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Fluke 88 meter.

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I was paying a 3rd party to come to my shop and was $40 per torque wrench (now $52), pretty much watched their procedure to put a sticker on it and said I can do better then that with more frequent checks and better documentation control, also can make repairs more efficiently.

I really need an accurate tool more then I need a calibration sticker, where as my Auditors and UL or Intertek inspections focus on the paper trail and sticker, so you need a procedure that follows a written standard, or copy the info from the mfg so if they cross check it matches the mfg data and procedures.

Depending on your industry most customers have specs or list a general duration between checks and must be NIST traceable for how you need to "calibrate" your test equipment. In my case I need to follow a mix of UL and ANSI standards.

I use a CDI Torque Tester that is compliant with ISO-6789-2003 and ASME B107-28-2005 standards. This is cross referenced in some of the UL and ANSI standards for my industry.

Pretty much follow the standard tests and record your results. Track the tool file away the paper work, new sticker, back to work.

Our tester is .5% accurate, most of my wrenches are 3% to 4% tools, so my tester is = or better accuracy. That's an important step.

We do 3 checks on 3 ranges of the tool and record the level of accuracy.

If out of spec there are a few tricks to get then within, 95% of my 50 or so torque wrenches are CDI so you get used to the adjustment procedure, as long as the spring is not wiped out it's a pretty fast adjustment process.

Then our tester gets 3rd party "calibrated" annually, which is checked to something else, that was "calibrated"........and so on....

The short story have a process that follows a industry standard, test to that standard, record you test results, save for the auditor folks.

Other industries require more stringent testing and higher accuracy, so you will see Torque testers in the $80k-90k for the machine. Luckily I'm not in that industry. Also those automate the tests and the sort super fancy stuff.
 
More stringent was my reference. When I was flying regularly and assisted with my annuals and 100hr inspections I learned about tool calibration. At least back then there was no such thing as self certification of torque wrenches. Of course, no local A and P was going to spend the kind of money you quoted for a torque tester.
 
I have around $6k in tooling for our various torque testers. Might cost me another $2500 a year in labor and shipping to do all my torque tools for my technicians. Plus have to get the testers checked.... it's not something most are going to be doing.

One piece of equipment we have calls for assembly of 1/2" bolt is 50ft lb +/-4%, the actual test spec post assembly by QA/QC is 48ft lbs, so you could be checking with a tool at 3%, if at its lower limits is 46.5ft lbs, that's not going to pass the test if someone starts to do all the numbers. So matching the tool to the test is critical.

You can take a class for like $3k, it looks like a 2 day class. Maybe they give you some sort of cert, what happens when that employee moves on?

Self Calibration is a major concern with out the backup, as anyone can order calibration stickers off McMaster Carr or Amazon..

Yeah I think they would frown upon folks taking the one torque wrench couple that to a second wrench and test away..

Most of the UL inspectors are looking for gross errors in your process, they just file the rest without looking if you present your documentation well. Usually they ask a few decent questions to feel you out.

Our stuff is pretty dangerous when not assembled properly we are doing Electrical Switchgear, you mention aviation yeah one hope's they are held to that $80k-$90k machine..... I fly regular commercial a few times a months, used to be a few times a week, so lots of checks and balances. Not up on those torque specs and the sort to know if a 3% tool can even be used in that or they have much tighter standards.
 
New fleet of CDI torque wrenches came in, so you can see why I invested in the self calibration equipment. This will allow me to do the swap out of the field techs tools and maintain a better tool set with lower downtime.

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I looked at the new snapon VOM EEDM596FK to compare to the fluke 88 kit.
https://shop.snapon.com/product/Automotive-Digital-Multimeters/Advanced-Digital-Multimeter/EEDM596FK

I contacted AESwave.com and they confirmed most COP wands will work on the fluke - probably would on the Snap-on as well.

Here is the AES wand - you can select various connectors for it - BNC, Banana, etc.
https://www.aeswave.com/Universal-Secondary-Test-Lead-Kit-for-COP-DIS-HEI-Dist-p9174.html

Nice meter, I really like the bluetooth app to be able to remotely read it. That almost made me get the Snap-on meter. But I'll pass and get the 88v kit.

Now to just suck up and buy the thing....Don't have as much use for it as I did years ago, but my old one is starting to not be reliable (after 32 years of use).

Here is a quick overview of why I'll get the Fluke.
Fluke
- lifetime warranty - min 10 years vs 7 years for snapon
- cheaper
- includes hanging strap (extra cost for snapon)
- DC volt goes to 1000 vs 750
- silicone vs standard test leads
- comes with more adapters for the leads
- battery - standard 9v vs lithium
- 400 battery vs 10 hr (w/o backlit on)
- a bit higher accuracy

Snapon
- easier to see LCD
- bluetooth
- easier to exchange warranty
- accepts fluke leads.
 
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Just got the 88V auto kit.

I like it. And it works (well - at least turns on - I'll test more when I get home) :)

Definitely better than the Snap-On. Yes, I had the Snap-on at home over a weekend. The dealer was convinced I'd buy it. Glad I didn't.
 
Since a lot of people with fluke 88‘s are watching this thread, I’ll ask this question here. How accurate is the thermometer when using the type K probe? Used mine for the first time for temperature the other day. Got the meter out of the truck, measure temperature, seemed really low. Verified with the old fluke. Old fluke measured close to what I expected. Seems like the fluke 88 reads low when the temperature of the 88 is low. Let it sit for a couple hours, and it is within a half a degree of the old meter. Anyone else experienced this?

I already sent an email to fluke tech support to see what they say.
 
Since a lot of people with fluke 88‘s are watching this thread, I’ll ask this question here. How accurate is the thermometer when using the type K probe? Used mine for the first time for temperature the other day. Got the meter out of the truck, measure temperature, seemed really low. Verified with the old fluke. Old fluke measured close to what I expected. Seems like the fluke 88 reads low when the temperature of the 88 is low. Let it sit for a couple hours, and it is within a half a degree of the old meter. Anyone else experienced this?

I already sent an email to fluke tech support to see what they say.
We have issues in extreme cold temps, but talking like 0, we try to let them come to a decent ambient prior to use anymore.

I have a fluke Thermocouple check meter. Will try it out vs the 88, and if needed put it in the fridge at work and see.

I not back in the shop till mid next week. But at some point will remember. I think I can make it work to verify the meters. Its not really what I got it for, but that's the fun.

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Here is the final response I got from Fluke. I'm satisfied with the answer of why the discrepancy and/or time it takes to get a reasonable temperature reading.

Hello Dan,

The reason you will get odd readings when moving a meter from one environment to a new environment is the temperature function is using an internal temperature reference inside the Fluke-88V and that reference will start to change when you change the environment.

In your example if the meter is stored in a 40F deg environment and you keep it in that environment it will perform properly when measuring temperature. I would of expected if you moved the meter from 40F deg into a 70F deg environment for 50 minutes that should have been enough time for the meter to acclimate.

I looked in the Fluke-88V manual to see the accuracy specification for the temperature function and it states the range is from -328F to 1994F, 1% of reading +18.

What that means if the meter has acclimated to the environment and the display reads 100.0 F you multiple that value by 1%= 1 deg F and then you add 18 counts to that which is 1.8 deg F for a total of 2.8 deg F.

The manual also states that specification doesn’t include the accuracy of the temperature probe and you need to add that as well.

The temperature probe that comes with the Fluke-88V is the 80BK it has an accuracy of +/- 4.0 F.

What I would do is measure two temperatures you know are true. One is boiling water 212F and the other is ice 32F and see how the Fluke-88V responds to those two examples. The ice example you need to get some crushed ice in a cup and add a little water to make a slushy and put the probe into that solution.
 
Lost my reply, but turns out my older one does not have a temp feature, got close to trying it, but somehow could not get my temps to zero properly.

Sounds like a solid answer.

Was going to try it with a 289 and se whats up.

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