A while back I reviewed the Fluke 87V multimeter, which I still think is the best handheld meter. Since then I’ve tested (but not yet formally reviewed) a couple of other Fluke meters.
Their Fluke Connect system of wirelessly-communicating meters and test equipment is well-polished now, and they’re rolling out slight improvements based on user preferences and habits. There are new Fluke Connect modules, and more on the way.
So let’s talk a little about Fluke.
You will often see a lot of people recommending Fluke multimeters and other equipment. Why? Form what I can tell, there are 2 main reasons – first-hand user experiences, and Fluke’s word-of-mouth reputation.
I don’t think I have ever heard anyone complain about Fluke multimeters. I do remember reading a story once, about how someone’s Fluke meter was misbehaving and how the company replaced it for them without issue. That’s as close to a complaint or rant that I can remember seeing.
My experiences with Fluke have been nothing but positive so far. And I’m not just talking about my review experiences. I needed help selecting some equipment I wanted to purchase for ToolGuyd lab use, and a couple of Fluke products were on the short list.
Fluke’s customer service was fantastically capable at giving me product selection advice. I probably shouldn’t have been, but I was surprised.
Fluke isn’t the only brand I have had good technical support experiences with, but it is somewhat of a rarity for such a large brand. It was nonetheless a very influential experience in giving me an even stronger warm and fuzzy feeling about Fluke.
When I recommend Fluke, it’s based on number of standout product aspects, such as quality, reliability, accuracy, and a few others mentioned in my 87V review, but also the support you have available from the company.
If you’ve got a problem, they can help you. If you need help selecting a certain meter, accessory, or device for your application, they can guide you. This seems to be rare these days.
Then there’s the Fluke reputation, mainly in regard to a lot of what I said above. There are lots of people recommending Fluke equipment, and some might have never held a Fluke meter or other test & measurement instrument in their hand before.
Fluke’s reputation is just that strong. How often does someone recommend a brand or tool they have zero first-hand experience with?
It’s a little weird when you think about how some might recommend Fluke based on hearsay. But I did it too. Before I tried my first Fluke meter, I KNEW that they produced superior equipment, because I had heard so many positive things about them over and over again. You can only hear good things about a brand so many times before you believe them as fact.
When comparing a $50 meter to a $120 meter, or a non-Fluke product to one of Fluke’s more featured and higher-priced meters or other products, the differences might not be apparent as first. But you do get more for your money. From what I can tell, you get better protective circuitry, greater reliability, higher accuracy and precision, wider measurement ranges, better durability, and of course customer support.
I want to know about YOUR experiences with Fluke. It’s I’ve used a number of Fluke tools. and am currently testing a couple more. But everyone has different application needs and wants. If you’ve used Fluke tools before, which one(s), and for what?
My typical multimeter usage (in no particular order): continuity, DC voltage (60V or less), DC current, AC current (less than 10A), resistance, capacitance, frequency, temperature.
Has anyone here had a BAD Fluke experience?