Fluke28 II Rugged Digital Multimeter

I'd never given multimeters much thought until recently - I figured they were all essentially the same, and the more expensive ones were just intended for more frequent use than the $15-$50 models.Was I ever wrong.As I started working more with electronics projects I found myself increasingly dissatisfied with the $15 meter I had, and I often questioned how accurate it really was. My attempts to calibrate a multimeter kit project I was working on required something better than my $15 meter could provide, and after spending some weeks struggling with getting things right I stumbled across EEVBlog and suddenly started finding out what made a meter "good" and why.Accuracy and precision are only part of it. Most critical, in my mind, was safety. Most of the inexpensive meters simply aren't safe when it comes to dealing with high current, especially AC/main/wall current. The Fluke is not only accurate and precise, it's safe for working on AC/wall current. Should it ever eat a spike, I can trust it to absorb the damage safely, without blowing up in my hand or face, and without it bursting into flames. All of which can and very probably will happen with the $15-$50 models.I was initially leaning toward the somewhat less expensive 87-V model, which is functionally almost identical to the 28-II. However, after consideration and seeing the type of abuse and punishment the 28-II was capable of shrugging off, I decided to spend a little more to pick up this ruggedized model. By all accounts it should remain useful for 15 or 20 years, and with the 28-II I'll never have to worry about accidentally dropping it, or taking it outside under any conditions I'm likely to encounter.Not only is it good for rugged jobs, after just a few days of indoor use on my lab table I consider it money well spent. It made quick work of the calibration troubles I'd been having with the cheap meter, allowing me to breeze through 3 calibrations in the span of an hour, when previously 1 had taken a few days and was never completed to my satisfaction. The instant continuity tone on the 28-II was extremely valuable on my most recent project, where several locations on a project PCB had become bridged/shorted. The Fluke made quick work of sorting out which traces were shorted where, and I don't even want to think of the nightmare it would have been with the intermittent and delayed continuity response of my old $15 meter.Throw in the 28-II's nice backlight and 800 hour battery life (on 3 AAs) and I'm hard pressed to find anything better at this price. For a general purpose, takes anything you throw at it multimeter, it's hard to beat.

I could not get within $100 of this price from any of three industrial suppliers my employer buys from routinely. So when buying this meter for personal use, I bought it from North Coast Electric via Amazon. Unfortunately, the first meter I received was dead on arrival. It showed low battery and would not show any voltage or even read continuity correctly (it showed continuity even with test leads unplugged). I put in brand new Duracell batteries and there was no change, so I called North Coast Electric who gave me and RMA and suggested I call Fluke before returning it in case Fluke wanted to take care of it. Fluke called it an "obvious out of box failure" and told me to return it. North Coast Electric shipped out a new one that works perfectly and refunded return shipping. The only disappointment was I paid taxes twice, getting this shipped into Canada--but it was still a way better deal than even the corporate discount prices from our industrial suppliers who said this price was below their cost.As far as the meter goes, Fluke makes a great product. I compared meters using the product selection guide on Fluke's website before choosing this one as the best feature set for my needs (off grid power, working on vehicles, industrial automation, and occasional electronics tinkering). The 87V was the other meter I seriously considered. In the end I opted for this meter--the more robust option with IP67 rating, etc, rather than the minor edge the 87V has in DC resolution (possibly something else I've missed, but this is all I noticed).I've used Fluke meters at work so this meter was very familiar and I enjoy having it handy for projects at home. If I had to buy another, I'd buy the same one from the same place.

Functionally, this is almost exactly the same meter as the 87V in a substantially bigger and heavier shell. A great, great meter. But, it's way overbuilt for bench use and needlessly bulky.The AA batteries inside last a long time, which is a good thing because they are a pain to change. It's simple enough to remove the cover with an Allen key, but closing it back up is easier said than done--it doesn't quite fit flush. This is a worry only because the meter is supposed to be sealed, and if you don't put the back on right, water could get in and you are wasting all that extra $ you spent over the 87V. Plus, if you read the Fluke service manual, you find out that you need a precision torque driver to close the back properly and guarantee the seal. Drivers like that cost $50+.Although the 28ii has a very good continuity tester--even a momentary connection causes it to beep--the 87V is even more sensitive. This may have something to do with the higher voltage it uses for continuity/diode testing. Not a big deal, but another plus for the 87V if you are pondering a choice between these operationally identical meters.

There is no substitute for accuracy, and this meter has it in spades. I had been using an old Simpson from the 60's, but my old eyes were having trouble reading the meter. This is as or more accurate and you can't miss the large digits. I just use it for around the house and garage troubleshooting, but it is a joy to operate and I get jobs done faster due to the ease of reading the display. Can't recommend highly enough...expensive, but worth the money.

Fluke..... As always, quality!

We use this meter in a manufacturing environment. They are rugged, water resistant and accurate. This meter replaces the exact same model we had for over 5 years. It is a shop meter available to 14 mechanics that's how rugged it is.