Customer Reviews

Fluke 87-5 Digital Multimeter

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

First, Fluke itself: Fluke makes best-quality meters. In fact, they are overwhelmingly regarded as the best meters available. That's not to say there aren't other very good brands (e.g., Agilent, Hioki), or that 2nd tier brands (e.g., Extech, Meterman) don't have their place - they do. But Fluke meters in general offer the combination of best specifications, best build, and best protection (for you as well as the meter). The thing is, you will pay top dollar.

The 87 is a very tough meter in very widespread use in the field. The 80 series meters, like the 70 series that preceeded them, have a reputation for holding their accuracy and lasting for decades. They are well-fused and well-shielded, tightly-sealed, and stories of Fluke meters surviving falls, high voltages and currents, weather, and a myriad of other challenges are legion.

Look carefully at specs and responsiveness. The 87 is exceptionally responsive. Continuity detection, for example, is extraordinarily fast, to the point where it's hard NOT to trigger the beep when testing by touching the probes, no matter how quickly and briefly you try to touch them together. Compare that to other meters with lesser response characteristics and it will dawn on you how easy it is to miss an intermittent. Basic accuracy is very good in the 80 series and also limited to +1 or +2 digits in most ranges. Compare that to many others where it's often +4, or even more, plus the 87 can be put into 20,000 count mode, and relative mode can be used to get more accuracy as well where you need it.

Finally, the 80 series carries a lifetime warranty. Considering Amazon's aggressive pricing on these meters, the premium over a lesser meter like, say, the Fluke 117 (which carries only a 3-year warranty) is low enough that it makes sense to upgrade to the better meter.

FYI - the Pelican 1200 case is an excellent fit for this meter, as long as you don't need to carry a lot of accessories. Pelican 1200 Case w/Foam (Black) Probably the most rugged case you can buy.

I have been in the RV repair industry for a long time and one thing is for sure, I cannot do my job without a top quality meter. I have in the past bought Snap-On, Mac, Matco,ect, but have never been as pleased with a meter as I have with this one. Beyond the normal functions of a meter, I love this one for its temp probe, no more are the days of carrying a therometer to take readings inside fride, a/c/ unit, all I do is plug it into the meter put the probe inside and shut the door within 30 seconds I have a very accurate reading. But probably the most important thing about this merter is the "true RMS" readings I get, this is very important when working with power converters and inverters..This meter is very well protected also with fuses (fuses are pricey though) have not blown one yet but I would recommend purchasing a set to keep on hand.

The 87 has evolved little since 1989 yet it remains a preferred and widely used meter for professional electric and electronic work, over 20 years later. Its very rare to have any design in production for decades yet still command a top price despite competition from cheaper work a like multimeters. The 87 look, feel and functionality, remains often copied even today. While the 87 has changed backlighting, added 20,000 count precision, increased LCD annunciators, louder beeps, new button colors etc., it didn't markedly improve overall accuracy, reliability, build quality, safety, and ease of maintenance that gave the whole 80 series its reputation. You can still find 1-4 80 series meters on eBay commanding top prices [often as much or more than similar functioned new non-Fluke DMMs ] and often need just cleaning, to look near new.

I own a 20+ year old 85I, a 10 year old 85III and a 3 year old 87V. None of these has been adjusted since its original calibration and a recent comparison against a calibrated 6.5 digit bench meter showed all 3 still in factory spec. I'm not the only owner to notice this reliability, other long time owners know it too. Further, the specs are often 3-10x better at room temperature than given in the manual.

I've used the meters is high heat of summer or cold of winter, left in cars or bags, yet it measures true. The rubber case helps endure drops and shocks, resists splashing, dirt, grease, and mud, yet is easily cleaned with soap [ I throw it into the diswasher ]. The case also adds grip to prevent falling off table tops, and makes the meter easier to hold with heavy gloves.

The rotary switch is slightly recessed from the lower end of the case, reducing the chance of accidental operation should the meter fall or rub against other tools in a box.

The buttons are widely spaced, making correct selection with gloves more accurate.

The beeps are loud, and engage clearly to warn you of settings and possible misplacement of leads in wrong modes.

The casing is made of a very durable plastic, essentially unchanged since 1989, it holds its look and strength for over 20 years.

The case, inputs, rotary switch, and buttons are O ring or gasket sealed, and while not made to be waterproof, is at least splash resistant. The entire meter, including the PCB, can easily be user disassembled and cleaned, if needed.

The parts count on the PCB have been substantially reduced, so the 87V is slightly lighter than the 85. The measurement speed is noticeably faster, but the accuracy remains similar to the specs of the original 87I, which is similar to an 85III and 85I. The 85I is adjusted using trim pots, while the the 85III and 87V are close case adjustments, using memory chips to store correction factors. However, I've not had to do any adjustment since the meters were purchased, so long ago.

What is most striking about Fluke 87s is the fast cycling of a measurement that is often devoid of drift, making one have high confidence in the measurement reading. By comparison, I also use a Radio Shack ruggedized pocket DMM, made by reputable maker Sanwa, that can take a while for the last digit to settle. In 5 years the accuracy drifted over 5% off scale, and while easy to adjust I had to suspect it was off, and must regularly calibrate it against a Fluke. A frebbie DMM I leave in a car would read DC as well as my Fluke, but unexpectedly one day, it died. I now had no meter to use, and it was intended to make field repairs. Many other DMMs specify their accuracy misleadingly, quoting a low % of reading, but with high last digit drift rates that increase the % of reading inaccuracy many fold. Drifts create skepticism with measurement, so when my intuition says something isn't right it makes me reach for my Fluke to settle the issue, so in the end, why bother with the questionable readings and just get another Fluke, which I did.

So why 'nearly' perfect? Some gripes I have is that after 20 years, the meter still costs a lot. It has a small LCD screen compared to top DMMs brands, but its LCD remains very clear . No attempt was made to convert it easier to find AA batteries instead of less ubiquitous 9V batteries.


Conclusion:

Can one justify a DMM that cost 3x more than a competing meter of similar accuracy, at least by spec sheet? A lesser DMM will work most of the time but it can mislead or break when you least expect it, or not perform exactly as the spec sheet says. As a Fluke owner, I know 80 series meters performs over its spec sheet, require no special protective cases or care, will exceed 20 years, or more, of life working as good as when it was new. While Fluke states it requires annual calibration, in reality is hardly needs any. A new 87V has a "lifetime" warranty for original owners, and a used one on auction often sells close to a new one.

I've used a couple of cheap multimeters in the past. Once I ordered my new tube amp, the manufacturer recommended not to use a cheap multimeter, and get a Fluke 87-5 as this would give accurate readings.

Well, after spending that much on the tube amp, I had to get the Fluke. Upon receiving it, build quality was excellent. Manual was also pretty good. Although, the manual presupposes that you know how to work a multimeter unit already. I had to slowly figure it out as I am no engineer.

Bottom line, this is a great product! I only wish it were readily available in the Philippines. The price of this here in Manila is double srp in the US.

I was originally looking for a smaller, less expensive meter like the Fluke 179, but the great customer reviews convinced me it would be worth it to spend a little more for the 87-V (especially after I checked the measurements and realized it would just still fit in my electronics tool briefcase). The clincher for me was reading that it is ANSI drop tested for 1 meter, and that there is an audible alarm and warning on the display when the test lead is plugged into one of the Current jacks and the selector is set to some other measurement. I have dropped my old meter, and blown it out by having the test lead in the Amp jack when I tried to measure voltage, more times than I can count. At least with the older technology you can replace blown components and/or re-solder the circuit board (and after 25 years my old meter is still working). With modern meters I can't even see the components without a magnifying glass, and have no clue which section does what inside, so the extra protection seems well worth it. (I read somewhere that meters made in China work great until you drop them once--wish I had known this before I blew $200 on a Chinese-made Extech 530 that stopped working after I dropped it out of my hands onto a carpet)

It was particularly reassuring when I contacted Fluke for some technical specs that I couldn't find in the manual. I breezed through their automated answering system and within two minutes was talking to a live, U.S. worker who completely understood my question and was remarkably knowledgeable about the product. What a joy in this day and age of out-sourcing! (One caveat, though, I did notice that the Fluke HVAC meter is being made in China--and the one I saw in the store looked cheap and had already been returned once)

I got this model to check frequency output of a variable frequency drive (VFD) that we use to control AC motor speed on one of my company's products. It works great, is easy to use, rugged, and accurate.

After I bought this meter I started to worry I might have overdone it. I'm relatively new to electronics and have recently started working with arduino's and xbee radios.

This is an awesome meter, super high quality. I like the ability to measure temperature. It's made in Everett. I know the Fluke Chinese meters are also high quality but it's nice to support the folks building these locally.

I build prototype cars full time right now as a start-up business. Typically other team members would build out the wiring harnesses and test them, and integrate the OBDII and CAN systems. I asked our team which multimeter to get, after going through 5 that didn't have the accuracy or a critical feature half-way through testing a system. Our SAE certified master mechanic said the Fluke 87 series (currently newest is the 87-5). I Balked at the price, compared to the $1.99 voltmeters from Harbor Freight how could I justify a several hundred dollar meter? He convinced me, and I'm glad he did. Now I have a multi-meter capable of voltage drop testing to find any excessive resistances or shorts- which is the most used function- and this being the automotive edition of the 10-year guaranteed Fluke with an impact resistant rubberized boot let's me know I won't be stuck without the right tool for all repair shop level diagnosis. Other team members do have an oscilloscope, voltage divider and bench power supply for more nuanced electronic testing, but with this Fluke we can even check individual microchips for operational flaws. I highly recommend this unit, it is rugged, more accurate than our other 5 volt meters, guaranteed for 10 years, and has every function I need for bumper to bumper automotive electrical bug tracking and resolution.

Plenty has been written about the excellent quality of this multimeter, so I won't duplicate it. Suffice it to say I am quite happy with my purchase.

My one gripe is that the LCD washes out and is very hard to read from certain viewing angles, especially from the top (such as if when the meter is hanging on a wall or panel below eye level).

This multimeter is everything I expected. No disappointments. The meter is used in automotive and general use. It replaced a Fluke 8060A multimeter which was over 20 years old and finally failed. The 8060 required range selection and did not have an auto shut off.

Greatest features are Autorange and automatic shut off. It was difficult to find where in the documentation battery replacement instructions were located and these instructions did not indicate that the protective casing needs to be removed to access the battery door. It was also not clear that the unit was supplied with an installed battery. These documentation issues however do not significantly detract from the quality of the product.