I love my Fluke gear. Like most manufacturers who have been around forever, they've relaxed their lifetime warranty a bit, and the newer equipment is not as super durable as the older stuff. For quickie checks, I had a fluke 12 that just worked. Forever. Dropped off rooftops, submerged, frozen, beaten weekly. Works the same every time, all the time.
Recently, one of the battery terminals has begun to lose its spring, so it's been retired to the garage for hobby use. I tried a southwire meter from the box store and I'm mixed up about it. It does the basic readings well, and has a non-contact sensor built-in, and seems to be accurate. Has a self resetting fuse for current measurements.That's about it for the pros. The single thing I hate the most about it is that it's brown. The thing has hidden in plain sight more times than I care to remember, and I haven't owned it for very long! It's now attached to a yellow and red amp clamp for life, and never gets lost.
After using (and losing) the southwire for a month or so, I bought a couple of Fluke 117 meters. One for me and the truck, one for my son and his electric guitar fetish. The 117 is not the best in the line, but I feel spoiled with it compared to the southwire. Just being able to use hooks and needles and alligator probe ends that slip on and stay put makes it worth so much. The max/min and hold functions, the beep you can hear from 10 feet away, and the backlight that stays on until you turn it off are added bonuses.
