Possibly the most popular industrial standard multimeters on the market, the Fluke 80 Series has a reputation to uphold, since it has been gracing the scene valiantly for decades. This is the problem solving device for the professional, being both highly productive through speed and responsiveness and also highly accurate and functional.
It sports most ranges, including micro-amps, and has features like Min/Max, two-level backlight, and exceptional input protection against errant spikes. The 80 series is down to two multimeters today: the 83V and widely revered 87V – the V refereeing to version 5.
Others: while we have included the 88V in this lineup, as people might be searching for it, it is not strictly an 80 Series multimeter, being an automotive DMM and part of its own series. The intrinsically safe 87V Ex has been re-badged as the 28II Ex.
All three Fluke multimeters are built to spec and fulfill a purpose. The 87V is the top of the line, with all the ranges and the tightest accuracy and resolution. Short of a higher-end data logging multimeter, like the Fluke 289 or Agilent U1253B, or a dedicated bench meter, it is about as good as it gets in the handheld variety.
The 83V would better suit those where the measurement of AC variable drive outputs is not so important and who don’t require such a wide bandwidth.
Both the 87V and the 83V also work well in the automotive market, but if you’re going to be spending this kind of money anyway, you may as well go for the dedicated version and get the 88V. All are similarly priced, the 83V being cheapest.