Products > Test Equipment
Saving yet another Fluke 189
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bdunham7:

--- Quote from: joeqsmith on September 13, 2023, 01:01:24 am ---So the new terminal block arrived from FlukeUSA.  I'm not impressed.  It looks like a Chinese knockoff rather than the quality I see with the OEM parts.

--- End quote ---

It would be surprising and disappointing if the seller fluke-usa was shipping knock-offs.  I'll try and find my replacement from Newark and compare.  I know the bodies are all-red now, but what else seems bad about it? 
joeqsmith:
Did you notice the machine marks in the mold?  Similar to what the other eBay store had.  The other thing I noticed is the OEM boots are a very soft plastic or hard rubber.  You can squish it easily between your finger tips.  This red one is a very hard plastic.  Will it crack or split in short time like I see with cheap Chinese meters?   I can't comment on the contact itself. 

***
Squeezed the OEM a small amount, then more.  As soon as I release my grip, the part returns to normal.  The rest of the OEM terminal block is hard plastic.
bdunham7:

--- Quote from: joeqsmith on September 13, 2023, 02:17:13 am ---Did you notice the machine marks in the mold?  Similar to what the other eBay store had.  The other thing I noticed is the OEM boots are a very soft plastic or hard rubber.  You can squish it easily between your finger tips.  This red one is a very hard plastic.  Will it crack or split in short time like I see with cheap Chinese meters?   I can't comment on the contact itself.

--- End quote ---

Yes, I saw that.  If the OEM part is NLA from Fluke, we'd accept a Chinesium knock-off.  But the fluke-usa description specifically warns us about knock-offs!  I don't know.  One possibility is that Fluke is having them made in China now, or has switched vendors to some US-based barbarian.  I've seen much worse things come from US automotive suppliers, so bad that in many cases the Chinese knock-offs were an improvement.

Did you call Fluke about that part, using the updated part number?  If it is NLA from them, you have to wonder what is going on.
joeqsmith:
I never called Fluke as the meters are so old I wasn't expecting any service.   See my attached photos in my previous post to get some idea how the OEM part will flex.  Its easy enough to try and squeeze the new part with needle nose pliers at the tip.  These are totally different materials.  My guess is the original designers had a reason for this. 
bdunham7:

--- Quote from: joeqsmith on September 13, 2023, 02:17:13 am ---The other thing I noticed is the OEM boots are a very soft plastic or hard rubber.

--- End quote ---

My 189 has squishy boots as well, but my much newer 289 does not, they are hard.  My older i1010 current clamp has flexible shields, my newer (and cheaper) i400e is totally rigid.  Maybe that flexibility depended on some additive that was expensive or bad for the environment.  Short of buying a new 789 just to fondle its boots, I'm not sure what to say. 
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