Fluke 114 vs Fluke 175: Which Is Better for Everyday Electrical Work?

Specs side by side

Specs checked against manufacturer documentation and official Amazon listings. Desk research, not bench testing. How we research.

Key differences

• →The 175 measures current on four ranges from 60 mA to 10 A; the 114 has only two input jacks and no current function in Fluke's spec table.
• →The 114 has a low-impedance AutoVolt position that picks AC or DC by itself; Fluke lists no LoZ mode for the 175.
• →Unusually for the pair, the cheaper-looking 114 has the backlight. Fluke reserves it for the 177 and 179 in the 170 series, so the 175 has none.
• →The 175 adds capacitance to 10,000 µF, frequency and a diode test, none of which the 114 lists.
• →The 175 is rated CAT IV 600V and CAT III 1000V and reads to 1000 V; the 114 is CAT III 600V.
• →AC volts accuracy is identical at ±(1.0% + 3); for DC volts the 175's ±(0.15% + 2) beats the 114's ±(0.5% + 2).
• →The 114 gets about 400 h from a 9 V cell against about 200 h; the 175 is lighter at 420 g and carries a lifetime warranty rather than three years.

A tester and a meter: what each one is for

These two meters come from different Fluke lines with different jobs in mind. The 114 belongs to the 110 series and is effectively a precise voltage-and-continuity tester: one rotary position reads either AC or DC on a low-impedance input, and there is nothing on the dial you can set wrongly while reaching into a box. The 175 is the entry model of the 170 series, a general troubleshooting meter that measures most of what an electrical or electronics job throws at it. Neither one is owner-tested by us; everything here comes from Fluke's published specs.

Count the rows and the 175 covers all eight while the 114 covers three. For many readers that settles it. The 114's case rests on doing those three things faster and with less chance of a wrong reading.

Ghost voltage: the 114's real advantage

A conductor that is switched off but runs beside a live one in the same conduit or cable can show tens of volts on a high-impedance meter, because the meter barely loads the tiny coupled current. Fluke specs the normal voltage input on the 110 series above 10 MΩ for DC, and it lists no low-impedance mode for the 175 at all. On the 114, the AUTO-V LoZ position drops the input to about 3 kΩ, which drains that coupled charge away. The test is quick:

1. 01

   Suspicious reading

   e.g. 35 V on a dead switch leg

   →

2. 02

   Read it again on LoZ

   114 only: about 3 kΩ input

   →

3. 03

   Falls toward zero

   Induced: not a supply

   →

4. 04

   Stays near 120 V

   Real feed: trace the source

With a 175 you lose that shortcut. You can still reason it out, for instance by checking whether the reading changes when you open the breaker you believe feeds the circuit, but it takes longer and relies on judgment. The LoZ load has its own catch: Fluke warns on its 113 page that a low-impedance measurement between a hot conductor and ground can trip a GFCI or RCD, and the same physics applies to the 114. Our article on voltage on a disconnected circuit goes deeper into where phantom readings come from.

Fluke 114 vs 175 accuracy on familiar voltages

For AC line voltage the two are identical: ±(1.0% + 3) True RMS from 45 to 500 Hz. At 120.0 V on the 600.0 V range that works out to 1.2 V plus 3 counts of 0.1 V, about ±1.5 V on either meter. On the 114's LoZ position the tolerance widens to ±(2.0% + 3), roughly ±2.7 V at 120 V, which is fine for a live/dead decision but not for logging supply quality.

The arithmetic for DC: both read 12.60 V on a 60.00 V range where one count is 10 mV. The 114 allows 0.5% of 12.60 V (63 mV) plus 20 mV, so ±83 mV. The 175 allows 0.15% (about 19 mV) plus 20 mV, so ±39 mV. The gap only matters when you are judging a battery's state of charge or a DC control supply against a tight limit. Our Fluke 175 vs 177 page shows how much further the 177's 0.09% goes.

Current: capability against a classic mistake

The 175 measures current in series on four ranges: 60.00 mA with 0.01 mA steps, 400.0 mA, 6.000 A and 10.00 A, with up to 20 A tolerated for 30 seconds. Fluke protects the inputs with 440 mA and 11 A fuses rated 1000 V. That opens up jobs the 114 can't touch, from a vehicle's parasitic draw in milliamps to the running current of a bath fan or a small pump. Our guide to measuring milliamps covers the hookup.

The 114's lack of current jacks is also a safety feature. A classic way to damage a meter is to leave a lead in the A jack and then touch it across a live receptacle, which puts the fuse straight across the supply. With only COM and + on the 114 that mistake is impossible. The 175's high-energy fuses are designed to clear such a fault, but the habit of checking lead position is on you. Fluke's 114 overview does mention "current", which conflicts with its own spec table and the two-jack housing; we follow the spec table.

Light, battery and warranty in daily use

One odd quirk of this pairing is that the narrower meter has the better display hardware. The 114 has a white LED backlight; Fluke's 170 Series datasheet lists the backlight on the 177 and 179 only, and the Amazon photo of the 175 shows no backlight key. In a dark panel or a crawl space that means a flashlight or headlamp for the 175. Both share a 6,000-count reading with a 33-segment bar graph, which Fluke updates at 32 times a second on the 114 and 40 on the 175.

The 114 runs about twice as long per battery. The 175 counters with a lifetime warranty against three years, and it is the lighter meter at 420 g against 550 g, though it is taller at 185 mm.

Which should you buy?

Skip the 114 if you can picture yourself needing an amp reading in the next year; you would end up buying a second meter. Skip the 175 if you mostly work in poor light or keep getting fooled by phantom voltages, or if you want the lowest-effort tool for someone who isn't a trained tech. For more options, see best multimeter for electricians and Fluke 175 vs Fluke 115.

Source notes and conflicts

Two places where Fluke's documents disagree. On the 114, the product overview mentions current and a temperature footnote appears, yet the spec table lists neither function and Amazon's weight figure is 0.51 kg against Fluke's 550 g. On the 175, the 170 Series datasheet's range table gives frequency to 99.99 kHz while its summary table says 50 kHz, and its top capacitance range is specified at 10% typical rather than the 1.2% that applies up to 1,000 µF.

Frequently asked questions