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43 of 44 found the following review helpful:
 Absolutely Top-Quality Jun 12, 2009
By New England Yankee
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.
25 of 25 found the following review helpful:
don't waste your money on Cheap meters! Jun 27, 2007
By D. Rice
"Woodworker"
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.
15 of 15 found the following review helpful:
Nearly perfect multimeter Sep 04, 2010
By M. Gozum
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.
12 of 13 found the following review helpful:
Best Multimeter I've owned Jan 13, 2008
By Keith
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.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 A quality instrument Feb 11, 2011
By Andrew Witte
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).
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