I'm in the market for a new multimeter. Almost decided on the Fluke 112 but
then saw the Craftsman Model #81079. Does anyone know who makes the
Craftsman and if it is any good?

Thanks!

The Fluke will last for decades of heavy use. The Craftsman will last
a while if you occasionally use it.

Unless you have a need for the fancy-schmancy features (frequency,
capacitance, duty cycle, etc.) I'd advise that you buy the simpler
unit. (Like a Fluke 110 or the good old standby, the Fluke 73, I think
they're in the Sears catalog too.).

Tim.

Nope.

But after my experiences with buying Kenmore appliances (regardless of
who actually manufactures them), I made a promise to God that I would
try to talk anyone and everyone out of buying anything at Sears.

And so, even though I've never seen theCraftsman #81079, I must tell
you it is complete crap and will break down within a month of it's
purchase, you will schedule repair calls time and again, only to have
no one show up, show up 6 hours later than they said they would, show
up and "not have that part" on their truck, or show up and tell your
your multimeter needs a new motor when this is plainly wrong as your
multimeter will agitate and spin just fine; it's just that it won't
complete a cycle.

So then you will probably end up calling customer support, looking for
a supervisor and then finding out there really aren't any, and even if
their were, none of them would give a damn about you or your new
multimeter.

On the other hand, if your Fluke won't complete a cycle, make a phone
call and a new one will be on the way.

I say go with the Fluke.

Can't go wrong with fluke when it comes to test and measurement !

Take it from someone who uses Flukes in a University with students !

bubba wrote:
I'm in the market for a new multimeter. Almost decided on the Fluke 112 but
then saw the Craftsman Model #81079. Does anyone know who makes the
Craftsman and if it is any good?

Thanks!

"bubba" wrote in message
...
I'm in the market for a new multimeter. Almost decided on the Fluke 112
but
then saw the Craftsman Model #81079. Does anyone know who makes the
Craftsman and if it is any good?

Thanks!

Fluke and the carftsman are nice meters but do you really use all those
functions and need that accuracy?

I have a Fluke I have had for years but lately have been buying those from
Harbor Freight as they are "good enough".

bubba wrote:

I'm in the market for a new multimeter. Almost decided on
the Fluke 112 but then saw the Craftsman Model #81079. Does
anyone know who makes the Craftsman and if it is any good?

The UL or CSA registration number may tell. See www.ul.com or
www.csa.ca.

I don't think that Fluke meters are better, except for high accuracy
(0.2% or better), warranty, and availability of replacement parts. I
have a Fluke 73 that works fine, but a set of contacts in its rotary
switch once fell off (I had to mash its plastic pins with a soldering
iron to hold the contacts in place), and my cheapo house brand meter
from MCM Electronics/Newark electronics was priced much lower and has
more features, like a serial link for an RS-232 port and the ability to
record minimum and maximum values (good for tracking down intermittent
problems).

Back in 96, I worked for Shears for 4 weeks. I wasn't impressed. Over
priced, and poor service.

--

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
www.mormons.com


"Matt" wrote in message
ps.com...
Nope.

But after my experiences with buying Kenmore appliances (regardless of
who actually manufactures them), I made a promise to God that I would
try to talk anyone and everyone out of buying anything at Sears.

And so, even though I've never seen theCraftsman #81079, I must tell
you it is complete crap and will break down within a month of it's
purchase, you will schedule repair calls time and again, only to have
no one show up, show up 6 hours later than they said they would, show
up and "not have that part" on their truck, or show up and tell your
your multimeter needs a new motor when this is plainly wrong as your
multimeter will agitate and spin just fine; it's just that it won't
complete a cycle.

So then you will probably end up calling customer support, looking for
a supervisor and then finding out there really aren't any, and even if
their were, none of them would give a damn about you or your new
multimeter.

On the other hand, if your Fluke won't complete a cycle, make a phone
call and a new one will be on the way.

I say go with the Fluke.

The choice is like buying a Sears power tool over something like
Porter Cable (or others). You might get lucky, you might not. I found
out that for hand tools, Sears is ok since you can replace them
forever. I bought a recipricating saw at Sears and after 14 months
the thing broke. I bought the parts to fix it but it never rally
worked after that. I ended up buying a Milwaukee Super Sawzall and
have had it for 7 years now (it has a Milwaukee lifetime warranty).
My point is I as I get older I get tired of messing around with
marginal stuff. I bought a Fluke 111 on ebay and have been happy with
it. I don't know what would happen if I bought an unknown brand, but I
do know what I usually get with the better name brands. My 2 cents.

In article ,
lid (borgunit) wrote:
have had it for 7 years now (it has a Milwaukee lifetime warranty).
My point is I as I get older I get tired of messing around with
marginal stuff. I bought a Fluke 111 on ebay and have been happy with
it. I don't know what would happen if I bought an unknown brand, but I
do know what I usually get with the better name brands. My 2 cents.

I notice that as I get older - I usually pay extra and get the better
quality - probably only because I have the cash now. When I was younger
and raising a family and covering my nut - I would always look for
bargains out of necessity. I do not think I am any smarter or wiser now
- I just have more money to throw at a problem :-)

I like to buy good things to avoid the hassle. One of my teachers always
told me - it only costs a quarter to go first class. I thought he meant
25 cents - I guess he meant 25% more. :-)

Harry