Fluke 113 vs Fluke 117: Which Is Better for Electrical Testing?

Specs side by side

Specs checked against manufacturer documentation and official Amazon listings. Fluke 117 is hands-on tested by OhmSavvy; the Fluke 113 assessment is desk research. How we research.

Key differences

• →Both meters have a low-impedance volts check of about 3 kΩ, but on the 113 it is the only way to read volts. The 117 also keeps normal high-impedance V AC and V DC positions.
• →The 117 measures current on 6 A and 10 A ranges through a fused A jack. The 113 has two jacks and no current function.
• →Only the 117 has VoltAlert non-contact detection, frequency and a 33-segment bar graph.
• →Fluke rates the 113 CAT IV 600V and the 117 CAT III 600V; one Amazon bullet for the 113 gives a lower CAT IV 300V figure.
• →The 113 is 146 g lighter (404 g against 550 g), but its resistance stops at 60 kΩ against the 117's 40 MΩ.

What the Fluke 113 is actually for

Most people who search for the 113 assume it sits below the 117 on a ladder of electrician's meters. It doesn't. Fluke sells it as a utility meter, and its dial is shaped around a single question asked over and over: is this conductor energized, and if not, is it the one I think it is? The 117 answers that question too, then goes on to measure what the circuit is doing.

The Fluke 117 is one of the meters the site owner has bought and used, so it carries our Hands-on Tested badge, and the Fluke 117 review goes into it in depth. The 113 has not been through that, so every statement about it below comes from Fluke's spec tab and the official Amazon listing. If you are choosing between the 113 and the general-purpose model with no LoZ at all, our Fluke 113 vs Fluke 115 page works through VCHEK and its circuit-loading trade-off in more detail.

Both have LoZ; only the 117 lets you switch it off

This is the difference that decides the pair, and spec tables bury it. Fluke lists a low-impedance input of about 3 kΩ on the 113's VCHEK position and on the 117's AutoVolt position, with the same ±(2.0% + 3) accuracy line. On a shared conduit full of abandoned conductors, the two behave alike: coupled voltage drains through the meter and a real supply stays put.

The 117 then has a second choice the 113 lacks. Turn one click to V AC or V DC and the input rises above 5 MΩ or 10 MΩ, so the meter barely disturbs what it reads. That matters on anything that isn't a stiff mains supply: a thermostat output, a doorbell transformer under load, a photocell or occupancy-sensor lead, a battery bank feeding a small inverter. On the 113 those readings all pass through 3 kΩ, and Fluke adds that its autorange won't register below 3 V DC, so low-voltage signals are largely out of reach.

LoZ also draws real current, and Fluke's 113 page warns that phase-to-earth LoZ checks can trip a GFCI or RCD. The same physics applies to the 117's AutoVolt position. The difference is that a 117 user can make the hot-to-ground check on V AC instead, while a 113 user has to test hot to neutral or reset the device afterward. Our explainer on why a GFCI keeps tripping covers the trip threshold.

Fluke 113 vs 117 comparison, function by function

The first chart shows the cost of a meter with no high-impedance position. On LoZ the two are equal, but the 117 can read DC four times more tightly by switching to V DC. On a 120.0 V reading, ±(2.0% + 3) allows about ±2.7 V, while the 117's V AC line of ±(1.0% + 3) allows about ±1.5 V. For proving a circuit live, either is plenty. For checking whether a supply sits inside a tolerance band, the 117 is the meter to trust.

The 113's real advantage: CAT IV 600V

Measurement category describes how much transient energy a meter is built to survive at a point in the supply. The closer you work to the utility, the larger the possible surge. Fluke lists the 113 under IEC 61010-2-033 at CAT IV 600V, and the meter body in the listing photo is printed the same. The 117 is rated CAT III 600V.

The zones above are the common reading of IEC 61010 categories, not a site survey, so check your own employer's rules. Note the source conflict: one bullet on the 113's Amazon listing gives CAT III 600V and CAT IV 300V, below Fluke's figure. We follow Fluke. If you need CAT IV and current together, the Fluke 117 vs Fluke 87V comparison covers a meter that has both.

A verification routine with each meter

Picture opening a disconnect to isolate a load and proving it dead before work. With the 113 the routine never leaves one dial position: check the meter on a known live source, test each conductor on the load side, and when nothing is there the same position confirms the conductor by continuity. With the 117 you can sweep the enclosure with VoltAlert before the leads come out, then use AutoVolt for the contact checks.

1. 01

   Prove the meter

   Known live source first

   →

2. 02

   Test each conductor

   113 VCHEK or 117 AutoVolt

   →

3. 03

   Near 0 V on LoZ

   Phantom drained, not a feed

   →

4. 04

   Prove the meter again

   Live-dead-live, then work

The routine is the same on both, and that is the point: for verification alone, the 113 gives up nothing important. The gap opens the moment the job turns into diagnosis. A small motor that trips its overload needs a current reading, and a portable generator holding the wrong speed needs a frequency reading; the 117 takes both and the 113 lists neither. Our guide to voltage on a disconnected circuit explains why the LoZ step collapses a phantom reading.

Which should you buy?

For the electrician-side alternatives in the same family, see Fluke 114 vs Fluke 117 for the LoZ meter without amps, and Fluke 116 vs Fluke 117 for the HVAC model. The best multimeter for electricians guide ranks meters beyond Fluke's 110 Series.

Where the published specs disagree

Frequently asked questions