Fluke 87 sets the standard in high quality mulit-meters.
Written: Dec 13 '03 (Updated Dec 13 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Versatile, reliable, and built to last. A must-have for the tradesman or skilled homeowner.
Cons: Costly, overkill for most people, extra accessory leads and clips a must for full usefulness.
The Bottom Line: A must have for the tradesman that needs a quality multimeter. Homeowners or hobbyists may also find this meter a willing and versatile companion.
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| openroad's Full Review: Fluke Multimeter, 87-III High-Performance 616620 |
----- Introduction -----
Fluke is the leader in professional quality multimeters and electrical diagnostic equipment. All of the local electricians I've talked with use various Fluke meters. My job requires me to use many different models of Fluke meters, from their basic amp-probe to the upper end 87 multimeter. Our business has four of the 87 meters, and we use our meters every single day on 90% of our service calls. The functions of a multimeter go beyond simple AC/DC volt testing, and include; continuity, resistance, micro-amps, milli-volts, frequency, diode testing, and capacitance. All the meters in the Fluke 80-Series come in a shock resistant yellow rubber case.
----- Working With The 87-III -----
Over the last seven years I have used my 87 meter on a daily basis, and have found it to be very accurate and reliable. When you buy an 87-III you’ll find the meter itself, a set of red and black wired leads with probes, an comprehensive owners manual, and depending on the package you buy you may get a small zipper case to store everything in. The wired leads that come with the meter are not my favorite, since the probes are an integral part of the leads and can’t be switched for different style probes. Using the meter is simple enough, if you’re accustomed to electrical nomenclature that is. The various functions are labeled by their technical designation, not the terms normally used by laymen. Instead of AC and DC volts, the meter is labeled with a V for both types of power. AC has a tilde over it and DC is labeled with a horizontal bar. Millivolts (mV = 1/1000 of a DC volt) aren’t used by most people, but I use this function to test thermocouples such as those you would find in a water heater. Continuity is labeled with what a friend of mine called “headphones”, in reality it looks more like a horseshoe. Whatever you wish to call it, this is one of the most useful features for me in my job. I use continuity to test fuses, check wires for breaks or pinched areas, check to see if on/off switches are functioning correctly, and test power cords for breaks or a short to ground. You can select standard visual continuity or push the audible warning button for a beep which confirms continuity. This is very helpful for remote testing when you can’t look at the meter while you test.
Other functions include uA (microampere = 1/1,000,000 of an amp) testing, which we use to test flame sensors. When equipment is lit using an electronic ignition system, the spark module needs to sense flame before it allows the burner to fire. The Fluke 87-III allows you to check the flame sensor’s microampere output and diagnose the system faster. Audiophiles commonly use frequency testing, and the 87-III is an excellent meter for that purpose. I use the frequency setting for testing small tachometers, since they use frequency to transmit their speed via a small sensor.
----- Other Comments -----
The 87-III can display up to 1000 volts on it’s 4 digit digital display, and you can either leave the meter on auto detect or force to a specific setting. If you don’t want the meter to jump around, select 4, 40, 400, or 4000 volt settings and test away. I commonly use 40 and 400 since most of my diagnostics are run on either 208/240 and 12 volt components. The 87-III can handle up to 10 amps of current in all testing circumstances.
All of Fluke’s 80-Series meters include backlighting, but only my latest meter has LED backlighting. This is a very even and bright backlight that doesn’t drain the battery near as much as the old bulb. The LED light also doesn’t wash out the display like the old standard light did, resulting in a much more readable display in darkened areas.
One nice feature is the warning beep when switching from standard volt testing to uA (microamperes). You must move the test lead from the far right AC/DC volt plug to the uA plug on the left. If you turn the meter back to volts or visa versa, it will beep to remind you to switch the lead wire to its appropriate location. WARNING: if you supply volts to the meter when the lead is plugged into the uA setting, you’ll blow a fuse inside the meter. The uA function will not work until this fuse is replaced.
The extra cost of the 80-Series meters is partly to do with the speed they adjust to power changes. Cheaper models such as the Fluke 16 and 27 refresh the display much slower, and at times can be almost useless. If you’re trying to get a power reading on a piece of equipment that trips a breaker, you only have a tiny window of time to read power before it blows again. The 80-Series can collect a full and accurate reading in a very short time span, which is crucial in certain situations. Also if you need to test and calibrate DC motors, a fluid and accurate display helps a lot.
Another very useful feature is the min/max record function. This is great for checking AC/DC power with the equipment under a load. The meter will display the current power reading, but pressing the min/max button will display the highest recorded power reading and then the lowest.
One lesson I’ve learned with digital meters is their sensitivity can also be a problem. They can detect power accurately, but a multimeter doesn’t pull any amps. You can test a power cord or motor wire and get the correct voltage to the motor, but still the equipment will not work. This is a case of the wire being broken or burned through, and the meter still detects full power through the remaining strands of wire. A cord will send full voltage 120/240 on one strand of wire, but as soon as you try to power equipment that pulls a heavy amp load you’ll have problems. This also is the case with continuity, and if you run into a situation like this it’s down to the good ‘ol manual inspection.
----- Final Comments -----
I’ve come to rely on Fluke meters for their day-to-day consistence and versatility. I use my 87-III around the house to test light bulbs, check outlets and appliances, and also find it very useful when installing car audio components. The continuity function is great for locating speaker wires through door panels and under carpeting. Finding constant or momentary 12v power wires is also simplified with the thin probe extender (sold separately) that allow you test for power by poking right through the wire shielding.
I remain impressed with Fluke’s dedication to sturdy contractor-grade construction. The rubber case that surrounds the meter is an impact absorbing rubber, and it absorbs impacts very well. My job usually involves working on cement or tile floors, so any fall is usually going to be on a hard surface. Not a single one of our Fluke meters has ever broken in a fall or accident, and that’s amazing to me since we are very hard on our equipment. The wire leads are somewhat fragile however, and if the meter drops and jerks the wires they have a tendency to pull apart internally. As I mentioned in the beginning, the test probes included with the 87-III meter are not professional quality, and I would strongly recommend the Fluke TL20 test lead kit. It includes heavier and more flexible wire leads with 90-degree heads, heavy-duty test probes, and the excellent alligator clips for easy hands-free testing. For a total of 20 test probes and tips go for the $99 TL81 deluxe kit.
Battery life for the 87-III is excellent, and the initial 9-Volt battery usually lasts about 6 months. Remember, this is with daily usage, LED backlight used in dark location, and I often forget to turn it off after I’m finished. All 80-series meters include a battery saver feature that turns the meter off after 30 minutes. If you switch modes or activate keys it will reset the battery saver timer, so it seldom goes off when you are using it.
Fluke offers a lifetime warranty on all their 80-Series meters, and most other models too. You aren’t likely to break your meter, but at least you have a great warranty in case it happens.
I give the Fluke 87-III and its cheaper brother the 85-III my highest recommendation. Anyone looking for a digital multimeter will find all they need in any of the 80-Series meters. You really should use a meter quite often to make the over $300 cost worthwhile, or you may just want one of the best meters you can get. Homeowners and most casual users could get by with a lesser model such as the Fluke 16 multimeter ($140) which includes a handy thermometer for temperature testing.
Thanks for reading, and feel free to comment!
Openroad
Recommended:
Yes
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