18 thoughts on “Eevblog #15 part 1 of 2 – fluke 189/289 multimeter review”
Great review Dave. I've been using the Fluke 87 for ages and decided that I need an upgrade, even if just to the 87-V. Trend-plotting is very relevent to me at the moment, so I was keen on the 289. But there is the "everyday use disadvantage" that you mention in part one because of its size; the 87 is really perfect here. I then came across the Major Tech MT1009, which functionally is the 289 plus a single-channel scopemeter and is IP67 rated. I work in the marine industry with electrics, electronics, and instrumentation, so the combination is exceptionally convenient. The specs are identical to those of the 289; so maybe they did copy the design, using the same components, as you infer can be done. I'm a Fluke fundamentalist and I've never considered using another brand, but high-spec meter/trend plotter/scopemeter/IP67 all crammed into a multimeter form factor is almost impossible to ignore, especially at the 289 price point, and with trend analysis software thrown in for free. Would you consider doing a review of this meter, or a comparison? Considering what it offers and its claimed specs, I think it would attract a lot of attention.
I just bought a fluke 289. I am horrified what a piece of crap!!! Without the backlight on, the display is unreadable and dark. Even with the lighting on and the contrast set to maximum, the display is blurry and bad! I must be an idiot for buying this junk.
Hello ! Please tell me how to check the phototransistors and photodiodes in this device ? Just at one point the device stopped working with a pop up message that the probes are connected incorrectly!I will be glad if you help with this problem !
I literally calibrate nearly all of my analog equipment with my 289. Worth every penny. I actually found a calibration defect in an Aeroflex 3920 Radio Monitor with the 289.
I have a Fluke 289 and I have also used two other Fluke 287 and the update speed of the display on these meters are slow and overall its just terrible when doing multiple measurements on the bench. This meter is like a really HOT WIFE with no maternal skills and cant cook . Totally useless Mine sit at home in a drawers , I am really sorry I bought it , when compared to the Fluke 189 and 187 I prefer using these for every day use. This Fluke 289 is such a poor quality that its brand new and I am presently looking for a another meter possibly a Fluke 87V or another Fluke 189 .
I agree, display quality, easy function activation, battery life and practical daily use is much more important than those "fancy" extras. Nice logging function, but does anybody ever use it? In terms of data logging, there are dedicated multi channel loggers, which are much better. Even for logging just a temperature i often need a few channels, where this DMM has only one. Honestly, the 289 looks bulky, long boot time, ghosting digits display, weak contrast, short battery life and hidden menus. I prefer the 189 instead the 289 with seven segment display.
Great review Dave. I've been using the Fluke 87 for ages and decided that I need an upgrade, even if just to the 87-V. Trend-plotting is very relevent to me at the moment, so I was keen on the 289. But there is the "everyday use disadvantage" that you mention in part one because of its size; the 87 is really perfect here. I then came across the Major Tech MT1009, which functionally is the 289 plus a single-channel scopemeter and is IP67 rated. I work in the marine industry with electrics, electronics, and instrumentation, so the combination is exceptionally convenient. The specs are identical to those of the 289; so maybe they did copy the design, using the same components, as you infer can be done. I'm a Fluke fundamentalist and I've never considered using another brand, but high-spec meter/trend plotter/scopemeter/IP67 all crammed into a multimeter form factor is almost impossible to ignore, especially at the 289 price point, and with trend analysis software thrown in for free. Would you consider doing a review of this meter, or a comparison? Considering what it offers and its claimed specs, I think it would attract a lot of attention.
189 is the best meter in all counts, can live with the battery hours 'eneloops'. 289 sucks big time.
I just bought a fluke 289. I am horrified what a piece of crap!!! Without the backlight on, the display is unreadable and dark. Even with the lighting on and the contrast set to maximum, the display is blurry and bad! I must be an idiot for buying this junk.
I’m presently looking for Miliohm meter. Any recommendations besides the fluke 289? Which is quite pricey!
When was the Fluke 289 released? I can't find this information.
Does it have auto-hold?
10 years later EEVblog designed his own multimeter with firmware upgrade-able feature lol.
Grat video! 2021
potato video. about to buy a 289 11 years later lol
oh, bugger off. you didn’t talk about any real features of 278
Hello ! Please tell me how to check the phototransistors and photodiodes in this device ? Just at one point the device stopped working with a pop up message that the probes are connected incorrectly!I will be glad if you help with this problem !
I literally calibrate nearly all of my analog equipment with my 289. Worth every penny. I actually found a calibration defect in an
Aeroflex 3920 Radio Monitor with the 289.
The fluke 287 is big and robust but is also very efficient
I work with emergency generators daily. This is my go to meter. Love the graphing and recording features. Great reviews!!!
I have a Fluke 289 and I have also used two other Fluke 287 and the update speed of the display on these meters are slow and overall its just terrible when doing multiple measurements on the bench. This meter is like a really HOT WIFE with no maternal skills and cant cook . Totally useless Mine sit at home in a drawers , I am really sorry I bought it , when compared to the Fluke 189 and 187 I prefer using these for every day use. This Fluke 289 is such a poor quality that its brand new and I am presently looking for a another meter possibly a Fluke 87V or another Fluke 189 .
Did you really mean to say that they didn't give enough thought to minimizing the battery life?
I agree, display quality, easy function activation, battery life and practical daily use is much more important than those "fancy" extras. Nice logging function, but does anybody ever use it? In terms of data logging, there are dedicated multi channel loggers, which are much better. Even for logging just a temperature i often need a few channels, where this DMM has only one. Honestly, the 289 looks bulky, long boot time, ghosting digits display, weak contrast, short battery life and hidden menus. I prefer the 189 instead the 289 with seven segment display.
Oyes mi fluke lo desarme para limpiarlo y se me salio una lamita de la perilla y marca leads or fuse