Electrician Mulitimeter Question

[Customweld]

My middle daughter finished up her electrician apprenticeship and is testing for her journeyman license on Friday. I would like to get her a gift to congratulate her. I know she has had her eye out for a Fluke MM. I'm illiterate when it comes to electricity, what are some suggestions o a good multimeter for her?

 

[Bama67]

If she is doing basic electrical a good ole 87 is the go-to, but a 179 is good, and even their cheap 15 series should be fine.
I do a lot of controls work as well (4-20mA) so my favorite is the 789. but it is much more expensive.

 

[NRA4LIFE]

Flukes are great MM's. The price ranges are huge going from their basic units to they're high end models. The ones we used on the aircraft at work were $800-$1000.

 

[Olsolitaire1]

You can't go wrong with any Fluke MM, my ol 87 is pushing 35 yrs old plus a couple other younger ones. What area of electrical work is she going into, some of the meters may have too many specialties built than she may need to start with. Also, I highly recommend the Fluke Master Lead kit to go along with it, worth the money.

 

[Customweld]

You can't go wrong with any Fluke MM, my ol 87 is pushing 35 yrs old plus a couple other younger ones. What area of electrical work is she going into, some of the meters may have too many specialties built than she may need to start with. Also, I highly recommend the Fluke Master Lead kit to go along with it, worth the money.

She is in industrial.

 

[GSPHUNTER]

Fluke. don't skimp on important tools.

 

[Johnboy041586]

Fluke T5-600 or T5-1000 does 95% of everything an electrician will ever need. And the other 5% the company should provide her a more specialized meter.

 

[HuntHarder]

I'm not sure if anyone has recommended Fluke yet, but absolutely get a Fluke! .
I see it on a regular basis where other brands, (Klein, greenlee, milwaukee, kobalt) display inaccurate readings. I show up, put my Fluke on it and good voltage. The electrician is usually like, "huh, it's never failed me before."

I just looked at my model #. It is a Fluke # 374fc. Does way more than I use it for. I am sure the T5-1000 would do most of everything she would need.

 

[E.Shell]

I love Flukes and have had several over the years. Right now I have an 87 V Max ($600+/-) and it does everything I need done for electronics work. Killed my last one two years ago with saltwater inundation in a flood, but it had been working flawlessly since 1981 before then.

Another suggestion, a device probably more useful than a Fluke for industrial electrical (I was a master maintenance electrician) is a "Wiggy", which mainly just tests for the presence of AC line voltage and gives an idea of how much. The modern version of the Wiggy is now the "Ideal" and it's only $70 at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/INDUSTRIES-61-065-Vol-Test-Voltage-Tester/dp/B000BVNSLG/ref=sr_1_5

The advantage of the 'Ideal' tester is that it's light, portable and fast, with no adjustments needed to make most AC line/control voltage measurements.

One should still have a good multimeter, but a tester like the Ideal or the Wiggy will get a LOT more use in the typical industrial setting.

 

[BLJ]

A meter may be provided. Depending on what she’s doing and who she works for.
Maybe something to consider before you buy one.

 

[Customweld]

A meter may be provided. Depending on what she’s doing and who she works for.
Maybe something to consider before you buy one.

The outfit she works for provides her with the tools she needs for work. She wants one of her own. The way she thinks, I wouldn't be surprised to see her set off on her own before too long.

 

[Elkslut]

Don't buy junk, but once cry once
I recommend Fluke.

 

[GSPHUNTER]

when I was in the trades we were only required to have a tape measure, slipjaw pliers, level, and basic and tools. All other tools and equipment were to be supplied by contractor. If you chose to buy other tools, that was up to you.

 

[2531usmc]

The outfit she works for provides her with the tools she needs for work. She wants one of her own. The way she thinks, I wouldn't be surprised to see her set off on her own before too long.

Learn on the company’s meter. See what features you like and think you need. Then use your money to buy exactly what you need

 

[PaHunter86]

I'm an industrial/automation technician. I use my meter from everything from 12vdc to 13,200vac. The meter I use is a Fluke 177. Does everything I need.

 

[HuntHarder]

The Fluke 177 is capable of measuring 13.2 kv?

 

[Yoder]

One option I use all the time is a current clamp. My meter has one buit in but you can also buy one separately. Flukes are the best. It's also cool and sentimental. Otherwise one for $100 at Lowes does everything I ever needed.

 

[Rokbar]

As mentioned earlier the fluke 87 is great. Some of the newer guys have a fluke that you can hook the leads to the point of measurement, remove the display and go back to the operator panel and read voltage while being out of contact from the actual meter.

 

[BigRed99]

My middle daughter finished up her electrician apprenticeship and is testing for her journeyman license on Friday. I would like to get her a gift to congratulate her. I know she has had her eye out for a Fluke MM. I'm illiterate when it comes to electricity, what are some suggestions o a good multimeter for her?

Fluke 325 is the best meter for daily use as a resi/commercial dog. All the functions you need for 98% of troubleshooting, nice long leads, clamp that will fit around 300kcmil (at least) and most importantly it LIGHTS UP. Nothing worse than having to point your headlamp down at your meter to read the display

Edited 95% to 98% as the above poster reference the T5 series as a "95% solution." 5600 was the meter I carried as an apprentice, great piece of kit, just lacks frequency temperature and capacitance

 

[PaHunter86]

The Fluke 177 is capable of measuring 13.2 kv?

We have voltage dividers in place so we can check voltage with a 1000v meter. So you are correct that I'm not reading 13.2kv with that meter.