keysight.  The impression I had of them was the opposite.  Thanks for giving me the heads up!  I'll defiantly look for alternatives. 

Maybe I'm weird, but I actually didn't like that UI.  I preferred the dedicated buttons of something like a Keithley 2100.  I'll keep looking around.  Thanks for all the input from everyone! 

[bdunham7]

This may or may not be what you want, but at least have a look:

https://www.bkprecision.com/products/multimeters/5493C-6-1-2-bench-digital-multimeter.html

[tautech]

I'll keep looking around. 

Maybe one of these might suit your needs:
https://siglentna.com/digital-multimeters/

[abdulbadii]

IMHO nowadays as many cheaper, though just ~25%, than Fluke in intr. market , it is overhyped for being stated as quintessential

just there're so many else

so wonder why so many people r zealot to Fluke

[free_electron]

Fluke and Keithley are both part of Danaher.

nope. danaher went bye-bye.

Tektronix owns Keithley
Fortive owns Tektronix and Fluke (and others , non test equipment)
Fortive itself has spun out of Danaher but has nothing to do with danaher anymore

[BeBuLamar]

Fluke and Keithley are both part of Danaher.

nope. danaher went bye-bye.

Tektronix owns Keithley
Fortive owns Tektronix and Fluke (and others , non test equipment)
Fortive itself has spun out of Danaher but has nothing to do with danaher anymore

Fluke and Keithley still belong to the same company so I think Fluke leave the bench meter market to Keithley (Tektronix got out of the meter market all together). I think Keithley is better suited to compete with siglent etc..

[Hydron]

I think Keithley is trying to compete with KS, not so much siglent (still waiting for a siglent SMU...)