Hi Eddie, if you want a great meter with many features like the Fluke 189 get the Brymen BM869s. It is a 500,000 count meter in high res and 50,000 in normal. It has dual temperature option to run two thermocouples with a dual display, can measure conductance in Siemens. Dual displays in voltage with the ability to measure Ac+DC and amps with dual display. It has more features than the 189 and will remember the last setting you used when shut off where Flukes always go back to factory setting once you change the switch to a different function. I own a pristine 189 but like the 869s better. The 189 is a battery hog where the 869 lasts much longer. I have 4 Brymen meters after watching Joe Smith’s channel the past 7 years. His two favorite meters are the Fluke 189 and the Brymen 869’s which is his go to meter. His testing is some of the best on KZfaq of putting meters through transient spike torture tests. He is quite a brilliant engineer who is a master at electronics, machine work and engine mechanics. He built all of his test generators, high voltage probes, wrote the software for testing………He does quite of bit of R+D on all the Brymen stuff and they are very receptive to his input. They send him meters for evaluation and want him to make them fail. He does, figures out what happened and rebuilds them to be more robust. I think they are the best meters out there for the money because of the build quality, input from customers( where Fluke won’t even reply to a technical problem) and just the features. I had to buy mine from TME in Poland, the shipping was $10 and I had it in 4 day via DHL. You can’t get shipping from two states away for that price in that time frame. I think Brymen doesn’t sell direct to the US because of their deal with Greenlee who rebrands the Brymen meters with there name and the Green rubber sheath.

I agree that Flukes are too expensive but after seeing Joe Smith’s extensive torture test of a Keysight meter, I certainly wouldn’t replace a Fluke with a Keysight. Flukes might be overpriced but at least they survive Joe’s tests. After seeing his tests, I decided never to buy a Keysight until they re-engineer them to be more robust. Spending over $800 for a meter that can’t survive a few transients that even cheap meters can survive is criminal in my opining.

You man have already earned my respect for not only your knowledge, and your healthy common sense. Why pay for something, that used to be? If it used to be great, and now it lacks many things, well, the comapny has then not made a good use of their knowledge. I have also bought my Fluke 17B+. All the reviews were like "yea, I own a Fluke, my dad got a fluke, I dont need any other multimeter than fluke, so I havent tried any other multimeter than fluke, but hey, its a fluke, it must be good, recoomend". The multimeter, the Fluke 17B+, it gets as bad as any multimeter I own gets. Lots of problems and bugs, and not worth even half the price. I made thorough video review, where the Fluke was compared to Hiokis, UNI-T or Amprobe. And it came out as absolute loser. Under my video, and in some Fb groups, there were some folks, probably fanatics, who went crazy about fluke not being the best multimeter a man has ever seen. Well, if a corporation like Fluke mas a multimeter that lacks TRMS, lacks usable probes, has beeper with same dBm as background noise, has false HV indication, or cannot do what it claims it can do, then it's a bad one. Fluke practically defined modern multimeter 40 years ago, but 15 years ago, they just stopped being good.

Hi Eddie, good video. Thank you for taking the time to thoroughly explain and your demonstration. 🎥😄

Good video. We share many pet peeves. Why do I choose Fluke? For me, I do absolutely LOVE my 189's, and tolerate my 289's. But, most importantly, when I need to make a written record of a measurement or write a report for a client, I NEVER feel uneasy to reference a FLUKE or HP meter and it's serial number on the equipment list. Moreover, on the subject of accountability, when you take FLUKE and HP gear in for a closed-case calibration, these are ROUTINE for the lab, and they'll adjust them if a range has drifted out of spec a little. Why? Because the automated calibrator THEY USE is made by FLUKE, with an HP 3458A riding shotgun. Conversely, I have observed that the lab techs roll their eyes at the variety of non-professional* test gear that they receive for cal, and won't bother making adjustments due to incomplete or NO cal documentation. Also, the specified accuracy AT BEST is laughable in many cases. (* "professional" being the likely suspects such as HP et al., Fluke, TEK, Kiethley, Rohde & Schwartz, etc.).

FLUKE 289 system info - Select "Setup" (F4), select "Meter Info" (F1), scroll using up/down arrows. Enjoyed the video/Rant, I learned a number of new things about DMMs - Purchased my 289 about 14 years ago for ~$500, still working great (light use). My meter did come with an IR to USB cable.

I love your multimeter enthusiasm.

Totally agree that buy-new prices for Fluke meters are very (too) high. Still I like those meters because they ARE robust and do their job well. I bought mine second hand and if you have a little patience and keep an eye out on second hand market places you can get really good deals. I got my 289 in almost new condition with all accessories for 225 euros, my 189 for 175 euros and my 87V as new in box for 140 euros.

Back when I was a bench tec at Teknis Sys we would send all relevant test equipment to DSTO (defence lab) for calibration every 12 months. They would return the equipment with a report and calibration sticker on each. This was a requirement for a lot of Mil Spec contract work. I only have the sparky Fluke for field work in my current role. It’s a great meter for what I use it for. I agree there’s some amazing meters for the price these days. If you get bored with 289, send it my way 😂

Some excellent points... I especially agree about the purposeful continuity checks vs. dragging across IC leads. And also diode and pn junction checks vs. lighting LEDs. And I do fast forward all the taking measurement portions of review videos.

Hehehe you're tripping me out "reviewing" the Keysight without having the meter. Really tripping me out using the Hioki as a make believe Keysight. Hehehe what in the world...I'm only 1/4 of the way thru the video, maybe it'll come together and make sense in a minute. I couldn't agree more with your point of taking measurement after measurement without any clue whether those measurements are within specs and tolerances. I'm cheering for you Eddy, if anybody can turn a Hioki into a Keysight you can! Hehehe

Our lab has a Fluke 289 that I rarely use except occasionally for logging. Just picking up the heavy beast, finding space for it on the bench, waiting for it to boot up, and setting up a measurement through the menu system is a real chore. I normally just grab the smallest and lightest meter available. Most of the time I'm checking continuity or simply looking for the presence or absence of reasonable voltages. You don't need a fancy $800 meter or even a very accurate one for that. That said, the 289 isn't bad if you need logging. However, for logging to a PC, you need software and an IR-to-USB cable that'll set you back about $200. For logging to a smartphone, you need an IR-to-Bluetooth adapter that sits on top of the meter and makes it even more bulky, and that'll set you back $135 or so. You can get the whole kit and caboodle for about $1100.

Question: I'm looking for a very-accurate, high resolution portable meter that will mostly be used on the bench to make high accuracy measurements. Do you still think that the Hioki DT-4282 is still the one to get? I really need something in the 5-1/2 digit level. I tried soaking my Fluke 8800A in water overnight but it wouldn't shrink down to handheld size! I don't need the super tough rough handling or upper-level CAT-rating. Thanks for all you do!

I have owned a 289 for about 10 years. Bought it used because I couldn’t justify the cost. I use mine in the automotive trade and like the low ohm range and the data logger which I use with an amp probe to measure intermittent key off draw issues. Yes the battery life is poor but my biggest gripe is the outdated display. If Fluke were to update the line to TFT color or OLED I would buy a new one. The backlight does help but I work in low light environments and it’s still a struggle.

289 is probably my preferred meter, and I have a few.

BTW, our lab's 289 does have springs for battery contacts. And did I mention that the display lacks contrast and that the backlight doesn't help?

I own a Fluke 789 that costs about 1200 now. Personally I think that is way overpriced for what it does. If it ever broke I would just buy a 4-20ma signal generator for 200 bucks. Your rants about meter reviews are spot on for the most part. I've seen a former co-worker short a chip by dragging a probe checking for shorts to ground. Yeah taking off points because diode mode doesn't light up a clear LED is silly. I've never seen a bad LED stop a machine from running in the field. I've seen an LED fail once and that is because water dripped on the LED, and it got corroded. It had no effect on the operation of the equipment. I still enjoy the long thorough meter reviews that check everything though. Yes I know even a 10 dollar meter from Banggood is still going to be pretty accurate. I just like watching them.

What is the meter you mentioned at 17:04 there is no link, is it a good meter for the hobbyist and around the house ?

It would be extremely interesting to see which items on the BOM for the American made Flukes are actually sourced in the states. The silicone cover maybe?

Love my Fluke 289 but I love my Fluke 189 more!

Eddie your absolutely correct. I've seen them online tapping away and then some will say ohhh yhats not good. Come on. I agree...stop doing that..

Mostly I already have the meter when i go to youtube to see an EE's take on it. So the money aspect has already been crossed. - and you're not receptive to being told it isn't worth it (because essentially you can't simply agree). And what you notice when you have the meter the EE is reviewing is they tend to skip the detail you want explained, with general comments, you've heard before. So you tend to appreciate those youtuber's who are quite deliberate and informative, also those that have a slow delivery (applied science is a good example).

Very good video. I wonder which DMM ( his choise presumably based on the speed of the continuity tester) Bob Munden would have used. 🤔🤓

I run the 289 as a daily driver. 789, 1587fc, and 378fc are the supplemental three depending on what I need.

Have a look at the Chauvin Arnoux CA5293-BT it's a high end graphical multimeter with a colour display, 100,000 count 4 line display and inbuilt Bluetooth. The Uni-T UT181 is another high end graphical multimeter and it also has a colour display.

I have a Keysight 6.5 digit bench multimeter on my bench, which is mains powered; no batteries to go flat, no auto power-off just when you want a reading. Does data logging, statistics, high accuracy, 4-wire resistance, temperature - all I need. It cost less than that high-end Fluke. Hand-held meters are good for site work, or having it close to the unit you're working on, but I prefer the bench meter.

That Fluke 289 was designed 15 years ago. It is still huge because it is still using 15 year old technology. Fluke is making a killing on that meter because the parts are relatively cheap today. One could pack that same functionality in a much smaller case with a better display today. However, that would cost more money. So, go ahead and spend big bucks on out of date technology. You’re paying for a brand that MAY no longer be as good as they once were.

I have a Fluke 8842a, a benchtop multimeter which I seldom use, used only as a standard for other cheap multimeters' (An8009, An870) calibration or showing people I am a serious player in the field, LOL.

My biggest complaint about the 289 is boot up time. Favorite Fluke is the 189/187 hands down the best continuity buzzer and sensitivity. Although a Fluke 289 on your bench is a statement and like it or not it’s definitely the King of the hill.

After fifteen years of essentially the same design and with improvements in manufacturing processes why has the price on the Fluke 289 increased so much, I paid 486.00 on Amazon in 2016 for mine. I agree with everything that you said, short battery life, poor display contrast and complicated menu system. At least it is an accurate meter.

I don't find the fluke 287 that bad on my bench, find the display readable and when my rechargeable batteries die I'll use an 87V. I only paid £150 for it so that's a good deal, don't mind the menu as I rarely need to use it.. the menu has many features that the 87 doesn't... So that doesn't seem a downgrade. But you have good points. And no doubt the 28x series is dated, but this could be partly why it is costly to maintain such an old design...? Not sure, does anyone have PCB shots of a 15yr old 28x vs a recent one? Interesting stuff.

I have "only" a Keysight U1242C but even that has IP67, 3 meter drop, true rms, 10000/11000 count, logging (manual 100, auto 2000 samples), USB interface standard and some other handy stuff. Also, looking at the calibration sheet it performs way beyond the stated specs at room temperature. (this is of course not guaranteed) The only thing I hate about this meter is its low update rate and slow auto-ranging. Fluke just can't give me the same functionality at that price. It's a shame too many people are blinded by brand names.

I think the rant about how other people review meters is not totally fair. Indeed some reviewers hook it up to kalibration equipment and go on and on about that (I also fast forwarded that part...), and some other reviewers review different aspects of the meter. But when you review a meter, you also focus on the things you think is important. The key thing is, is that no reviewer reviews the complete featureset of a meter. You don't either when you're reviewing a meter. Of course to make such a review, that's a lot of work, it requires a lot of resources (Defpom had a calibrator, but most people don't have that) and it would result in a whole list of video's. Look at what Joe Smith does, some of his reviews are 4 video's each 1 hour long and he only reviews "robustness" and basic functioning (and he's really good at finding quirks). But regarding a 289: no one has made a good review on the computer interface and the software. But where I live, that's an add on of +€300. (Here in europe, a 289 starts at about €750 incl VAT, but the fvf version (with software, interface, carry pouch and a hanger) starts at about €1100,-- incl VAT. For that price, it better be good. For instance, the display can refresh about 5 times per second I believe. But can it also log that fast with the software? That information can't be found anywhere. And about the price, for comparison, the 289 fvf is about 4 times as expensive as a Brymen BM869S with case, interface, silicon leads etc. Is it four times as good? The Brymen has some features the 289 doesn't even have 😉 The 289 is indeed already an old meter, and some things like the contrast and ghosting on the display, the slow processing speed of displaying trending graphs etc are a sign of that. But it also has some interesting features, like a low ohm range, adjustable dBm/dBv measurements etc. That it's not that rugged that it can survive a 3m drop....it's still a rather precise instrument. BTW, that U1282A also has some drawbacks I think. No handheld multimeter is perfect BTW I have my Brymen BM869s calibrated annually, so I'm not one of the 'most guys', but I use it to calibrate other stuff (power supplies).

I'd be disappointed if a meter's diode test can't determine a surface mount LED's polarity. It's too useful not to have. The best continuity test I saw in a review used a function gen to turn on a FET at increasing frequency. I think this was Joe Smith? Nice vid, Kiss.

I sort of agree with you about reviews, there is really no reason to check all the ranges on camera, showing how the meter measures (i.e. speed, readability, user interface, etc.) is more interesting. Another meter with graphical display is Chauvin Arnoux CA 5293 (Also called Metrix MTX 3293B), its expensive and due to the very readable display has a short battery life. It uses the display much better than Fluke. It uses a menu system to select functions, but it works much better than Flukes. When doing continuity sliding the probe is often a legal method and is used when following tracks on unknown circuit boards (What chip and pin do this signal connect to?). My software TestController can log from Fluke, Keysight, Chauvin Arnoux and other meters and works on Windows, Mac and Linux, with Fluke you must pay to get the cable, with Keysight and Chauvin Arnoux it is included.

Hi Eddie! Not using a real U1282A you miss the opportunity to experiment his slowness ... :). I think this is the biggest weakness. I am one of the guys who are interested in seeing also how a DMM is measuring along his ranges, so I think this section should not be missing from a DMM review. But it should not be the only test. It was a time when I think that Fluke 289 is overpriced. Then I found the U1282A. This is realy overpriced. But now I found Gossen Metrahit ... who know wat is next ... :) P.S. BTW I did not get any discount buying Hioki 4282. Same price with link from you or direct access - 429.98.

Hi Eddie!

I have both a Fluke 287 and 289. The 287 is an electronics test DMM and the 289 is an industrial test DMM. If you are maintaining AC equipment in a manufacturing plant the 289 is really hard to beat. Why? 1) The 289 is a CAT IV 600 Volt, CAT III 1000 Volt True RMS 50,000 count DMM. Which is really handy for 3 Phase 440VAC, if you are wearing the proper PPE (which you are if you are in the plant), and CAT IV 600 VAC meter probes are required and not cheap and not repairable. If you damage a lead set you will need a new one. True RMS is needed for complex but periodic AC waveforms. So you might have an intermediate stage signal which is a chopped AC signal but not a perfect sine wave, if you know the proper RMS voltage you will have a repeatable measurement base. 2) The low Z AC voltage range will eliminate ghost voltage, which is a huge problem in a manufacturing plant setting where is seems the motor drives and amplifiers exhibit a lot of capacitive coupling which will ghost just about any DMM with a very high input impedance on AC Volts. 3) With motor drives and inverters in mind the 289 also has a low pass filter built in, which is also very effective in a plant setting for use with intermediate AC volts when you know the proper frequency range. 4) The meter can read capacitance up to 100 microfarads which is useful in testing single phase start and run capacitors. 5) You can measure temperature using a direct K type thermocouple input. This is handy for HVAC testing where you have a huge selection of K type probes, for example, pipe clamping (Air Conditioning refrigerant piping), air stream testing (air flow temperature), contact temperature, etc. 6) Then you have the common high end DMM features like surge current, simultaneous min/max, crest factor, etc. 7) A very handy feature is the display back light, which is bright but uses a relatively large amount of battery current. 8) You also have a logging feature, but logging takes a certain amount of testing time, so it is used in special cases. Mostly tied to troubleshooting a specific type or model of device where you know what you are looking for. Most DMM current measurements in a plant setting for equipment repair and maintenance are made with a DMM bandwidth current clamp. And I would agree about the stand, it seems really weak, but I have not broken it. When stressed it just pops out and I push it back in the grooves and all is good. The 287 is a bench hand held electronic troubleshooting DMM, it is good in the lab if you need a DMM to move between benches and don't need the accuracy of a bench DMM. Compared to the 287 a bench DMM is just too bulky to lug around and many highly accurate models are AC powered. If you don't need the 287 features for a portable bench DMM, than a 87 V will work just fine. Although the 87 V is newer than the 287. The best display LCDs for a hand held device on AC volts I think are made by Megger, like the CAT IV 600V MIT485 insulation tester (which is one thing the 289 will not do). The LCD display is just beautiful. So if you have the Fluke 289 and the Megger MIT485 you are good to go. For plant industrial AC leakage current testing I use a Hioki CM4002 which is an excellent product.

The Keysight meter is laughable. Measurements are useful, especially if it gives incorrect values under certain circumstances or doesn't work as advertised as was found on the Keysight. Fluke meters don't give quirky or misleading readings as far as I know.

meter is top quality , love it !

Keysight U1282A is a multimeter with really nice big display and perfect battery efficiency but the main selector is a total garbage which change this meter into a useless tool after few months of everyday use. Basicly locking plastic at the bottom of this selector breaks with no reason and also metal contact are stucking between the different positions and multimeter is going crazy (grease between selector and body is changing into a jelly after few months of indoor using 🤯). Sometimes it can even turn itself off during mode changing... And did I mentioned about super slow resistance and capacitance mode? And the most ridiculous thing is that they advertise it as an industry IP67 with 3m drop withstand🤣... but because this crappy selector, whole meter can be used only indoor and you need to treat it like an egg. I really regret I bought three of them in my job. Never ever Keysight garbage. Only Fluke 87V Max baby💪 Keysight Design is beautiful but believe me and don't buy it and soon you will thank me.

The old Flukes remind me of the Blackberry. They did a good job when they came out but they are outdated and overpriced. On another note... Does the US military still have to buy stuff that's made in the U.S.A.?

I've been able to buy Fluke meters, at a relative discount on Ebay, without a high value problem?!

You talked about the uniT, but never showed it once. 😰

I understand and I understand what you mention and if you go A cost-benefit ratio perhaps there are other options. But I leave this to you, perhaps from another point of view. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/l99pqqmCpr2VaY0.html Regarding the fact that fluke 28x series can only offer you 100 to 200hrs of use compared to the 800hrs in the first years that 28x came out with its PCB ID 1 and 3, they had 3 terminals on the back where the battery compartment goes which the third terminal was used for another battery compartment (which was sold separately) that housed 4 type C batteries, then your records were no longer going to be for a week but weeks, who knows if the month passed, that would I saw it in a promotional magazine, I tried looking for it once but I don't think I found that accessory, already for the fluke 28x series, ID PCB 5 they eliminated that third terminal, I suppose it was not offered or sold. greetings

I have a number of Fluke meters, including 3 8060A's (don't ask) . My reach for a meter today is usually my 87 III . I have several other meters that cost under $250 & have features beyond the Flukes. Flukes cost too much for what they are, the stands are crap, & their supplied leads are much lower quality than other brands that cost much less. WHY, & I mean WHY, do the internal fuses cost $12 to $18 dollars here in Canada. The US price is still ridiculous for a simple fuse. I know some techs that replace the fuses with fine wire ! (shades of the days when people used to put pennies behind the thread in fuses in entrance boxes years ago) I own a lot of Fluke equipment that I have had for years (including a "scopemate" that no display is available for ) & I have nothing bad to say about their equipment. Their gear trades on the name Fluke & that is why they can command exorbitant prices & still sell the product. I don't use any of the Fluke meter probes. I buy their meter fuses because I may only blow one once in several years, & I KNOW it protected the meter. The prices are still outrageously priced. Merry Christmas to all.

we have a gimmyk nobody claim on the marcket, thus a 800 dollars tag, but a gimmk nobody needs.............

Texas instrument calculators very rarely change. They have a monopoly n the US. Sharp and Casio make much better calculators, but since in the US, TI has a monopoly they run Z80 processors and they are all slow. Their high-end units are way too expensive compared to the competition.

I just bought a fluke 289. I am horrified what a piece of crap!!! Without the backlight on, the display is unreadable and dark. Even with the lighting on and the contrast set to maximum, the display is blurry and bad! I must be an idiot for buying this junk.

I work in an industrial environment. I trust my Fluke meters with my life. Fluke is simply the best meter.

A walmart Meter would be better then Over priced over rated Fluke! I 100% agree, the Eevblog meters HANDS down best bang best value BEST METER!! Fluke SUCKS!

And it is $72,000 per semester at Notre Dame. But no one is forcing anyone to go there. If you think 800 is too much, buy a Kaiweets. Choice. What's the big deal?? Actually, Notre Dame (and just about every other college) should be more ashamed than Fluke.

Flukes are expensive because of traceability which is very costly.