Fluke 87V vs 117 vs 177: Which One to Buy Used (and Where the 115 and 179 Fit)

The short answer

Buy a used Fluke 117 if you are an electrician working on 120 to 480 V building wiring, a 179 if you need milliamps, temperature or a 1000 V rating, and an 87V only if you work on motor drives or need its accuracy and microamp ranges. On eBay US on 5 October 2026, the median used asking price was $190 for a 117, $223 for a 177 or a 179, and $320 for an 87V. The 115 is the cheapest at $155, and it is a 117 without the two features electricians buy the 117 for.

• Electrician, residential and commercial: Fluke 117. It has non-contact voltage detection and a low-impedance mode for ghost voltage, and it is rated CAT III 600 V.
• Maintenance, HVAC controls, electronics: Fluke 179. It has milliamp ranges, a thermometer, 0.09% DC accuracy and a CAT IV 600 V rating, and it costs no more used than a 177.
• Industrial, motor drives, process control: Fluke 87V. It adds microamps, a low-pass filter for drive outputs, 250 µs peak capture and 0.05% DC accuracy.

Side by side: the specs that matter

All five are true-RMS, read 6000 counts and go to 10 A. From Fluke's users manuals for the 114/115/117, the 175/177/179 and the 83V/87V. Fluke's own on-page comparison tables list temperature on the 117, 115 and 177, low impedance on the 177 and microamps on the 179; none of the manuals support that, so we used the manuals.

What they cost used and new

Used: working meters from US sellers, item price without shipping, Buy It Now and Best Offer listings only, no kits, no untested units. New: TEquipment, Transcat and Test Equipment Depot prices and Fluke.com, 5 October 2026 (87V dealer prices 1 October). For the method, see how our price reports work.

The 177 and 179 are where used buying saves the most: about half the new price at the median. A used 117 asks about 80% of the cheapest new one, so check the new price before you pay the top of the used band. Fluke.com charges more for the 117 and 115 than the dealers' own list prices of $284.25 and $274.11.

Kits ask more. A used 117/323 combo with Fluke's 323 clamp meter asks $300 to $350 against $379 to $472 new, and a 179/EDA2 kit asks $279 to $375 against $451 to $546 new.

Fluke 117: the electrician's meter

Fluke calls the 117 a meter "for electricians", and two features earn that. VoltAlert detects live wires without contact, and Fluke says it works on bare wire down to 24 V on its Hi setting. Auto-V LoZ drops the input to about 3 kΩ and picks AC or DC on its own, so a ghost voltage on an unconnected conductor collapses instead of reading as live.

What it does not do matters as much. There is no milliamp or microamp range: Fluke's answer to "does the 117 read milliamps" is that it has a 10 A range with 1 mA resolution. It will not read a 4 to 20 mA control loop properly. It is rated CAT III 600 V with no CAT IV rating, and IEC 61010 puts the service entrance and meter base in Category IV. Basic DC accuracy is 0.5%, which is fine for checking a circuit and loose for calibration work.

It has one fuse, 11 A, and you have to take the case apart to change it. Look for stripped case screws on a used one.

Fluke 115: the 117 without the extras

The 115 has the same body, ranges, accuracy and CAT III 600 V rating as the 117, and Fluke pitches it "for field service". It has no VoltAlert and no Auto-V LoZ. If you already carry a separate non-contact tester and do not chase ghost voltages, a 115 at a median $155 does the 117's measuring for about $35 less.

Fluke 177 and 179: the general-purpose pair

The 177 and 179 are the step up for maintenance and electronics work. Both read 1000 V, carry CAT III 1000 V and CAT IV 600 V, have 60 mA and 400 mA ranges for loop and control current, and give 0.09% basic DC accuracy against the 117's 0.5%. Both have AutoHold, which freezes a stable reading so you can look at the probes, not the screen. Fluke calls the 179 "the industry-standard troubleshooting tool for electrical and electronic systems".

The only difference is temperature. The 179 reads -40 to 400 °C with a bead thermocouple; the 177 has no temperature function. Used, the two asked the same median on 5 October, so there is little reason to buy a 177 over a 179. The 179 also has the deepest used market of the five, with 67 listings counted against 15 to 30 for the others.

The 175 is the same meter without a backlight and with 0.15% DC accuracy. Fluke sells all three new.

Neither is Fluke's HVAC pick. Fluke's selection chart puts the 116, with microamps for flame sensors and a thermometer, forward for HVAC; none of the five here reads flame-sensor microamps except the 87V.

Fluke 87V: when the extra money buys something

The 87V is Fluke's industrial meter, aimed at "motor drives, plant automation, power distribution, and electromechanical equipment". Over a 179 it adds:

• Microamps. 600 µA and 6000 µA ranges, for flame sensors and small loop currents.
• A low-pass filter. It blocks voltage above 1 kHz so you can read the fundamental on a variable frequency drive output.
• Peak MIN MAX at 250 µs. It records transients as short as 250 µs; the 179 has no peak mode.
• Accuracy and resolution. 0.05% basic DC, a 19,999-count high-resolution mode, AC specified to 20 kHz, duty cycle and relative mode.
• Temperature from -200 to 1090 °C, a two-level backlight and an 80BK probe in the box.

If none of those is on your job list, a 179 at $100 less used does the rest. For which 87 generation to buy and the 87V's COM-jack safety notice, see the Fluke 87 generations guide.

What to check on a used one

• Warranty does not come with it. Fluke's lifetime warranty on the 170 Series and 87V "covers the original purchaser only and is not transferable", and Fluke asks for proof of purchase. The 115 and 117 get three years from purchase, also for the original buyer.
• 117 and 115 serials. Fluke recalled some 113 to 117 meters made between 28 Dec 2013 and 16 Jan 2014 because the beeper can release a metal disk inside the case. The affected 117 serials (26380001 to 26522700) and 115 serials (26370001 to 26530012) were China and Korea market units, so a grey import could be one. Fluke's recall page has a serial check box.
• 177 and 179 serials. A 2002 CPSC recall covered 175, 177 and 179 meters with serials below 79000000 that took up to 18 seconds to show AC voltage above 500 V. The serial is on the back, under the tilt stand. One owner reported in 2016 that Fluke still replaced a recalled 177 for a second owner.
• 87V serials. Fluke's safety notice covers 87V serials 46280001 to 55370001, made June 2019 to August 2021. Corrected units have a blue or green sticker in the battery compartment.
• Fuses. Set the dial to ohms, put the red lead in the V jack and touch it to the A jack: under 0.5 Ω means the 11 A fuse is good. On a 177 or 179, the 440 mA fuse should read under 12 Ω from the mA jack. The usual way to blow the 11 A fuse is probing a voltage with the red lead still in the A jack.
• Display and model. Hold HOLD while switching on to light every segment. On a 177 or 179, the same trick at set dial positions shows the software version and model number, which catches a relabelled meter.
• Jacks and markings. A 115 or 117 has three jacks and is marked CAT III 600 V. One with a mA jack or a 1000 V marking is not a 115 or 117.
• Known wear. On the 170 Series: a tilt-stand hinge that crumbles, cracked battery-door screw bosses, faded segments from dirty display contacts, and a meter stuck on "Batt" when a rotary-switch plate has jumped out of place.

The Fluke 15B+ and 17B+ are not cheap 115s and 117s. Fluke sells them in the US at $135.99 and $172.99, but they read 4000 counts, carry a two-year warranty and make no true-RMS claim in Fluke's documents. If you are buying a used Fluke as a calibration-grade reference, read what "out of cal" actually means first. For bench gear, the used oscilloscope buyer's guide covers the scope side.

FAQ

Is the Fluke 117 or 87V better for an electrician?

For building wiring, the 117. It has non-contact voltage detection and a low-impedance mode for ghost voltage, and it costs about $130 less used at the median. The 87V is better for motor drives, control circuits and anything needing milliamps, microamps or a CAT IV rating.

What is the difference between the Fluke 177 and 179?

The 179 measures temperature from -40 to 400 °C and comes with a bead thermocouple; the 177 does not. Everything else, including accuracy, ranges, safety rating and warranty, is the same. On eBay on 5 October 2026 both had a median used asking price of about $223.

Can the Fluke 117 measure milliamps?

Not with a milliamp range. The 117 measures current only on its 6 A and 10 A ranges, with 1 mA resolution, so it cannot read a 4 to 20 mA loop accurately. The 177, 179 and 87V have 60 mA and 400 mA ranges, and the 87V adds microamps.

Does the Fluke lifetime warranty transfer to a used meter?

No. Fluke's warranty on the 170 Series and 87V covers the original purchaser only, and Fluke asks for proof of purchase. The 115 and 117 have a three-year warranty, also for the original buyer. Price a used meter as having no warranty.

Is the Fluke 17B+ the same as the 117?

No. The 17B+ reads 4000 counts rather than 6000, has no VoltAlert or low-impedance mode, carries a two-year warranty and is not described as true-RMS in Fluke's documents. Fluke sells it new in the US for $172.99.