Shoutout to the old Fluke 87 I picked over a newer model

I had to choose between a used Fluke 87-V from a retiring tech and a brand new, cheaper multimeter from a different brand for a job on a Citation's autopilot system. I went with the Fluke, and its true RMS reading caught a weird voltage fluctuation the other meter missed completely. Has anyone else had a tool choice make or break a tricky diagnosis?

4 comments

4 Comments

anna_stone4527d ago

That's a solid choice going with the known quality. Read a forum post once where a guy spent days chasing a ghost issue, and it turned out his budget meter was averaging the readings. Sometimes the right tool just cuts through the noise.

jason_murphy2726d ago

Yeah, @anna_stone45, I saw a similar story about that happening with knockoff probes.

anna_stone4521d ago

Been there with a cheap multimeter from a garage sale. The readings would jump around so much I couldn't trust a single number. Finally bit the bullet and got a basic Fluke, and it was like the whole circuit just made sense. You don't realize how much time you waste second-guessing your tools until you use something solid.

grace_white21d ago

Cheap tools make you fight your own gear.