ThreeSheds Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 After 35 years of use and abuse, my old faithful Fluke 75 gave up the ghost... I wonder if it knew that I had been browsing clamp meters recently? Anyway, thoughts of augmenting my old fluke with a cheap clampmeter soon gave way to the feeling that, out of respect, I had to replace it with another Fluke. A little research soon landed me on the Fluke 325 - here they are side by side... The king is dead - long live the king! The old Fluke 75 was proudly made in America, and I liked that (I generally like American tools), but I wondered when I ordered it, if the new one would be made in China? I didn't have to unwrap it far to find out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missingsid Posted October 16, 2020 Share Posted October 16, 2020 Probably kiss of death, my 73 is still going and sadly I've kept it in it's box!! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreeSheds Posted October 16, 2020 Author Share Posted October 16, 2020 Another point of interest (to me anyway) is that I have several sets of leads - including the ones that came with the 325 which are very plasticy and stiff, and some brand new modern 'silicon' ones, but the best ones I have (for being flexible and heavy) are the ones that came with the old 75. So part of it will live on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted October 17, 2020 Share Posted October 17, 2020 BigClive did a video about cheap multimeters the other day, supposedly the chip in the £3 ones is the same one originally invented for Flukes decades ago. Can yours not be repaired? I didn't think there was much to really go wrong in them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missingsid Posted October 17, 2020 Share Posted October 17, 2020 Mine had a problem with the rotary switch which I fixed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreeSheds Posted October 18, 2020 Author Share Posted October 18, 2020 On 10/17/2020 at 1:12 PM, FridgeFreezer said: Can yours not be repaired? I didn't think there was much to really go wrong in them? I had it apart and examined it for dry joints etc, the switch looked worn, but cleaned up nicely but that was the limit of my attempts and it made no difference. Maybe it could be repaired, but I need a clamp meter anyway for a future project and so it gave me the excuse to buy a good one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonr Posted October 18, 2020 Share Posted October 18, 2020 I believe Fluke manufacture in both the US and China. Originally, there was a range of 'China Only' models which were lower price, and often lacked some of the bells & whistles of the US equivalent. They were supposed to only be sold in China & India - but soon flooded eBay internationally. I think Fluke gave up trying to separate the two. The 'premium' meters are made in the US and the mass market ones in China. Four years ago, I lost my Fluke 79, which I bought in 1991 and to replace it I bought an 89 Mk4. It's made in USA - and it's a fantastic meter! I also have a Fluke 123 ScopeMeter which despite being fairly long in the tooth - is a fantastic scope (and a decent meter to boot). Si 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Poore Posted October 18, 2020 Share Posted October 18, 2020 On 10/17/2020 at 1:12 PM, FridgeFreezer said: supposedly the chip in the £3 ones is the same one originally invented for Flukes decades ago. Interesting, I've had some cheap £3 meters and didn't feel they were particularly good. Laggy was one thing. My goto is a Fluke 179 mainly because of the probes I must admit but it just feels nicer and I trust it, didn't with the cheaper meters. But then I am using it mainly on surface mount electronics rather than vehicle electrics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted October 18, 2020 Share Posted October 18, 2020 1 hour ago, Ed Poore said: My goto is a Fluke 179 mainly because of the probes I must admit but it just feels nicer and I trust it, didn't with the cheaper meters. But then I am using it mainly on surface mount electronics rather than vehicle electrics. Well yeah, horses for courses - for throwing round the workshop to check if 12v is getting where it should, a £3 meter is great because it doesn't matter if it gets damaged, let's face it most LR owners consider even spending that £3 on any meter at all an extravagance 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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