Spent $400 on a Fluke meter clone from eBay and it almost got me killed

I bought a knockoff multimeter for $75 on eBay 2 months ago thinking I was being smart. Took it to a 480V panel job in Phoenix last week and it showed 0V on a live bus. Trusted it for maybe 30 seconds before I got a flash that singed my arm hairs off. Bought a real Fluke 87V the next day and the difference is night and day. Any of you guys ever have a cheap meter lie to you like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

pipergonzalez18d ago

Same thing happened to me with a cheap meter that showed zero on a live line.

rose_murray17d ago

Piper you sure it wasn't showing 0 volts...