Advice needed on buying a multimeter

[dx90]

Does anyone own or know if the FLUKE 17B Digital Multimeter with AC Transducer Clamp is any good?

Thanks

 

[electronicsuk]

Does anyone own or know if the FLUKE 17B Digital Multimeter with AC Transducer Clamp is any good?

No, because as far as I can make out, there isn't such a thing as a Fluke '17B'. It looks like it's a cheap chinese/far eastern rip off cleverly disguised as a Fluke meter. Did you find it on eBay by any chance?

(If anyone knows better than let me know, but it certainly looks suspect!)

 

[JohnD]

I can strongly recommend the Rols-Rogs Silver Shield motor car, also available from Hong Kong.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F06LjugtIUo

 

[dx90]

Yes it was on Ebay.
If you search for, FLUKE 17B Digital Multimeter with AC Transducer Clamp you will find the one that I'm intrested in buying.
If it is a ripoff, fake then let me know and I will stay well clear of it.

Thanks

 

[electronicsuk]

Yes it was on Ebay.
If you search for, FLUKE 17B Digital Multimeter with AC Transducer Clamp you will find the one that I'm intrested in buying.
If it is a ripoff, fake then let me know and I will stay well clear of it.

Thanks

1)It ships from Hong Kong
2)It's too cheap for what it appears to be
3)The probes in the picture don't look to be made by Fluke
4)The clamp isn't made by Fluke, the auction does acknowledge this, but Fluke wouldn't ever include a clamp made by 'Hong Da' (!?) with any of their products.

Looks too good to be true, stay away!

 

[dx90]

Will do. Thanks for the warning.
Do you know of any good cheap makes that are ok?

 

[electronicsuk]

Will do. Thanks for the warning.
Do you know of any good cheap makes that are ok?

The last cheap meter I had wasn't really what I'd describe as 'OK', although it did come from Argos! Martindale do a reasonably priced range of meters. Given the recognised brand name I can only assume they're reasonable quality.

 

[Fridgesteve]

I believe that the fluke 17b is made under license in China. Having said that I think I would rather pay more and get it from a reputable supplier.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Welcome to the forum.

But I don't think that dx90 is still waiting for product advice...

 

[larryfstill]

I bought a (Fluke)17B EBay of course. The fuses are different to other Flukes
10amps instead of 11 and 500mA instead of 440. Unable to buy.
This meter is ok for general use but not of great accuracy when tested against Avo9. Temperature indication is way out.[/quote]

 

[bridgetspace]

I know this is an older post, but maybe this will help people looking for this multimeter. The 17B doesn't even exist on Fluke's website. That's the best place to start research when questioning the authenticity. I almost bought the 17B on eBay but now I'm opting to spend more to ensure quality.

 

[ericmark]

Just before the Chinese took over Hong Kong I bought a clamp on meter there which as served me well ever since.

I think Al poo street or some thing like that is filled with electric stuff end to end and in the main the guys there are very good and not much rubbish is sold.

However back in UK I have found that it may say Hong Kong but when it arrived it's from main land china and a load of rubbish.

I have been caught out a few times since my return and I would not now trust any mail order unless I knew the shop.

 

[bernardgreen]

I regret that I am begining to distrust equipment from well known UK names if the label says "Made in China". Quality controls seeem to be in-effective at maintaining quality in prolonged production runs and production cost cutting compromises the quality but this goes un-noticed.

The mains lead of a friend's laptop power supply "exploded" at the end of the strain relief. Examination found virtually no French Chalk lubricant between the inner cores and the outer sheath which results in the lead being less flexible than it needs to be and as a result the conductors and their insulation fail prematurely where the cable is flexed repeatedly.

 

[Alarm]

The mains lead of a friend's laptop power supply "exploded" at the end of the strain relief. Examination found virtually no French Chalk lubricant between the inner cores and the outer sheath which results in the lead being less flexible than it needs to be and as a result the conductors and their insulation fail prematurely where the cable is flexed repeatedly.

So he beat it off the carpet, kicked it about and tried to kill next doors child with it...............


And the strain relieving section failed because it was supposed to sit there and observe.......not join in ?