Test/review of DMM Fluke 17B+

I do not know the DiLog, my first guess would be a typical cheap meter that works fine as long as you keep it away from high voltage and current.
But because it is provided by work it might also be a simple, but properly protected meter.
A look at the circuit board will tell what it is.

In good meters the bargraph will update much faster than the numbers.

The 789 is a rather expensive meter, due to the process calibration.

When i looked into the cost, they tend to sell around the £150 mark in the UK. Kind of lower end Fluke of which we used to have. The Di Log specs
True RMS Digital Multimeter, with large Back-lit LCD display. Measures AC or DC voltage and current, resistance, capacitance, frequency, Temperature to 1382 deg. F, diode test and continuity. Features min/max and peak hold, auto power off, relative mode, data hold, full-range protection & 6000 counts display. EN61010-1, CAT IV 600V, CAT III 1000V. Di-Log DL9309. 9V Battery included.

I do find the newer probes a pain with the guards………Might get some Fluke TL175 twistguard for it to use. Do you do reviews on the leads also? and croc clips etc?

Thanks again

The specs on that Di-log 9309 are pretty respectable. I am not 100% sure but I am about 80% that this along with a half a dozen or more are manufactured in the same plant by the same company then branded.

There are 4 DMM's I know for a fact that came to be this way. I will not name all of them but there is one I will mention. That would be SouthWire. I do not mind talking about their meters as I own about 5 of them. All 5 are excellent meters. I have their top of the line of last years models and it is every bit as safe and accurate as any on the market and cost much less. Very well constructed.

Fluke I have always put at the top because they usually tend to lead the way...not follow. And so far (Hope this never changes) customer service is outstanding. I am willing to pay 20% more for the service I get if I have to call or email Fluke verses even the Southwire meters I own. I am still waiting on an answer from them from 3 months ago lol.

Measurement Range Basic Accuracy

AC voltage 1.0 mV – 1000 V 1.0 % +/- 3 digits

DC voltage 0.1 mV – 1000 V 0.09 % +/- 2 digits

AC current 0.1 µA – 10 A 1.5 % +/- 3 digits

DC current 0.1 µA – 10 A 1.0 % +/- 3 digits

Resistance 0.1 Ω – 60 MΩ 0.3 % +/- 4 digits

Capacitance 0.01 nF – 1000 µF 3.5 % +/- 4 digits

Frequency 0.001 Hz – 40 MHz 0.1 % +/- 1 digits

Temperature -45°C to 750°C 3.5 % +/- 4 digits

Diode test 0.9 mA typical 2.8 V DC

Power supply 1 x 9 V PP3 Alkaline battery (supplied)

Dimensions 182 x 82 x 55 mm

Weight 360 g

Nice review HKJ. Thanks.

I am about to order a set of Fluke TL71 Premium leads for the meter that arrived yesterday. I am not even sure of the resistance or anything else of them I just like them, they suite my hands.

Back on what I wanted to say is that I actually found them on the Fluke website and when I clicked buy now it sent me to a list of retailers one of which is Amazon and they are selling them for $17.84 U.S. dollars. It is Prime sold and shipped by Amazon so that even includes 2 day shipping. Just a heads up for you as their leads can get costly.

That is fairly normal, but even the same DMM can have different electronic/protection inside.
UNI-T do that with Chinese/EU versions, the EU version have lower CAT rating and better protection for the same meter.

Measure 610V within 0.5V, that is impressive (ok, the /- 2 count fixes that, it is only with/-2.5V).

Show off lol.... Honestly I was impressed even with the variances. Depending on how much the meter costs it is a pretty good meter... At least on paper.

Great review HKJ! Even though I didn’t understand some of it.

Is the Fluke 17B+ as accurate as the more expensive Fluke like your 189

He gets over my head a good bit too lol...

It is always possible to ask if you want something clarified.

No, the 189 has more digits. The rated specification will also often also be better for more expensive meter with the same amount of digits, but that do not mean they are more precise, just that they a guaranteed to be more precise (It is not the same).
i.e. A meter rated with 1% /-5 and a meter rated 0.5%/-2 can both show 1.000 volt when you apply 1.000 volt and often will.

Even cheap meters are usual very precise, at least when used indoor at normal indoor temperature.

I have a Fluke 189 and 289. To be honest, I use the 189 most of the time. It’s got an easier to read display contrast wise. It’s been professionally calibrated about a year ago. The 289 was sent back to fluke to have the leaky super capacitor replaced under warranty about 2 years ago. While it was there, they calibrated it and updated the firmware.

Same here, I also prefer the 189 for most tasks.

My 189 which I’ve owned since 1999 still has a good supercapacitor. Have you checked your 289? It is a known issue with that model. Luckily mine didn’t damage the circuit board because it was just starting to leak. Fluke was really good about taking care of the problem.

Not recently, it is probably a good idea to check again.

Definitely a good idea. I mentioned this to BLF member TurboBB73. He made a video on youtube a little over a year ago.

It may be time to remove it:

Wow! Glad I mentioned it to you before it could do damage.

I have one of those fluke IR thermometers glenn in work. Actually got it for bearing temps and flashlight checks……….not used for latter yet.

Keep pondering over the thermal imagining Fluke but too much money.

It needed to leak a lot more before it could do any damage, but now it is removed. It did not work anyway.
This means it looses the time each time I replaces batteries (I already did that) and that is not really a problem for me. If I need to do some offline logging with time stamps I will have to use another meter.

Hi Ven, how are you buddy? I purchased my Fluke 62 Mini years ago before all the cheap Chinese IR meters came out. I remember it wasn’t cheap. I can only imagine how expensive Fluke thermal imaging meters cost. BTW, I purchased my Fluke meters when I had a decent paying job. Today I’m retired, and very careful how I spend my money. If I already didn’t own them, I’d be looking for much less expensive electronic measuring tools.