Why So Expensive?

[splin]

After watching some of Dave's multimeter videos, I can't help but wonder what you are paying for in expensive multimeters like Gossen or Fluke? Dave suggest a $50 multimeter is all you need. So the question is, how does a x10 or a x20 fold price increase get justified? What is in these top of the line units?

Goshen? Fluke? Anybody buying such cheap crap that's less than Cat 12, 65,000kA/400MV rating is a total mug. And expect to get sued to hell and back when one of your employees accidently stabs themselves or a colleague with their ridiculously sharp test probes...

[CDaniel]

Without talking about quality and safety , a 50$ meter or even double , triple the price multimeter will never be good for true rms AC high frequency ... so everybody has his needs , from people advanced  in electronics to amateurs .

[nctnico]

Without talking about quality and safety , a 50$ meter or even double , triple the price multimeter will never be good for true rms AC high frequency

The VC8145 bench DMM is somewhere in the $150 ball-park and it has good coverage for AC rms in the audio band. But I wouldn't use this DMM for measuring mains.

[Fungus]

Someone told me once "buy good tools and only cry once" I've mostly stuck to that and rarely ever regretted spending too much on a tool.

"Rarely" - but it does happen, right? 

I have regretted buying the cheap one many times though.

I largely agree but that doesn't mean we shouldn't seek out the sweet spots and it doesn't mean there aren't cheap tools worth having.

e.g. I don't regret buying my $25 Aneng 860B+, not one little bit, it's been used and abused for three years and keeps going like a champ. I regret buying an Aneng 8008 though, it developed a bad selector switch position after a single trip in my toolcase.

On a similar vein, we all know those cheap Hantek and Owon 'scopes are junk, that the Rigol DS1054Z is the point where you're getting something worth owning. There's no need for everybody to go for $5000 Rohde and Schwartz.

That's what these forums are for - to separate the good from the bad.

Plus we all need multiple multimeters and buying three Flukes isn't really an option.

Agreed. I had a 17+ in my hand 1 Week Ago ... It's a Fluke

Yep. Even the little $45 Fluke 101 has a good heft to it.

[james_s]

Yeah I don't disagree there, I've never argued that everyone should buy high end, my point was just that when you can afford it it's better to err on the side of better than get really cheap stuff. There is absolutely a sweet spot that makes sense for most people.

Now that you mention it, I do actually have three Flukes, although two of them are quite old and were bought used. My most used are the 45 on my bench and my handheld 87. While it has happened, I don't remember the last time I used more than one DMM at a time, I just don't often find myself needing to measure multiple things at once.

[MosherIV]

Been said earlier but I thought I would put it in a slightly different way.
The big names (Fluke, Gossen, Keysight etc) buisnes model is to produce high quality products for the professional (company) users.
That is 1 reason why their meters cost lots, for companies that price range is no barrier to them.
No company would consider a cheap meter like a Vichi or Aneng. If something went wrong and someone was hurt by a budget meter, just not worth it to a comany.

Fluke have realised there is 2nd market of ameture users and produced the lower end range Fluke 1x eg Fluke 15.

The <$50 dmm are definitely aimed at the ameture market.

[Axtman]

Another advantage of Fluke is serviceability. There are a few sites online that have Fluke service/calibration data manuals. This is not so with other brand meters.

Also, many of the Fluke meters have parts that are still available. If not available directly from Fluke there are new and used parts available on line. If worse comes to worse there are broken Fluke "parts" meters available at auction sites. This is not really the case with many other brand meters. Unless the replacement parts are standard and readily available, lesser brand meters are disposable.

Case in point: I broke the plastic lens on my Fluke 85 meter and was able to find a replacement and repair the meter. I also damaged the plastic lens on my Klein meter. Klein does not manufacturer their meters and no parts are available. I have yet to find the part and will probably end up selling the meter as a "parts" meter.

[PixieDust]

Thanks gents!

[Electro Detective]

Buy a couple of decent cheapies to get the job done, learn what the limitations are,

decide if the higher priced units and extra specs/features are really worth it and what use they'll get at this point in time,

before forking out for a big dollar meter

otherwise with inexperience you'll  "buy once and cry BIG TIME"      if you toast a Fluke or get it stolen

with no backup meter to keep working, and a credit card to feed

Suggest to block the current inputs with some tape when not in use !

Check out some of the Jaycar cheapies, that's what I started with years ago and they still do the business
..if the Flukes are on holiday 

[james_s]

That reminds me of another handy feature offered by the Flukes that may be in other meters, I don't know. If you plug a probe into one of the current jacks with the meter set to anything but current it beeps angrily. It's a useful reminder that has saved me a few times. Of course that still won't help a beginner who is trying to actually measure current across a voltage source.

[ebclr]

For sure  Fluke is better, but not 6 times better.  After you starting using fluke is hard to accept another multimeter, some little details make all the difference, They are roughy, reliable and stay in specs for decades, But for sure isn't  on the price-performance class, Is extremely overpriced, is a luxurious multimeter

[Fungus]

That reminds me of another handy feature offered by the Flukes that may be in other meters, I don't know. If you plug a probe into one of the current jacks with the meter set to anything but current it beeps angrily.

Lots of other meters do it, eg. Brymens. I've even got a $15 meter that does it.

Some meters even have shutters over the holes so deaf people are safe, too. They even prevent the dial from turning back to voltage ranges when the probes are in the amps sockets.

For sure  Fluke is better, but not 6 times better.  ... on the price-performance class, Is extremely overpriced, is a luxurious multimeter

Yep. For many usage cases it's like buying a Rolls Royce just to to do the weekly shopping.