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expiredrobert1307 posted May 31, 2022 09:37 PM
expiredrobert1307 posted May 31, 2022 09:37 PM

Fluke 116 Multimeter, Standard, 42% off at Amazon and Lowe's

$145

Amazon
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There are just 15 left on Amazon, but more are coming.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Fluke-Di...1000194213

https://www.amazon.com/Fluke-116-...th=1&psc=1
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There are just 15 left on Amazon, but more are coming.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Fluke-Di...1000194213

https://www.amazon.com/Fluke-116-...th=1&psc=1

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Model: Fluke 116 HVAC Multimeter, Standard

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Post Date Sold By Sale Price Activity
09/15/24Amazon$131 frontpage
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09/06/23Amazon$131 frontpage
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Sort: Lowest to Highest | Last Updated 8/2/2025, 10:44 PM
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Amazon$230.63

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11 Comments

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Jun 01, 2022 12:19 AM
545 Posts
Joined Oct 2009
Jun 01, 2022 12:19 AM
Find_A_DealJun 01, 2022 12:19 AM
545 Posts
This is a deal!?
2
Original Poster
Jun 01, 2022 02:15 AM
13 Posts
Joined Nov 2019
Jun 01, 2022 02:15 AM
robert1307
Original Poster
Jun 01, 2022 02:15 AM
13 Posts
Quote from Find_A_Deal :
This is a deal!?
Well, yeah, that's the price of the used one on ebay, so a pretty good deal.
1
Jun 01, 2022 03:48 AM
1,191 Posts
Joined Dec 2008
Jun 01, 2022 03:48 AM
madcow3417Jun 01, 2022 03:48 AM
1,191 Posts
This doesn't measure current beyond the micro-amp range, so it's not great as a general purpose multimeter. The things it does do, it does well though.
Jun 01, 2022 04:13 AM
1,032 Posts
Joined Feb 2009
Jun 01, 2022 04:13 AM
RansomJun 01, 2022 04:13 AM
1,032 Posts
Man this cost about 7 times more than I expected it to. I want a basic general purpose multimeter (partially to learn on) but wasn't expecting this price.
1
Jun 01, 2022 09:44 PM
400 Posts
Joined Apr 2011
Jun 01, 2022 09:44 PM
PedroDaGr8Jun 01, 2022 09:44 PM
400 Posts
Quote from Ransom :
Man this cost about 7 times more than I expected it to. I want a basic general purpose multimeter (partially to learn on) but wasn't expecting this price.
These models from Fluke are intentionally featured and priced to not cut into their "premium" ranges but still maintain their premium status. For hobbyists, you can find better all around models for around 1/3 the price. For example, the Amprobe AM-510 is a much better all around meter for most hobbyists and runs right around $50. Before anyone comments about the brand, Amprobe is a subsidiary of Fluke. Alternately, Klein Tools has a range of multimeters which are pretty solid. If you don't intend to work on AC line voltages, then you can go significantly cheaper.
Last edited by PedroDaGr8 June 1, 2022 at 02:46 PM.
1
Jun 02, 2022 12:41 AM
3,225 Posts
Joined Sep 2006
Jun 02, 2022 12:41 AM
GiantcrazyJun 02, 2022 12:41 AM
3,225 Posts
Quote from Find_A_Deal :
This is a deal!?
Like most tools, what you're willing to pay is a factor on how reliable and how accurate you need it to be.

For the home hobbyist, this is massive overkill. You can buy a cheapo multimeter for a fraction of the cost and measure voltage and continuity without too much concern that you're off target. And if it breaks, it breaks. You buy another one and move on.

If you're a professional - an electrician, working in HVAC, etc. - and you earn a living on the back of your tools, then you pay extra for the reliability.

Basically, if you're looking at this and have to ask 'how is this a deal' then it isn't one for you. Relative to what these normally cost, this is a pretty good deal.
Jun 02, 2022 09:52 AM
545 Posts
Joined Oct 2009
Jun 02, 2022 09:52 AM
Find_A_DealJun 02, 2022 09:52 AM
545 Posts
Quote from Giantcrazy :
Like most tools, what you're willing to pay is a factor on how reliable and how accurate you need it to be.

For the home hobbyist, this is massive overkill. You can buy a cheapo multimeter for a fraction of the cost and measure voltage and continuity without too much concern that you're off target. And if it breaks, it breaks. You buy another one and move on.

If you're a professional - an electrician, working in HVAC, etc. - and you earn a living on the back of your tools, then you pay extra for the reliability.

Basically, if you're looking at this and have to ask 'how is this a deal' then it isn't one for you. Relative to what these normally cost, this is a pretty good deal.

Looking at the features of this DMM, it's way overpriced, and I say this as someone who has an 87 in their toolbox. Either someone at Fluke needs a reality check or their marketing department deserves an award.

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Jun 02, 2022 11:12 PM
3,889 Posts
Joined Feb 2009
Jun 02, 2022 11:12 PM
GunManJun 02, 2022 11:12 PM
3,889 Posts
Quote from Find_A_Deal :
Looking at the features of this DMM, it's way overpriced, and I say this as someone who has an 87 in their toolbox. Either someone at Fluke needs a reality check or their marketing department deserves an award.
It's a meter tailored for HVAC service professionals. It has temperature measurement (with a thermocouple) built in and a micro amp range for measuring flame sensor output.

For "just" a "lowly" HVAC tech who needs a proven, reliable, durable and accurate meter for making a living, Fluke makes sense.

At work I know that when I order a Fluke 289, I won't have to try to justify it to anyone.
If I wanted to deviate from the proven to save a few bucks, I might have to explain why.
Original Poster
Jun 04, 2022 12:19 AM
13 Posts
Joined Nov 2019
Jun 04, 2022 12:19 AM
robert1307
Original Poster
Jun 04, 2022 12:19 AM
13 Posts
Quote from PedroDaGr8 :
These models from Fluke are intentionally featured and priced to not cut into their "premium" ranges but still maintain their premium status. For hobbyists, you can find better all around models for around 1/3 the price. For example, the Amprobe AM-510 is a much better all around meter for most hobbyists and runs right around $50. Before anyone comments about the brand, Amprobe is a subsidiary of Fluke. Alternately, Klein Tools has a range of multimeters which are pretty solid. If you don't intend to work on AC line voltages, then you can go significantly cheaper.
I've ordered AM-510 as per your advice and was 99% sure I'll leave it and return a Fluke back saving $100. But after a couple of basic tests I found Amprobe AM-510 is not anywhere close to Fluke and is not suitable even for a hobbyist like me. Maybe my device was defective, maybe I'll give it another shot. I will just list a few results: 1. Resistance check with a signal. Fluke gives a quality loud "beeps", Amprobe's "beeps" are not "beeps" at all, it produces a "rattle" sound you can hardly hear, and sometimes a silence. 2. In a capacity check mode, display shows 12 something nF without connecting to anything, it can't measure capacity of the half of the capacitors from the kids teaching microelectronics set. I thought it's broken but no, they're just out of range as per spec (they are very commonly used e.g. 100uF or 0.02uF ones). 3. Resistance check. AM-510 starts measuring resistance from Om-s range, then slowly goes to kOm and then slowly to MOm range. When I say "slowly" it's really slow, everything takes 5+ seconds. Flukes gives the result instantly. 4. Accuracy. For one capacitor AM-510 shown 50MOm resistance while Fluke was showing 5MOm (x10 diff). 5. Design. AM-510 is larger, but lighter. That's really weird.
Though there is a thing where AM-510 outperform Fluke. It's display: the back-light is much more even. It's not going off after ~15 seconds which is also a plus. But that's it unfortunately. Will return it back and look for a better candidate.
Jun 06, 2022 04:45 PM
3,889 Posts
Joined Feb 2009
Jun 06, 2022 04:45 PM
GunManJun 06, 2022 04:45 PM
3,889 Posts
One of the reasons we use Fluke (and only Fluke) at work is that our meters are calibrated annually and we have never had to deal with a Fluke meter having been found out of tolerance.
(If that were to happen, we'd have to analyze the impact on all the projects that particular meter had been used on and might have to acquire replacement test samples and repeat measurements and correct reports and get the reports resubmitted etc. etc.)

I'm not saying that there aren't other meters that can be good or a better value for a hobbyist. But, IMO, if you are relying on a meter to make a living, or otherwise can afford one, Fluke is a solid choice.
Last edited by GunMan June 6, 2022 at 09:48 AM.
Jun 06, 2022 06:37 PM
400 Posts
Joined Apr 2011
Jun 06, 2022 06:37 PM
PedroDaGr8Jun 06, 2022 06:37 PM
400 Posts
Quote from robert1307 :
I've ordered AM-510 as per your advice and was 99% sure I'll leave it and return a Fluke back saving $100. But after a couple of basic tests I found Amprobe AM-510 is not anywhere close to Fluke and is not suitable even for a hobbyist like me. Maybe my device was defective, maybe I'll give it another shot. I will just list a few results: 1. Resistance check with a signal. Fluke gives a quality loud "beeps", Amprobe's "beeps" are not "beeps" at all, it produces a "rattle" sound you can hardly hear, and sometimes a silence. 2. In a capacity check mode, display shows 12 something nF without connecting to anything, it can't measure capacity of the half of the capacitors from the kids teaching microelectronics set. I thought it's broken but no, they're just out of range as per spec (they are very commonly used e.g. 100uF or 0.02uF ones). 3. Resistance check. AM-510 starts measuring resistance from Om-s range, then slowly goes to kOm and then slowly to MOm range. When I say "slowly" it's really slow, everything takes 5+ seconds. Flukes gives the result instantly. 4. Accuracy. For one capacitor AM-510 shown 50MOm resistance while Fluke was showing 5MOm (x10 diff). 5. Design. AM-510 is larger, but lighter. That's really weird.
Though there is a thing where AM-510 outperform Fluke. It's display: the back-light is much more even. It's not going off after ~15 seconds which is also a plus. But that's it unfortunately. Will return it back and look for a better candidate.
1. This could be the difference between latched and unlatched continuity. Fluke likes to use latched continuity but depending on your usage scenario latched or unlatched can be preferable. The downside of latched is it holds the signal out longer, which means it can miss intermittent breaks. The upside is that for brief connections it is much more easily apparent and overall it sounds less scratchy. Another thing that can occur, some times new test leads still have a bit of mold release on the tips which prevents a good connection, a quick clean with some steel wool can remove it and improve the quality of the continuity. One of the prime reasons I recommend this meter is it has very fast continuity. So many cheaper meters have 0.5-1s delays on their continuity which makes the feature essentially useless.

2. Capacitance testing is always a bit wonky on a standard multimeter (LCR meters are better for this function). Capacitors are AC devices and best measured using AC at a specific frequency but most multimeters (including Fluke) use a form of variable frequency pulsed DC to measure. This can result in caps appearing to be a bit out of spec. when they aren't (especially electrolytics which are highly frequency sensitive). As for the 12nf capacitance at start, this is the inherent capacitance in the wires of the test leads. You can zero this out by hitting the "Rel" button (Rel is short for relative).

3. Auto-ranging on resistance, that sounds a lot slower than when I used to have an AM-510. It used to be quite fast. That being said, I never tested it up to 5Mohm. If Fluke broke auto-ranging on this model, I will be very annoyed and stop recommending this meter.

4. As for accuracy, were you testing a resistor or capacitor for resistance? If a capacitor, then that's not even remotely valid for testing resistance. The voltages used for the test will heavily influence the value reported. If it was a resistor, what was the actual value for the resistor? The AM-510 should never be 10x off. It was usually within a few 10ths of a percent or less compared to my old 87V

At the end of the day, no one meter is perfect for everyone. If this didn't work for you, then it didn't work for you. I ended up migrating from Fluke to Brymen because it fit my needs better for the price. For example, at this price point, a Brymen BM257S let alone a BM867 is a HUGE step up in every single way.

Quote from GunMan :
One of the reasons we use Fluke (and only Fluke) at work is that our meters are calibrated annually and we have never had to deal with a Fluke meter having been found out of tolerance.
(If that were to happen, we'd have to analyze the impact on all the projects that particular meter had been used on and might have to acquire replacement test samples and repeat measurements and correct reports and get the reports resubmitted etc. etc.)

I'm not saying that there aren't other meters that can be good or a better value for a hobbyist. But, IMO, if you are relying on a meter to make a living, or otherwise can afford one, Fluke is a solid choice.
To be honest, you bring up a very valid point (though a bit different than maybe you intended). Making a stable multimeter that meets specifications is actually quite cheap these days. Most meters (outside of the cheapest of the cheap) maintain their specifications throughout their life. The harder thing is finding someone to calibrate it (and adjust it if necessary). If you are making money from your device and this requires your device to be 100% in-spec, then having a meter which CAN be NIST calibrated is critical (and likely much more expensive than the meter itself). With a Fluke, you just have to go to your local calibration house and they will know how to do it.
Last edited by PedroDaGr8 June 6, 2022 at 11:58 AM.

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