Hello all.
I'm new to posting here, after lurking for a while. I'm based in Australia and am chiming in with what I've found (in May 2017) on prices for the Brymen BM869S and the Fluke 289, being the two multimeters I've focussed on to replace the POS I've been using for too long. :-)
The lowest priced source I've found for a Brymen BM869S and data link cable/software, shipped to Australia, is eleshop.eu
https://eleshop.eu in The Netherlands. The data link interface was not showing on the English language version of their site, but here is a link to it in the Dutch part of the site.
https://eleshop.eu/brymen-kitbu-86x-usb-connection-kit.html . Total price for the meter and datalink is EU$254.01 (including shipping which is EU$40). This is AUD$380, subject to variation.
The next lowest price was from TME in Poland. The BM869S and the KITBU-86S datalink kit are easy to find on their site. Total price - EU$268.76 (including EU$19.90 shipping). Or ~ AUD$402.
Re the Fluke 289, the story there is not so good. Tequipment in the US is a good source, if you live in the US!
After spending much time working with their excellent website I learned via a chat session that they can't/won't export to Australia (no news there for many on this forum it seems). The best price I found on their site, for logged in members, was USD$519, or AUD$696. This is for the meter only. The Fluke View Forms software and optical link to USB cable, and/or their IR3000FC Fluke Connect wireless interface are extra, best ordered in a kit with the meter.
The best price for a Fluke 289 from an Australian supplier (element14, formerly Farnell) was AUD$1253.70. That's for the multimeter only. Any POS calculator will show that this is close to double what folk in the US pay. Why?
In line with the topic of this thread, after much consideration my preference tipped in favour of the Fluke 289. I like the onboard data logging and display and the ability to beam it to my iPhone/iPad, via the modular IR3000FC interface, to then share the data with others, easily. I haven't ordered either yet, but chances are I'll end up with both, to use each for its strengths.
So, buying a Brymen BM869S is easy, but how do I buy a Fluke 289 (with FVF and IR3000FC and some sort of Flukey accessory cables/clips kit) without feeling like I've been treated as a second class citizen of the world? That is, ripped off!
Regards, Valden.
p.s. Brymen have just updated their website. It looks much more professional now. Good on 'em.