Swapped from a cheap multimeter to a Fluke and it changed my troubleshooting speed

Honestly, I used a $30 meter from the hardware store for years and thought it was fine. Last month I picked up a used Fluke 117 on Craigslist for $80 and it's night and day. The continuity beep comes on instantly and the voltage readings don't bounce around. Has anyone else noticed a big jump after upgrading their meter? What model did you go with?

2 comments

2 Comments

anna_hill24d ago

Are we really acting like a fast beep is life changing or something? I swapped from a $20 Amazon special to a Klein a few years back and sure, the readings are more stable but my troubleshooting speed didn't suddenly double. Maybe I'm just slow, but the meter was never my bottleneck, it was always me staring at the circuit like an idiot for five minutes. The Fluke does feel nicer in the hand though, I'll give it that.

oliver_ward141mo ago

Picked up a Fluke 117 for $80? That's a steal, I paid $150 for mine and still felt like I robbed the guy. The instant continuity beep alone saved me from yelling at my cheap meter every time I poked a wire.