Had to choose between a $400 Fluke meter and a $80 Klein, I picked the Klein and here's why

So my old meter finally gave up after 8 years of abuse, dropped it off a ladder one too many times I guess. I went to the supply house last Wednesday and stood there for 20 minutes wrestling with whether to drop the cash on a Fluke T6-600 or just grab the Klein CL800. The Fluke guys in the truck were telling me I'd regret not spending the money, but I just couldn't justify it for residential service work. Grabbed the Klein for $82 and some change, been using it for a week now on three different service calls. It reads voltage just fine, the clamp works good on 200 amp panels, and honestly if it breaks in two years I can buy two more for what the Fluke cost. Has anyone else gone with the budget option and been surprised how well it works?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_thea1mo agoTop Commenter

Grabbed a Klein myself about two years ago for the same reason. I do mostly residential stuff too and I just can't see paying four times as much for a Fluke when the Klein reads the same numbers. Dropped mine off a 8 foot step ladder onto concrete last month, picked it up, and it still works fine. The only issue I had was the leads started getting loose after a year, but I just bought a $12 replacement set and it's good as new. Unless you're out there testing sensitive industrial VFD drives every day, the Klein does everything you actually need. You made the right call.

murphy.mason1mo ago

Dude, @the_thea nailed it. I'm with you 100% on this. Been running a Klein CL800 for like three years now, dropped it off a roof once onto gravel, still works perfect. The Fluke hype is real but it's mostly for guys working on three phase industrial stuff or who need top end accuracy. For everyday house calls and basic troubleshooting, the Klein does everything you need and then some. I swapped out the stock leads first thing for some nicer ones with thinner tips and it's been smooth sailing. Save the cash, grab some good leads and a few extra beer tokens with the leftover.

taylorshah1mo ago

That's a good point about upgrading the leads. I gotta ask though, how often are you really pushing the accuracy limits on a residential call? I mean, are you ever in a situation where the difference between a Klein and a Fluke actually changed how you diagnosed something? I've been doing this work for a long time, and I find that most of the time you're just checking for voltage presence, continuity, or rough amperage readings. Unless you're digging into really fussy motor controls or something with tight tolerances, that extra precision doesn't seem to matter much for day to day troubleshooting. I'm not trying to knock people who prefer Fluke, I'm just curious if that extra money ever actually pays off in your experience or if it's more of a peace of mind thing.