Review: Fluke 17B, Chinese and New International version

[@bapsyphilips875]

I am extremely happy to hear this review. A far cry from some other reviewers, constantly harping on high priced multi-meters are absolutely the best and the el-cheapos are no good. We know that without a review video. All we are looking for is how that el cheapo we are planning to buy fares with that low price. Many thanks for your unbiased and technical review.

[@borayurt66]

Very thorough review, this is how it should be done. Thank you.

[@Acecool]

If you strip the plastic you can use a filler material to fix it. I typically use Q-Tips / Cotton. It works well for screws which need to hold hundreds of pounds, to delicate fittings, to compression fittings on iron holders, etc... You can use a bit of ink to color them so they fade and aren't very visible if put into a visible section... In places where hot glue, etc.. may fail, using cotton as a compression fit works incredibly well... I used Q-Tip cotton to fix my locker in the military because a lot of the wood was missing and it was stripped so putting cotton in there made a compression fit, and is obviously self-tapping. I've also used it for delicate holes too - obviously don't use a massive amount on plastic as it will easily blow pieces apart because of how much pressure is applied when screwing a screw in. You typically don't need a lot... It works a lot better than glues, etc.. because it isn't permanent, and it can always be serviced; or you can leave it and there won't be an issue.

[@ericredding]

Very informative and clarified a lot about the different versions. Thankyou for the huge amount of effort you put in!! I was a bit confused/concerned about your use of crocodile clips to attach to your reference voltage source to use with Meter comparisons that may be many minutes apart, as there connection is notoriously varying, especially if bumped.

[@pedrocastillo7013]

Hello. I have ordered a Fluke 17B+ this new model has a backlight and 600V CAT III rating plus a larger display. It would be interesting to do a review and comparison with the "old" 17B. I already own a Fluke 87V and love it. Thank you for sharing the knowledge.

[@hvac0077]

Thanks for the comparison, it seams that even with its short comings the Chinese meter is a good choice because of price difference.

[@Gizmo42Rodeo]

Just got a Chinese 17B+. Everything seems to function well on it. Got ahold of a 400 mF ( +/- 20%) capacitor today and tested it. It seems to work up to that point. I havent looked at the manual to see the max its supposed to have. It read at 467 mF. So far I have tested 5, 10, 40, 50, and now 400 and it read them all. It does take a while for the reading to come up however. Seems to not work then after a minute or so it reads. Havent tested LEDs yet.

[@ravikeecheril2212]

Very apt and thorough review! Thank you!

[@oibal60]

I've a 12E+ and I love it.

[@josephcote6120]

I have a Chinese 15b+. Works fine for my hobby work. The one mod I made was drilling a small hole in the back of the case over the buzzer. Yeah, not waterproof anymore, but I have an older Fluke for outdoor work.

[@truckerallikatuk]

I think the 115 was doing the same as the 17B, just hiding it behind an OL display...

[@elboa8]

Hi. Nice review etc. I'm had the 17b for about 6 months now, and I'm very happy with it. The lack of back light is not a problem as it always on the bench. Thanks...

[@williamd7161]

So you compared Fluke 17b made in China for Chinese market vs Fluke 17b for international market which is also made in China!

[@stevenarango2929]

thank you for your videos. great info and well done. very professional. you made buying a multimeter easy.. cheers mate.

[@kennethrich2107]

I was all set to buy this Fluke until you showed that it doesnt provide enough voltage to check LED's. drop. What do you reccomend ?

[@vlelet]

Both 17b meters were undergoing tests. Why did you use one 17b to measure the other 17b? You could have used a third meter (a tested accurate meter) to measure each of the two 17b's response to your tests.

[@tacalert1]

My 17B says Made in Everett, WA on the back of the case

[@SeanBZA]

Tip for current measurement in resistance range - short the input so it has to supply sense current. Same for continuity. Tip for the overshoot try doing it again with it set to manual range. Nice meter, budget unit but not budget quality, and has the brand recognition of a good name and is likely to wake up the mid range market a lot, they should sell very well at a good price, gives the name at a price within reach for most self employed people.

[@manuelmanu2820]

i dont understad the video is good option to buy fluke 17b chainis?

[@AbuserTube]

Good review and comparison of these meters. Looking to buy a Fluke meter, and considering this one.

[@samiranbairagi1085]

I'm interest a fluke multimeter. Who is better Fluke 17b+ / 117 ?

[@ELECTRONICWARFAREMASTER]

In which page can I buy the original fluke. I use eBay. Why do they assemble these products in China? I want quality.

[@mjlorton]

Good point...I'll give that a bash.

[@keimo2007]

did you told, how much was price difference?

[@MicheIIePucca]

nice tests.. I found it really interesting. Thank you!

[@DanFrederiksen]

Indeed. As I've suggested before Martin, it would be good to always compare a product to its competitors, both up and down. To assess the value proposition. The more the merrier but naturally particularly the UT61E which is a lot cheaper and more capable. Try not to buy into the Fluke religious doctrine that a MOV makes any difference whatsoever. The whole CAT safety issue is greatly exaggerated which is why I have proposed to test it. Connect to 1000V and then to 11kV transformer

[@shawnwaterssw]

Great review.

[@mjlorton]

Thanks for the tips and input good man.

[@mrgregw]

Your Amazon store links are broken here and on your discussion forums of your website. Don't want you missing out.

[@ydonl]

The chinese meter might have done better at high frequency measurements with a higher signal level for the sine wave. It's not unusual in other test gear for the sensitivity of a trigger circuit to fall off at higher frequencies; something similar wouldn't be surprising in this meter.

[@xavieraxiak6866]

Because it's a Fluke, don't assume that it does diode test beeps if that's important to you.

[@XantheFIN]

When you bang capasitor on meter ( at 25:55 ) it shows 98,8 uF :D

[@yaga0]

Maybe the probes measurement quality.

[@mjlorton]

Noted, that comparison will come.

[@Voornoek]

I know that this is a 5 year old video, but i'm still hoping that someone would answer my questions, can sanwa multi meters be trusted? are they still made in Japan or havr they gone down the same road fluke has?

[@jsprite123]

Hi there, thanks for the review. Would you do a review on the newer 17B+? Thanks!

[@mjlorton]

jsprite123 Thanks for the feedback...yes, the 17B+ is something I hope to get hold of in the future.

[@JohnFHendry]

+sim6699 My needs are basic.... but this meter fails in working with a simple red led and capacitors used in ESCs... Glad I watched this.... so much for not needing to pay more. Wonder what changes were made on the 17+...

[@johnelt4316]

+jsprite123 I recommend the 17B+ for sure! Got mine from: www.gearbest.com/measurement-analysis/pp_153177.html?vip=110442 CHEAPST place to buy right now and FREE SHIPPING!

[@eucalyptux]

+John Elt cheaper on aliexpress ATM ;)

[@gregercolano8032]

I recently bought a fluke 17b+ with the hopes for "fast" continuity and ohm readings, but it was kinda meh. With brand new batts measuring 1.623V each, doing the 'scrape probes together quickly' test in continuity mode, it seemed to skip beeping several times, I'd say 20% of the time it would skip a beep. Not good for running the probe down the pins of a connector looking for the short. Ohm readings were about exactly 1 sec to stabilize, whether in manual or auto ranging mode. I was surprised by the weird periodic "drop out" of the continuity. You have to continuously touch or scrape the probes during a 5 second period to see the dropouts that occur every second or so. Maybe I have a bad unit, but I'm not at all happy with the continuity speed doing sporadic drop outs. It's only a little better than my old Amiprobe 34XR-A, which takes 1/2 second of contact to register a beep, which in my mind is pretty terrible.

[@rondlh20]

Great job!

[@ellonico1312]

Hi, thanks for very informative review. wondering if you done review on fluke 174.

[@anthonymarino4260]

fine job comparing

[@shihster88]

What do I need to do if I need to measure more than the rated 10 Amps of current? (for this Fluke 17B)

[@MCraig-ly1qq]

Buy a clamp on meter.

[@RyanBlace]

Try increasing the amplitude of your sine wave during the frequency testing. It might be too low to find an edge. :)

[@abhiramshibu]

I think it needs more amplitude. That's why frequency is out.

[@mobilered2776]

Plz about Fluke 17B MAX . ..

[@yodyraxable]

How can we know which meter we are buying, because if Im going to pay 500 dollars or 700 for a fluke I want the best quality

[@SMAAAASHTV]

You can get a high end fluke that will do everything for a little over $300 if you buy the Fluke 87V.

[@fieldsofomagh]

Happy St Patrick's day with a pint of Guinness to celebrate !!

[@asadbabilbabil7791]

Very good

[@EgoEimai]

a very very good review! thanks a lot!

[@rich1051414]

The only thing the 17B really has going for it is the temperature probe, and it doesn't even seem to do that well. I don't really understand these multimeters. Fluke is a brand you pay up for for the quality, but these are multimeters built down to a price. I would just suggest a brand that is better at building quality down to a price than suggest a professional brand that has been cut down to a price. PS: I use a Fluke 115 as my main multimeter, so I have nothing against fluke :)

[@dgpfixerhemanthkumark1342]

Wher to buy this Chinese version

[@ronaldderooij1774]

I have been looking at a test of two identical meters and guess what? They perfomed identically! Great.

[@Chinhnguyen0497]

are they made in china? or only chinese version made in china?

[@reynolds26n]

nice test where can i get one of those circuit calibrator board ?

[@garyroachester1500]

Hi great comparison, Im an avid subscriber of yours, would it be possible if you can make a review for Tacklife Dm01M on its accuracy? Thanks in advance

[@footeur123]

I Can got fluke multimètre with pince ampèremétrique for free from u ?

[@niteexplorer9934]

When turned on it shows readings Err and EEPr what could be wrong ???? please

[@Ziplock9000]

Can anyone recommend a decent

[@hesh8100]

Just queries why there are Arabic on the box

[@DLTX1007]

The meter itself can't compare to the UT61E, the UT61E can really go beyond 20MHz easily (in fact 220 tops) has 220mF (20mF didn't take long, 1 sec and it was done), fast autoranging (this one is painfully slow), fast continuity (This one being slower than a UT61E is very non-fluke like) My UT61E is certainly violently fast

[@mjlorton]

Don't know of any yet....

[@Andrey0I]

Фишку флюка в прошивке киты смогли скопировать? При касании на диодной прозвонке он пикнуть должен, подсказывая что контакт с цепью есть и раз не пищит, значит падение не нолевое. Если нет, то это хлам, кроме точности флюки славятся именно этой очень нужной фишкой, которой ни у кого не встречал пока.

[@AlainHubert]

Conclusion: both these meters are really low-end from Fluke, but sell for five times more than what they're really worth.

[@CABohol]

Nice

[@hardergamer]

Thanks!

[@TheGariuk]

I was wandering if here any place I can get the International version? Thanks

[@sepertude]

I hate Fluke capacitor measurement feature. Looks like all multimeters are using the same circuit. When measuring capacitors over 1000uF it takes forever to settle and if capacitor has small ESR changes meter just goes crazy...

[@jobertcadag1518]

Hi! What do you think about Sanwa brand multitester? I have search for Sanwa multimeter in your videos but you don't have any. Can you make a review about it comparing it to the Fluke brand please? The only high quality multitester brand available from my thast you can buy on stores are Sanwa's. Sanwa's i think are japanese.

[@mjlorton]

Sanwa is something I certainly do want to review in the future...on my list!

[@jobertcadag1518]

thank you thank you

[@yorgle11]

I don't claim to know much about multimeters, but to me it seems a mistake for Fluke to taint their brand with something at this end of the market. I suspect the only reason they decided to make an international version of the 17B was because the internet economy was enabling large numbers of people to "smuggle" them out of China anyway. Perhaps I'm wrong. Maybe there are people who want only basic capabilities, but still want to pay for Fluke's high standards when it comes to build quality and safety. But if that's the case, then I think this meter misses the mark in at least one respect. If someone is worried about safety, they must be working with high voltages. That would strongly imply they will work with AC, which means they need true RMS. Without true RMS, it will be relegated to low voltage DC usage, which means the Fluke safety advantage becomes irrelevant. Thus, it's hard for me to visualize why someone at this end of the market wouldn't be better served by a higher featured meter from a lesser brand. I have a UT61E. I admit, if I was going to measure mains AC, I might feel safer doing it with the Fluke - but without RMS, what's the point?

[@14.1guy2]

Are you measuring a sine wave? True RMS and averaging meters read the same if the AC is a pure sine wave.

[@DKNguyen3.1415]

Well, sometimes you don't want more features. You just want it to do nothing more than you need, but to do it well and be built well.

[@RainerK.]

Is it really called "Flüg"?

[@steffenhansen9212]

no?

[@FintaruS]

i have a velleman DVM1100, same prizes point, and sems alot alike :)

[@asadbabilbabil7791]

عاشت ايدك

[@DLTX1007]

It will display 100, but it will take forever

[@JohnFHendry]

Fluke is playing games to keep prices up rather than build the best DMM they can for the money... only thing that is allowing Fluke to compete at this price level IMO is the other companies use the same marketing practices. This 17B was a fail for basic needs... the specs are misleading and it can't even light up a red led used on toys and hobby grade RC models. Fluke seems more concerned with protecting "their" color of yellow than living up to to the name keeping up with the times. If they dropped the price on the 87V to match lower manufacturing costs then it wouldn't be so bad as at least then you could buy a DMM that did the job for a reasonable price..

[@gregandark8571]

+John F Hendry hey buddy is hioki 4252 a good multimeter ????

[@JohnFHendry]

Their best meter for electronics work is the 60,000 count DT4282 I read but it costs $596.86 on Ebay and the 4252 is $186.00. For $135 I would go with a Brymen BM257 but in the $190 price range without any question I would get the DC 500,000 count 1000v CAT 4 rated Bryman BM 867S without any hesitation. I got the BM869 from 118volt on Ebay and am deeply impressed by it and 118volt had it delivered to my door by DHL in 4 days! Highly recommend both based on my own experience after a lot of research. I learned if you go through 118volt directly to avoid EBay fees you'll get an even better price... can't beat the Brymen for the money IMO and 118volts has the best price with no issues in the unlikely event there is a problem unlike the only other low cost Brymen source I know of.

[@gregandark8571]

+John F Hendry thx

[@topaciot]

+John F Hendry 6 months have passed since you wrote your recommendation. Are you satisfied with your BM multimeter?

[@JohnFHendry]

JRR Yes absolutely... no problems at all but realize I have not come close to using it to it's full potential and 1000v Cat lV rating, not to say I don't use and value it's accuracy and 500,000 count display I would never give up. Haven't checked prices lately but for the money I paid and what I need it for 6 months later I can say doing my homework really paid off and the more I use it the more impressed I am with it. The only thing I've found I'd like added is I wish it had the ability to set how long the back light stays on.

[@mikeadler434]

👍👍

[@mikeadler434]

👍

[@undercrackers56]

Resistance is futile...

[@dani777dani]

how many fluke need to do a correct measurements? =)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))