Have been using Fluke 73 and 77 handhelds in the field with good results. But
for Christmas I think I'd really like a backlit display under certain
conditions.

I see that the 87 is a common model. How many rev's have there been? It's now
87-V. What's the difference between all of revs? (I might go for a used one,
so I'd like to know how they differ...)

Other models? I don't need any fancy features such as frequency or duty
cycle, just basic VOA and maybe C. But it must be Fluke (tried a good Chinese
meter but found couldn't adjust to its design quirks), LCD, backlit, and use
common batteries (no proprietaries). 3.5 digit is OK.

Suggestions? Recommendations? Testimonials?

Thanks,
--
DaveC

This is an invalid return address
Please reply in the news group

DaveC wrote:
Have been using Fluke 73 and 77 handhelds in the field with good results. But
for Christmas I think I'd really like a backlit display under certain
conditions.

I see that the 87 is a common model. How many rev's have there been? It's now
87-V. What's the difference between all of revs? (I might go for a used one,
so I'd like to know how they differ...)

Other models? I don't need any fancy features such as frequency or duty
cycle, just basic VOA and maybe C. But it must be Fluke (tried a good Chinese
meter but found couldn't adjust to its design quirks), LCD, backlit, and use
common batteries (no proprietaries). 3.5 digit is OK.

Suggestions? Recommendations? Testimonials?

Thanks,

The 87 is an excellent choice--accurate, rugged, all the right features.
I've had one at work and one at home for well over a decade--no
problems. I especially like the 4-1/2 digit option.

Cheers

In article .net,
DaveC wrote:
But it must be Fluke (tried a good Chinese
meter but found couldn't adjust to its design quirks)

Think you'll find the Fluke *is* a Chinese meter...;-)

--
*Time is the best teacher; unfortunately it kills all its students.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Thu, 18 Dec 2008 18:16:13 +0000 (GMT), "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

In article .net,
DaveC wrote:
But it must be Fluke (tried a good Chinese
meter but found couldn't adjust to its design quirks)

Think you'll find the Fluke *is* a Chinese meter...;-)

All of my Flukes, including my very nice new 8845A, say
"made in USA."

ftp://jjlarkin.lmi.net/MadeInUSA.JPG

Are any of their low-end things actually Chinese?

Everybody else - Agilent, Keithley, BNC, Wavetek - are selling their
names and shipping Chinese junk. The low-end Tek scopes are made in
China, but I think they're still Tek designs.

John

John Larkin wrote:

On Thu, 18 Dec 2008 18:16:13 +0000 (GMT), "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

In article .net,
DaveC wrote:
But it must be Fluke (tried a good Chinese
meter but found couldn't adjust to its design quirks)

Think you'll find the Fluke *is* a Chinese meter...;-)

All of my Flukes, including my very nice new 8845A, say
"made in USA."

ftp://jjlarkin.lmi.net/MadeInUSA.JPG

Are any of their low-end things actually Chinese?

Yup. I've seen several on ebay.co.uk. None at the moment though. Maybe
they closed down the supply ? They were too good value !
This looks like one of them on the US site
http://cgi.ebay.com/MINT-IN-BOX-FLUK...216111007r9423

Now try finding it on the Fluke US or UK site.
But here it is
http://assets.fluke.com.cn/fluke/edm_1.htm

Graham

In article ,
John Larkin wrote:
Think you'll find the Fluke *is* a Chinese meter...;-)

All of my Flukes, including my very nice new 8845A, say
"made in USA."

ftp://jjlarkin.lmi.net/MadeInUSA.JPG

Are any of their low-end things actually Chinese?

I got a flier from an electronics company the other day with some Fluke
models on special offer and that said they were made in China. They could
have been wrong, of course - you'd need to see the actual unit to be sure.

Everybody else - Agilent, Keithley, BNC, Wavetek - are selling their
names and shipping Chinese junk. The low-end Tek scopes are made in
China, but I think they're still Tek designs.

Just because it's designed/made in China doesn't make it junk. They are
perfectly capable of making high quality stuff as well as rubbish. You
need to blame the brand name if they allow crap to be sold using their
logo.

--
*Why are they called apartments, when they're all stuck together? *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

BobW wrote:

However, my Fluke 62 ir thermometer says "Made in China".

That could be the protective Porcelain for the sensor, or am I missing
something?

;-)

--
Adrian C

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
In article ,
John Larkin wrote:
Think you'll find the Fluke *is* a Chinese meter...;-)

All of my Flukes, including my very nice new 8845A, say
"made in USA."

ftp://jjlarkin.lmi.net/MadeInUSA.JPG

Are any of their low-end things actually Chinese?

I got a flier from an electronics company the other day with some Fluke
models on special offer and that said they were made in China. They could
have been wrong, of course - you'd need to see the actual unit to be sure.

Everybody else - Agilent, Keithley, BNC, Wavetek - are selling their
names and shipping Chinese junk. The low-end Tek scopes are made in
China, but I think they're still Tek designs.

Just because it's designed/made in China doesn't make it junk. They are
perfectly capable of making high quality stuff as well as rubbish. You
need to blame the brand name if they allow crap to be sold using their
logo.

--
*Why are they called apartments, when they're all stuck together? *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

I second that, the robot produced computer cards for example seem very well
made to me.

Cheers ........... Rheilly P

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote:

John Larkin wrote:
Think you'll find the Fluke *is* a Chinese meter...;-)

All of my Flukes, including my very nice new 8845A, say
"made in USA."

ftp://jjlarkin.lmi.net/MadeInUSA.JPG

Are any of their low-end things actually Chinese?

I got a flier from an electronics company the other day with some Fluke
models on special offer and that said they were made in China.

Who ? CPC ?

They're damn HOT.

Graham

Adrian C wrote:

BobW wrote:

However, my Fluke 62 ir thermometer says "Made in China".

That could be the protective Porcelain for the sensor, or am I missing
something?

Fluke does manufacture an alternate range in China for domestic use.

Graham

On Dec 19, 4:03 am, DaveC wrote:
Have been using Fluke 73 and 77 handhelds in the field with good results. But
for Christmas I think I'd really like a backlit display under certain
conditions.

I see that the 87 is a common model. How many rev's have there been? It's now
87-V. What's the difference between all of revs? (I might go for a used one,
so I'd like to know how they differ...)

Not much difference between the models. Improved accuracy is the main
thing, and LCD displays have gotten better (bigger digits, better
contrast, better backlight).
The latest 87-V has a slightly different "look" to previous models.

Other models? I don't need any fancy features such as frequency or duty
cycle, just basic VOA and maybe C. But it must be Fluke (tried a good Chinese
meter but found couldn't adjust to its design quirks), LCD, backlit, and use
common batteries (no proprietaries). 3.5 digit is OK.

Suggestions? Recommendations? Testimonials?

Stick with either the 70, 170, or 80 series.
Do not touch the big 'data logger" 189 model, they are power hogs and
chew batteries in no time. Don't know about the new 289.

There is big market for used items on Ebay. Some good bargains to be
had.

Dave.

On Dec 19, 5:36 am, John Larkin
wrote:
On Thu, 18 Dec 2008 18:16:13 +0000 (GMT), "Dave Plowman (News)"

wrote:
In article .net,
DaveC wrote:
But it must be Fluke (tried a good Chinese
meter but found couldn't adjust to its design quirks)

Think you'll find the Fluke *is* a Chinese meter...;-)

All of my Flukes, including my very nice new 8845A, say
"made in USA."

ftp://jjlarkin.lmi.net/MadeInUSA.JPG

Are any of their low-end things actually Chinese?

The Fluke Chinese "market test" started with the experimental Fluke 19
released in the Asia Pacific market. Used the same chipset as the 87
at the time, and offered unbelievable value for money. It was too good
to be true, most Fluke 19's failed with all sorts of problems.
They learned a few things from that and the 110 series is now a lot
better, but still made in China.

They 170, 80, and higher models are all still made in the US last I
checked. Fluke have been careful to keep their Chinese meters separate
from their US made meter range. Only the US meters have the lifetime
warranty.

Dave.

In article ,
Eeyore wrote:
I got a flier from an electronics company the other day with some Fluke
models on special offer and that said they were made in China.

Who ? CPC ?

They're damn HOT.

That's the one.

--
*Sorry, I don't date outside my species.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In article ,
Eeyore wrote:


Adrian C wrote:

BobW wrote:

However, my Fluke 62 ir thermometer says "Made in China".

That could be the protective Porcelain for the sensor, or am I missing
something?

Fluke does manufacture an alternate range in China for domestic use.

They weren't at 'domestic' prices.

--
*A cubicle is just a padded cell without a door.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In article
,
David L. Jones wrote:
Fluke have been careful to keep their Chinese meters separate
from their US made meter range.

I'd not agree. They don't have any *obvious* differences. Most makers who
do a pro and hobby range use different colours, etc.

--
*Indian Driver - Smoke signals only*

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Eeyore wrote:

Adrian C wrote:

BobW wrote:

However, my Fluke 62 ir thermometer says "Made in China".
That could be the protective Porcelain for the sensor, or am I missing
something?

Fluke does manufacture an alternate range in China for domestic use.


Porcelain = China, me tea cup ;-p

--
Adrian C

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote:

Eeyore wrote:

I got a flier from an electronics company the other day with some Fluke
models on special offer and that said they were made in China.

Who ? CPC ?

They're damn HOT.

That's the one.

Got details, model, price etc ?

Graham

Ï "Dave Plowman (News)" Ýãñáøå óôï ìÞíõìá
...
In article ,
John Larkin wrote:
Think you'll find the Fluke *is* a Chinese meter...;-)

All of my Flukes, including my very nice new 8845A, say
"made in USA."

I got a very good Nicholson 40 W @ 230 V soldering iron that said "made in
USA"
I recently got a nytech www.nytech.de digital camera, which was ade in
China, and is excellent, Pentax lens, sony CCD, aluminium die cast body,
excellent pictures. Most things now are made in China anyway, the better of
99% of my computer parts:-)
ftp://jjlarkin.lmi.net/MadeInUSA.JPG

Are any of their low-end things actually Chinese?

I got a flier from an electronics company the other day with some Fluke
models on special offer and that said they were made in China. They could
have been wrong, of course - you'd need to see the actual unit to be sure.

Everybody else - Agilent, Keithley, BNC, Wavetek - are selling their
names and shipping Chinese junk. The low-end Tek scopes are made in
China, but I think they're still Tek designs.

Just because it's designed/made in China doesn't make it junk. They are
perfectly capable of making high quality stuff as well as rubbish. You
need to blame the brand name if they allow crap to be sold using their
logo.

--

--
Tzortzakakis Dimitrios
major in electrical engineering
mechanized infantry reservist
hordad AT otenet DOT gr

On Thu, 18 Dec 2008 19:06:13 +0000 (GMT), "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

In article ,
John Larkin wrote:
Think you'll find the Fluke *is* a Chinese meter...;-)

All of my Flukes, including my very nice new 8845A, say
"made in USA."

ftp://jjlarkin.lmi.net/MadeInUSA.JPG

Are any of their low-end things actually Chinese?

I got a flier from an electronics company the other day with some Fluke
models on special offer and that said they were made in China. They could
have been wrong, of course - you'd need to see the actual unit to be sure.

Everybody else - Agilent, Keithley, BNC, Wavetek - are selling their
names and shipping Chinese junk. The low-end Tek scopes are made in
China, but I think they're still Tek designs.

Just because it's designed/made in China doesn't make it junk. They are
perfectly capable of making high quality stuff as well as rubbish. You
need to blame the brand name if they allow crap to be sold using their
logo.


A lot of people are rebranding the Array boxes...

http://www.array.com.cn/yq-3400e.htm

http://www.berkeleynucleonics.com/pr...model_645.html

http://www.keithley.com/products/pul...rator/?mn=3390

http://www.picotest.com.tw/product03.html

http://www.google.com/url?sa=U&start...vzAUnHeYAvFmqw


I haven't used their arb, but their benchtop DVM (aka Keithley 2100)
*is* junk.

John

John Larkin wrote:

On Thu, 18 Dec 2008 19:06:13 +0000 (GMT), "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

In article ,
John Larkin wrote:
Think you'll find the Fluke *is* a Chinese meter...;-)

All of my Flukes, including my very nice new 8845A, say
"made in USA."

ftp://jjlarkin.lmi.net/MadeInUSA.JPG

Are any of their low-end things actually Chinese?

I got a flier from an electronics company the other day with some Fluke
models on special offer and that said they were made in China. They could
have been wrong, of course - you'd need to see the actual unit to be sure.

Everybody else - Agilent, Keithley, BNC, Wavetek - are selling their
names and shipping Chinese junk. The low-end Tek scopes are made in
China, but I think they're still Tek designs.

Just because it's designed/made in China doesn't make it junk. They are
perfectly capable of making high quality stuff as well as rubbish. You
need to blame the brand name if they allow crap to be sold using their
logo.


A lot of people are rebranding the Array boxes...

http://www.array.com.cn/yq-3400e.htm

http://www.berkeleynucleonics.com/pr...model_645.html


http://www.keithley.com/products/pul...rator/?mn=3390

http://www.picotest.com.tw/product03.html


http://www.google.com/url?sa=U&start...vzAUnHeYAvFmqw


I haven't used their arb, but their benchtop DVM (aka Keithley 2100)
*is* junk.

John

My old Metcal MX500 soldering iron is made in USA, my new one is made in
China. They are made to look the same when viewed from the front, but the
casing has been redesigned on the new one and I suspect that the internal
circuitry would probably have been cost-reduced as well - there were quite
a lot of nice parts used inside the old one. So far the only problem with
the new one is there seems to be a magnet in the stand that somehow shuts
off the heating when the iron is in the stand. It reheats quite fast, but
not quite fast enough for me. I might remove that magnet. I think it
might have been done because they offer a warranty on the tips, and we have
had quite a few fail and be replaced under warranty. Perhaps they are
trying to extend the tip life to cut their warranty costs - just my guess.

Chris

DaveC wrote:

Have been using Fluke 73 and 77 handhelds in the field with good results. But
for Christmas I think I'd really like a backlit display under certain
conditions.

I see that the 87 is a common model. How many rev's have there been? It's now
87-V. What's the difference between all of revs? (I might go for a used one,
so I'd like to know how they differ...)

Other models? I don't need any fancy features such as frequency or duty
cycle, just basic VOA and maybe C. But it must be Fluke (tried a good Chinese
meter but found couldn't adjust to its design quirks), LCD, backlit, and use
common batteries (no proprietaries). 3.5 digit is OK.

Suggestions? Recommendations? Testimonials?

Thanks,
Get A 289, you won't go wrong!

http://webpages.charter.net/jamie_5"

David L. Jones wrote:
On Dec 19, 5:36 am, John Larkin
wrote:
On Thu, 18 Dec 2008 18:16:13 +0000 (GMT), "Dave Plowman (News)"

wrote:
In article .net,
DaveC wrote:
But it must be Fluke (tried a good Chinese
meter but found couldn't adjust to its design quirks)
Think you'll find the Fluke *is* a Chinese meter...;-)
All of my Flukes, including my very nice new 8845A, say
"made in USA."

ftp://jjlarkin.lmi.net/MadeInUSA.JPG

Are any of their low-end things actually Chinese?

The Fluke Chinese "market test" started with the experimental Fluke 19
released in the Asia Pacific market. Used the same chipset as the 87
at the time, and offered unbelievable value for money. It was too good
to be true, most Fluke 19's failed with all sorts of problems.
They learned a few things from that and the 110 series is now a lot
better, but still made in China.

They 170, 80, and higher models are all still made in the US last I
checked. Fluke have been careful to keep their Chinese meters separate
from their US made meter range. Only the US meters have the lifetime
warranty.

Dave.
I just skinned the holster off my Fluke 115 that I bought last winter at
Sears on a US trip ( Sears USA has *much* better tools than Sears
Canada, included the true laser distance meter that I picked up last
year) and all the meter says on the back is "Designed in USA" - which I
am sure means "Manufactured in China". Might not be a high end meter,
but it doesn't feel flimsy and it's really very good at verifying that
the wall plug is still 60.00 Hz and that a fresh battery is around 1.5
volts. It's certainly better than the 15-year-old Radio Shack multimeter
that used to be my bench meter...I seem to have good luck with these
things, I still have a 40 year old analog meter I was given as a kid.


Bill

Dave is right, China usually make junks and rubbish but that is for their others
brands and factories and they do have quality stuff but these Chinese "business
model" is different from Japanese when it comes to "brand power" and marketing,
just because Fluke is Made in China doesn't mean it has gone bad as it still a
Fluke US engineered designs, I have been using my US made Fluke 12 over 16 years
and it is still good and prime so the end note here is Made in China label is not
the question, it is the brand that is the core issue here.

Choong



Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article ,
John Larkin wrote:
Think you'll find the Fluke *is* a Chinese meter...;-)

All of my Flukes, including my very nice new 8845A, say
"made in USA."

ftp://jjlarkin.lmi.net/MadeInUSA.JPG

Are any of their low-end things actually Chinese?

I got a flier from an electronics company the other day with some Fluke
models on special offer and that said they were made in China. They could
have been wrong, of course - you'd need to see the actual unit to be sure.

Everybody else - Agilent, Keithley, BNC, Wavetek - are selling their
names and shipping Chinese junk. The low-end Tek scopes are made in
China, but I think they're still Tek designs.

Just because it's designed/made in China doesn't make it junk. They are
perfectly capable of making high quality stuff as well as rubbish. You
need to blame the brand name if they allow crap to be sold using their
logo.