Had to pick between a used Fluke meter or a cheap new one last week

I was diagnosing a weird ground loop issue at a client's office in Tulsa and my old meter finally gave up. I stood there in the shop weighing a used Fluke 87V for $180 against a brand new Klein for $60. I went with the Fluke because I've been burned by cheap meters reading wrong before, and it already paid off when I found the bad neutral in under 10 minutes. Anyone else stick with used pro gear over new budget stuff?

2 comments

2 Comments

mark73115d ago

Wait, you actually tested them side by side and it was that close?

phoenixgonzalez15d ago

You're buying into the same hype that makes people think they need a Snap-On wrench to change their oil. I grabbed a $40 no-name meter off Amazon three years ago and it's been fine for everything from residential to light commercial. The ground loop problem? You probably would have found that bad neutral just as fast with the cheap one if you knew what you were looking for. I've tested mine against a buddy's 87V on the same circuits and it reads within half a percent every time. $180 for a used meter with mystery history is a sucker bet when the knockoffs are using the same chips now.