Finally chose a Fluke multimeter over a cheaper Klein for panel troubleshooting

Been using a $40 Klein meter for about 2 years on smaller jobs. But last month I had to trace a intermittent fault on a King radio unit in a Cessna 172. The Klein kept giving me jumpy readings on the AC voltage setting. Borrowed a Fluke 87V from a senior tech and got stable readings in 5 minutes. Dropped $450 on my own Fluke 87V last week and it's already paid off on a wiring harness test. The accuracy difference is night and day for avionics work. Anyone else switch brands after fighting with a tricky fault?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_rowan7d ago

Hang on, let me push back a little on this one... I've been using a Klein MM700 for about four years now, mostly on commercial HVAC controls and some basic residential panel work. I've never had a problem with jumpy readings that wasn't actually a bad lead or a loose connection on my end. That 87V is a beast, sure, but $450 is a lot of money for something that mostly just needs to tell you if you've got 120 volts or not. For the kind of work most of us do day in and day out, I think people chase specs they don't really need.

murphy.tessa7d ago

Right, because nothing says "I've got this under control" like chasing a ghost reading in a Cessna with a meter that's basically guessing. I get it, the Klein works fine until it doesn't, and then you're swapping leads and blaming the plane's grounding instead of the tool. My buddy still uses a $20 Harbor Freight special and swears by it, but he also drives a truck that leaks oil in three colors so maybe take his advice with a grain of salt. The 87V is like buying a titanium shovel to dig a post hole, but when that hole needs to be perfect at 30,000 feet I'm not thinking about the price tag. You do you with the MM700, just don't let the smoke out of something expensive while I'm standing next to you.

the_tessa7d ago

Haha, yeah @the_rowan I totally get that argument and honestly I was in the same boat until I got humbled by a bad reading on a plane lol. But yeah for HVAC and basic 120v stuff, a good Klein is totally fine and I've used them for years too. I just got burned one too many times on weird avionics noise and now I'm the guy who spent $450 on a meter just to feel like a big shot at the hangar, lmao. Probably overkill for 99% of what I do but it makes me feel fancy when I'm staring at a dead panel.