Fluke 87V vs 117: Industrial Functions or Electrical Troubleshooting?

Choose the Fluke 117 for electrical troubleshooting if you want AutoVolt/LoZ for ghost-voltage readings and built-in VoltAlert non-contact AC detection. Choose the original Fluke 87V industrial multimeter for microamp and milliamp ranges, temperature, motor-drive filtering or tighter ordinary DC-voltage accuracy. If your present meter already covers the required functions and rating, our recommendation is to keep it.

Quick picks

Compare specifications and all conditions

Industrial maintenance, low-current circuits or motor drives

Our pick

Original Fluke 87V

Deciding feature

Dedicated µA/mA ranges, low-pass filter and temperature input

Electrical troubleshooting with suspected ghost voltage

Our pick

Fluke 117

Deciding feature

AutoVolt/LoZ and VoltAlert

Your existing meter already meets the task

Our pick

Keep your meter

Deciding feature

Buy another only for a function or rating you actually need

Full comparison table ↔

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Your work	Our pick	Deciding feature
Industrial maintenance, low-current circuits or motor drives	Original Fluke 87V	Dedicated µA/mA ranges, low-pass filter and temperature input
Electrical troubleshooting with suspected ghost voltage	Fluke 117	AutoVolt/LoZ and VoltAlert
Your existing meter already meets the task	Keep your meter	Buy another only for a function or rating you actually need

Your work	Our pick	Deciding feature
Industrial maintenance, low-current circuits or motor drives	Original Fluke 87V	Dedicated µA/mA ranges, low-pass filter and temperature input
Electrical troubleshooting with suspected ghost voltage	Fluke 117	AutoVolt/LoZ and VoltAlert
Your existing meter already meets the task	Keep your meter	Buy another only for a function or rating you actually need

Both are True RMS meters. The deciding question is which additional function you need, rather than whether either has that label. For alternatives, start with our best multimeters or the broader Fluke vs Klein comparison.

Original 87V and 117 specifications side by side

These are Fluke's published specifications, using standard display mode and ordinary voltage functions unless stated. The 80 Series V manual calls the original 87V Model 87; use that column, not the adjacent Model 83 column. For the 117, use its model entries in the shared users manual.

Current range ceilings do not override the manuals' time and temperature limits. In particular, neither manual specifies measurement accuracy above 10 A; do not buy either as a continuously usable higher-current meter.

Best for industrial functions: original Fluke 87V

The original 87V is our pick when the missing job involves low current, drive signals or temperature. Its manual lists current ranges starting at 600 µA with 0.1 µA resolution, followed by 6000 µA, 60 mA and 400 mA before the amp ranges. That is a meaningful capability difference from the 117's amp ranges.

For small-current work, check more than the display step. Fluke warns that a current meter introduces a voltage drop that can affect the circuit, and gives burden-voltage specifications in the manual. A finer range alone does not guarantee an undisturbed circuit.

Temperature also needs a package check. The meter input covers −200 to 1090 °C, but the included 80BK probe covers −40 to 260 °C, according to Fluke's original 87V page. The wider meter range requires a suitable probe; it is not the range of the supplied probe.

The trade-off: the original manual does not list AutoVolt/LoZ or VoltAlert. Its low-pass filter solves a different problem from those electrician-oriented features. Buy it because you need its measurement functions, rather than expecting it to replace every convenience of the 117.

See the original 87V at Fluke

Best for electrical troubleshooting: Fluke 117

The 117 is our pick when ghost-voltage discrimination and built-in non-contact detection matter more than low-current ranges. The manual explains that AutoVolt selects AC or DC and sets input impedance to approximately 3 kΩ to reduce false readings from ghost voltage. Its ordinary DC-voltage input is greater than 10 MΩ: the selected function changes how the meter loads the circuit.

Its limitations are specific: no dedicated µA/mA ranges, no temperature function in the manual, and no motor-drive low-pass filter listed. That does not rule it out for every electronics task; it rules it out when those missing functions are required.

A misleading temperature entry: Fluke's 117 page contains temperature text in its multi-model comparison and footnotes. The 117's own manual function and accuracy tables list no temperature measurement. We therefore give it no temperature capability in this comparison.

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Buying guide: match the function to the problem

Low-pass filtering, LoZ and VoltAlert have different jobs

The 87V's AC low-pass filter blocks unwanted content above 1 kHz; Fluke describes it as useful for composite waveforms from inverters and variable-frequency motor drives. The manual also gives separate filtered accuracy limits. Its ordinary AC accuracy is not a blanket promise for every drive waveform.

The 117's AutoVolt/LoZ instead changes input impedance to reduce ghost-voltage readings. VoltAlert is a separate non-contact AC-voltage presence detector. Neither feature should be treated as the 87V's drive filter, and sharing the True RMS label does not make the function sets interchangeable.

1. 1

   Low current, drives or temperature

   The original 87V supplies the dedicated ranges, filter and temperature input.

2. 2

   Ghost-voltage troubleshooting

   The 117 supplies AutoVolt/LoZ; VoltAlert adds non-contact AC detection.

3. 3

   Your present meter covers the task

   Keep it if its functions and rating meet the work.

Compare accuracy on the same function and range

Both manuals specify ordinary DC volts on the 60 V range with 0.01 V resolution. For a hypothetical 12 V reading in standard mode, calculate the percentage term and then add the counts term:

These are calculated limits from the manuals, not observed errors. Both manuals' specifications here apply for one year after calibration at 18–28 °C, with the stated humidity conditions. This comparison establishes a tighter DC-voltage specification for the 87V on that range; it does not establish the same advantage on every function.

Two traps matter. The 117's Auto-V/LoZ has its own ±(2.0% + 3) DC specification on a 600 V range with 0.1 V resolution, so the example above does not apply in that mode. And the 87V's HiRes mode changes the counts term: its manual says to multiply the specified number of counts by 10. Extra displayed digits do not remove that uncertainty.

Check model identity and the complete standard package

Here, “standard package” means the US meter package rather than an accessory bundle. Fluke's model blocks identify the original 87V as part 2074974 and the 117 as part 2538815.

The 87V page specifies TL175 leads for Europe, so do not assume a regional package has the same leads. A magnetic hanger is described as optional on that page. Treat a case or other added accessory as something to verify against the exact bundle inventory.

For the 117, the page's “What's in the box” list names a quick reference guide, while the Models block names a user manual. Confirm the printed paperwork if it matters; the linked manual is the basis for this comparison.

CAL is a paperwork variant: both product pages describe CAL versions with a traceable calibration certificate and data from Fluke. MAX is a separate model: Fluke maintains a separate 87V MAX product page. For that purchase decision, use our Fluke 87V vs 87V MAX comparison, which covers the environmental and generation differences.

• Yes: Full model name and US package match the intended purchase
• Yes: TL75 leads, AC175 clips, holster, 80BK probe and installed battery accounted for
• Partly: CAL version selected when traceable calibration paperwork is required
• No: Assuming a MAX or regional package is identical to the standard original US package

When to keep your existing meter

Already own a 117? Keep it for AutoVolt/LoZ and VoltAlert. Add an original 87V when a recurring job needs its low-current ranges, drive filter or temperature input; buying one solely to duplicate functions you already use is hard to justify.

Already own an original 87V? Keep it for those industrial functions. If the missing job is ghost-voltage troubleshooting or non-contact detection, the 117 is a complementary choice. Its different function set gives you a reason to add it without discarding the original.

For either meter, judge adequacy against the task's rating and function requirements before replacing it. For measurement basics, see how to use a multimeter.

How we choose

We compared Fluke's official US product pages, included-accessory lists and model-specific manual tables. The 87V figures use the Model 87 column of the 80 Series V manual; the 117 figures use entries assigned to the 117 in its shared manual. We distinguish ordinary voltage accuracy from LoZ and filtered specifications, and temperature-input limits from probe limits.

We have no physical test results for these meters. The tolerance example is arithmetic from published specifications, and the recommendations are our judgment about those documented functions. Read our full selection method.

Verdict

Choose the original Fluke 87V for low-current ranges, temperature, motor-drive filtering and its tighter ordinary DC-voltage specification. Choose the Fluke 117 for AutoVolt/LoZ and VoltAlert. Keep a working meter that already meets the job, and check the exact model and package before buying another.