Customer Reviews

Fluke 179 ESFP True RMS Multimeter with Backlight and Temp

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

this is an excellent buy for the meter only, there are no extra's like the combo pack one's so for a first time buy, I would recommend one of the combo packs from $240 - $270. But if you already owned a fluke dmm and needed to replace it this is the perfect purchase.

First, the bad. I find the ESFP (English, Spanish, French, Portuguese) acronym to be misleading. All this means is that the manual has ESFP instructions. Also, why is there the ability to measure Hz in the Vdc position (ha)? Lastly, Fluke should include a case and a hanging strap but they don't. Come on Fluke, what would this cost you...5 bucks (for 5 stars)?
Now the good. Well made, durable...should last for many years. Super accurate...meter readings can be trusted. Ability to measure temperature...takes a while (5 minutes) to stabilize but a cool feature (ha). Ability to measure up to 100kHz...I use this feature a lot with laptops to see if the CCFL backlight inverter is working. I don't even have to make electrical contact...the leads of the 179 act as an antenna and pick up on the EMI field if the inverter is working. Note: Some CCFL data sheets I've seen spec 60kHz and most meters only go up to 50kHz, if that. Continuity test function very quick...will sense opens/shorts that are 250us or longer. Capacitance test function...no more trying to figure out the cap code.

This has been a great meter. I've owned it for over a year now, and it performs flawlessly. I didn't think I'd use the temp probe, but I have used it a couple times now. I wouldn't consider any meter but Fluke. Also... Another person rated it as one star because of a shipping issue? Seems unfair.

General comments:
The Fluke 179 is an excellent meter and I've used it for serious electronics hobby work for a couple of years now including measuring very high AC / DC voltages and currents. It's extremely accurate, reliable, and has several functions (measurements) it can do very well. The ergonomic case design and the fact that the holster is integrated into the case design make it durable, compact, and easy to work with, this one thing is what the 179 has over the 87-5. When I first got the 179, the beeper went out, I contact Fluke, sent it back to them, they repaired it no charge and even calibrated it for free! So you have excellent support from Fluke with the lifetime warranty on this meter. Only thing is there is a few things the 179 cannot do that the more feature rich Fluke 87-5 can do, so I wish I would've spent the extra $30 and got the Fluke 87-5.

Fluke 179 vs Fluke 87-5:
Here are the main differences between the 2, in all other things the 2 meters are identical. Note how the 87-5 has more capability, in several cases you may need this capability, especially in the higher temp measurements, the relative (or 0 out the display) button, and the ability to measure micro-amps. These are the 3 main features I ended up needing the most on the 179 that the 87-5 has. Also there has been a few times where capturing the peak of an AC wave form (voltage or current) would've been nice to have rather than the Max function (which doesn't always capture the true peak).

Fluke 87-5 vs. Fluke 179
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Count 20,000 vs. 6000
Basic accuracy .05% vs. .09%
Capacitance 10pF vs. 1nF (1000pF)
Micro Amps YES vs. NO
Duty Cycle YES vs. NO
Relative Reference Button YES vs. NO
Temp Max 1994F (1090C) vs. 752F (400C)
Motor Drive Measurement YES vs. NO
Peak measurement function YES vs. NO

Conclusion
As with most other Fluke meters the 179 is an excellent meter, but just beware of it's limitations in relation to the 87-5. The 87-5 is only $30 more on Amazon here so if you think you'll need some of the added functionality, the the $30 would be well spent in my mind.

For the most part, you don't have to think about this meter's limitations, it just works accurately. It has excellent ergonomics, from the smooth rotary switch, to the ultra-fast bar graph response, to the ultra-fast continuity beep, and the fast autoranging. All the functions work the way you'd expect them to, and the modes are easy to access with the rotary switch and yellow button. No complicated menus. The min/max function captures fast peaks and valleys. The autohold is very nice for probing around crowded and potentially dangerous spots -- you set it in autohold mode, then you can ignore the meter and look only at your probes. When the meter senses a good stable voltage reading, it beeps and holds that reading. Now you can take your probes away and look at your meter again to see what the reading was.

After reviewing several Fluke models, I felt this one offered the most features for the lowest price. It is typical Fluke quality: Well-built, fast, and accurate. I also purchased the Fluke i200 current clamp. I bought this as my personal meter, but I plan to purchase the same combination to use at work and out in the field for testing and troubleshooting up to 575 volts AC, 24 volts DC, 4-20mA DC, and AC current up to 100 amps.

Not much to say about this meter. I bought it to replace a 20-year old fluke 73 that I have mechanically worn out to the point that the rotary switch does not work consistently any more. I love this meter. It's fast, true RMS, the bar-graph is super useful for quick checks and it has a back-light. Quality is again outstanding!

Only beef, is that is is quite chunky and the yellow plastic you see in the picture is part of the case and does not come off, so bulkier than I would have liked, that said there is now a nice pop-out stand on the back thats useful and you can clip the probes into slots on the back for one-handed use. This is a must have meter for anyone who works with 220v and less on a regular basis. Also great for an electronics enthusiast, model railroad enthusiast and so on.

This meter is the replacement for my (( series. I ahd that meter for only ten years and it could not be repaired. The only thing wrong was the LED read out. Hopefully this repalcement will last longer than ten years if taken care of like I do with all me meters.

This is a very sturdy and well built meter. Fluke meters are among the top in quality. Other considerations would be Agilent and Gossen. The 179 series is made in the US, not china like the 115-117s.

Just note this meter doesn't have microamps since that's for a different market segment. If you want a meter for electronics, look at the 87 V which does have uA.

Also, unlike some other Fluke's the yellow part is the actual meter casing, not a cover like on an 87 V. To get to the fuses, you remove 4 screws, take the front off and if you want to separate the back, remove the 440mamp fuse and take off the last screw.

Looking inside you really see quality. If you need this type of meter, you won't regret the 179.

This meter is made by the best meter-makers - Fluke! I can always trust that the meter I buy from Fluke will be top notch, and this meter is no different!