The 8846A is dated, all new bench meter uses a graphical color LCD display, not the VFD that ages rather fast. I have two 8846A, one need service, I hope it is a capacitor, but I have not had time to look at it yet. I do not doubt the precision of the 8846A, it is a very precise meter, but it is lacking the features of Keysight 344xxA and Keithley DMMxxxx. I suppose the Keithley meters are the replacement for it.
I wouldn't typically recommend an 8846A to the "which DMM should I buy" crowd, but some of the criticisms of it are overdone or don't take into account the way they are used and abused. I have one and while it has its quirks (it likes to say 'overload' a lot), as a general purpose bench meter it by far outclasses anything else that I've tried.
For example, the VFD issue is a a non-issue for the typical hobbyist or solo professional that takes care of their equipment and needs a high quality service bench meter. Although a high-quality TFT display with LED backlighting might be superior, the VFD is better than most lesser quality LCDs or any OLED when it comes to durability and viewability. Sure, I've seen some of these faded (but never failed, so far) but the oldest of these are 15 years old by now and probably have been left on for extended periods at the default (high) brightness. If you use the low or medium setting and turn the display off when you aren't using it, I would expect them to last a very long time. The only ones that last forever are the segmented LED displays, but imagine the whining about datedness if someone came out with those again.
As for features, which features? Yes, the newer meters can have graphing ,histograms and so on, but are those the features you want? How about instant on, 1000VAC, 1Gohm, 5V/10V diode with 1.0 and 0.1mA current selection, most ranges and features selectable with one button push, two at the most? Fast continuity with selectable 1/10/100/1000 ohm set points? Accuracy approaching metrology-grade meters along with a very low tempco so it stays accurate in a non-controlled environment? It's definitely a pro model and you pay for it.
Now there are downsides. The current measurement setup is a mess if you need precision as good as you would expect from an almost $2K meter without reading the spec sheet. However, the biggest trap is that they are not as internally physically robust nor as serviceable as their 8842A predecessors. I can only recommend the 8846A/DMM4050 for most if you either don't care about money and can just buy a new one, or you score a deal on a mint-condition used one. Buying a used/abused model is a recipe for disaster as broken ones are tough to fix for a variety of reasons. This has caused some people to sour on them, but I have seen no evidence that one of these that is acquired new or mint will give any problems as long as it lives a nice comfortable life. I definitely recommend not dropping them.
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