COMPARISON · MULTIMETERS
Fluke 287 vs Fluke 87V for Intermittent Electrical Faults
For an intermittent fault that comes and goes over hours or days, the Fluke 287 is the better tool, because it records every excursion with a time stamp: a recording session runs up to 99 days and logs event records whenever the reading moves past a threshold you set. The Fluke 87V catches how bad a fault gets, not when it happens. Its Min/Max holds the lowest and highest readings lasting 100 ms or more, and its Peak mode catches repetitive spikes as short as 250 µs and single events down to 1 ms, faster than the 287's 2.5 ms single-event peak. If you can stand next to the fault while it happens, the 87V is enough. If you have to leave the meter overnight, buy the 287.
By the OhmSavvy Research Team ·
Disclosure: OhmSavvy earns a commission from qualifying Amazon purchases made through these links, at no extra cost to you. How we're funded.
Fluke 287
4.6★★★★★Fluke's electronics logging meter: 50,000 counts, 0.01 µA resolution and graphs on the meter, without the 289's industrial extras.
Fluke 87V
4.8★★★★★The step-up pick for anyone who needs CAT IV protection and high-resolution readings daily.
Specs side by side
| Fluke 287 | Fluke 87V | |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.6★★★★★ | 4.8★★★★★ |
| Accuracy | True RMS, 0.025% basic DC V | True RMS |
| Safety rating | CAT IV 600V / CAT III 1000V | CAT III 1000V / CAT IV 600V |
| Auto-ranging | Yes (manual override) | Yes |
| Best for | Electronics design, µA and logging | Industrial technicians, daily professional use |
| Time-stamped recording | Yes: interval + event records, real-time clock | No |
| Recording session length | 1 min to 99 days 23 h 59 min | No recording memory |
| Stored records | Up to 10,000 intervals; events up to 15,000 minus intervals | Min, max and average only |
| Min/Max response | 200 ms DC / 350 ms AC (spec table) | 100 ms DC / 120 ms AC |
| Peak capture | 250 µs repetitive; 2.5 ms single events | 250 µs repetitive; 1 ms single events |
| Time stamps on Min/Max and Peak | Elapsed time for each new value | None described in Fluke's manual |
| On-meter graph | TrendCapture, with zoom | 32-segment bar graph, 40 updates/s |
| Low-pass filter | No (Fluke 289 only) | Yes |
| Battery | 6 × AA: 100 h min, 200 h logging | 9 V, about 400 h |
| Weight | 871 g | 355 g (624 g holstered) |
Specs checked against manufacturer documentation and official Amazon listings. Fluke 87V is hands-on tested by OhmSavvy; the Fluke 287 assessment is desk research. How we research.
Key differences
- →Timing: the 287 records when each excursion started and ended and when its minimum and maximum occurred. The 87V tells you the extremes and the average, with no times.
- →Unattended time: a 287 recording session can be set to run from a minute to just under 100 days, limited in practice by memory and the 200-hour logging battery life.
- →Short single events: Fluke specifies the 87V's Peak mode at 1 ms for single events and the 287's at 2.5 ms. Both catch repetitive peaks down to 250 µs.
- →Slow excursions: the 87V's Min/Max responds in 100 ms (DC) and 120 ms (AC); the 287's spec table gives 200 ms and 350 ms.
- →Drive circuits: the 87V has a low-pass filter for VFD outputs. The 287 doesn't; that filter is on the Fluke 289.
- →Shared: CAT IV 600V / CAT III 1000V, True RMS, 10 A (20 A for 30 s), a lifetime warranty, and Min/Max/Avg plus Peak on both.
The two questions an intermittent fault asks
A fault that won't stay put leaves you two questions. How bad is it when it happens? And when does it happen? The 87V answers the first very well. Only the 287 answers the second, and the second is usually what solves the job: a sag that lines up with the compressor starting, a dropout every morning at 7:02, a trip that only happens on hot afternoons.
287: when
Real-time clock and time-stamped records.
287: how long
Sessions up to 99 days, battery permitting.
287: how often
An event counter, even after memory fills.
87V: how deep
Min/Max from 100 ms; Peak from 250 µs.
87V: fastest single hit
1 ms single-event peak against 2.5 ms.
87V: drive outputs
Low-pass filter the 287 lacks.
We have tested the 87V ourselves; it holds our 4.8 rating. The 287 is rated 4.6 from Fluke's 287/289 users manual and product page, not from our own use. Capture times and memory figures below are from those Fluke documents; the timeline is an illustration.
What each meter shows you the next morning
Picture a circuit that misbehaves overnight with three different faults: a 40 ms dropout from a loose connection, a 3 ms spike when something switches, and a 15-minute sag when a big load runs. Leave each meter on it and here is roughly what you come back to.
The 87V's Min/Max only records a new extreme once the input has held it for about 100 ms, so a 40 ms dropout or a 3 ms spike won't register at its true depth. Switch it to Peak mode and it catches both, but you still get only the worst values. The 287 gives you a record for the sag with its start time, the time of the minimum and the end time, and a Peak session on the 287 stamps each new peak with the elapsed time since you started. One limitation to plan around: on the 287, Recording and Peak are separate sessions, because the menu that starts Peak is locked while recording. Choose by the fault you suspect.
Fluke 287 vs 87V spec by spec for catching faults
| Capture feature | Fluke 287 | Fluke 87V | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Min/Max nominal response, DC | 200 ms to 80% | 100 ms to 80% | 87V |
| Min/Max nominal response, AC | 350 ms to 80% | 120 ms to 80% | 87V |
| Peak, repetitive | 250 µs | 250 µs | Same |
| Peak, single event | 2.5 ms | 1 ms | 87V |
| Time stamps | Elapsed time on Min/Max and Peak; clock time on records | None described | 287 |
| Recording memory | 10,000 intervals; events to 15,000 minus intervals | None | 287 |
| Sample interval | 1 s to 99 min 59 s | Not applicable | 287 |
| Event detection | Adjustable % threshold; stable/unstable flag | Beeps on a new min or max | 287 |
| Review on the meter | TrendCapture graph with zoom | Min, max, average | 287 |
| PC export | IR link to FlukeView Forms | Not listed | 287 |
| Low-pass filter | No | Yes | 87V |
| Battery | 100 h min; 200 h logging | About 400 h | 87V |
Bars use a logarithmic scale: each step is ten times the last.
The battery chart sets a practical ceiling on the 287's 99-day session setting: 200 hours of logging is about 8 days on fresh cells. For a fault that appears once a week, that is enough; for anything rarer, plan to swap batteries, and remember that Fluke's manual says the session stops if the batteries run out or a lead is pushed into or pulled out of a current jack.
One source conflict: the body of the 287/289 manual says its Min/Max response is 100 ms, while its specification table gives 200 ms (DC) and 350 ms (AC). We use the specification table. Fluke's 287 product page also mixes "up to 15,000 recorded events" with "up to 10,000 readings"; the manual reconciles them as up to 10,000 interval records, with event records filling the rest of a 15,000 total.
Matching the meter to the intermittent fault
| Symptom | What to capture | Better meter | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lights dim or flicker a few times a day | Voltage sags with times | Fluke 287 | Line the event times up with what was running |
| Equipment resets, but you can't see a sag | Brief dropouts or spikes | Either, in Peak mode | Both catch 250 µs repetitive peaks; the 87V is faster on single hits |
| Breaker trips randomly | Current peaks and when they occur | Fluke 287 | Time-stamped current events within the 10 A input; use a clamp above that |
| Car cranks slowly some mornings | DC voltage dip while cranking | Fluke 87V | You're there when it cranks; 100 ms DC Min/Max shows the dip |
| Wiggle a harness, hear a dropout | Opens while you move the wire | Fluke 87V | Min/Max beeps on a new low while you work |
| Sensor drops out once a shift | 4–20 mA or DC signal over hours | Fluke 287 | Interval logging with event records |
| Fault only when the drive runs | Filtered motor-side voltage | Fluke 87V | Low-pass filter; the 287 has none |
| Fault that appears once a month | Long unattended log | Neither alone | Both are handheld; consider a dedicated recorder |
The 287's event threshold does a lot of work here. Fluke's manual describes it as a percentage change from the value at the start of a record (its example uses 4%), and every excursion beyond it opens a new event record tagged stable or unstable, depending on whether it settled within the threshold for at least a second. Set it too tight on a noisy circuit and you fill the memory with nothing; once memory is full the 287 stops saving events but keeps counting them, and shows a plus sign after the count.
For the method itself, our guide on how to find an intermittent electrical fault with a multimeter walks through the steps, and why lights flicker when the AC starts covers one of the most common culprits.
Depth versus timing
Fluke 287 or 87V: which should you buy?
| You are… | Buy | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Service electrician chasing customer complaints | Fluke 287 | Leave it overnight and show a time-stamped log |
| Industrial maintenance on drives and motors | Fluke 87V | Low-pass filter; faster Min/Max; lighter |
| Automotive or mobile electrical technician | Fluke 87V | Faults are usually made to happen on demand |
| Electronics engineer with a flaky prototype | Fluke 287 | Logs supply rails and reset events over a weekend |
| Controls technician with a dropping sensor | Fluke 287 | Interval plus event records on mA or DC |
| One meter for everything, rare intermittents | Fluke 87V | Covers daily work; Peak catches the short stuff |
If you're choosing between logging meters, our Fluke 289 vs 287 comparison covers what the 289 adds, including the low-pass filter and LoZ the 287 lacks. For a broader look at the 87V against a logger in everyday professional use, see Fluke 87V vs Fluke 289, and our Fluke 87V review has the full hands-on detail.
Safety: an unattended meter on a live circuit
Choose the Fluke 287 if…
- ✓The fault shows up once a night or once a week, and you need to know exactly when to match it to a load, a shift or the weather
- ✓You want to hand a customer or a utility a timeline of sags and dropouts rather than a single minimum value
- ✓You want to graph the session on the meter (TrendCapture) and export it to a PC
Choose the Fluke 87V if…
- ✓You can make the fault happen while you watch: wiggle a harness, cycle a contactor, crank an engine
- ✓You need the shortest single-event peak capture of the two (1 ms against 2.5 ms)
- ✓The intermittent lives on a drive output, where the 87V's low-pass filter matters and the 287 has none
The bottom line
Buy the Fluke 287 for intermittent faults you can't watch: it time-stamps every sag and dropout, records interval and event data for days, and graphs the session on screen. Buy the Fluke 87V, our hands-on tested pick, for faults you can make happen while you watch, or that live on drive outputs: its Min/Max responds faster (100 ms against 200 ms on DC), its Peak catches single events down to 1 ms, and it has the low-pass filter the 287 lacks.
Frequently asked questions
Can the Fluke 87V log data?+
No. Fluke's 87V page lists no logging memory. Its Min/Max mode keeps the lowest, highest and average reading since you started and beeps on a new extreme, and Peak mode catches short spikes, but neither records when anything happened. For time-stamped logs you need a meter like the 287 or 289, or a separate recorder.
How long can the Fluke 287 record unattended?+
The session setting runs from one minute to 99 days, 23 hours and 59 minutes, with sample intervals from one second to just under 100 minutes. In practice, Fluke rates battery life at about 200 hours in logging mode, roughly eight days, and up to 10,000 interval records fit in memory, so plan longer sessions around fresh batteries.
What is the difference between Min/Max and Peak on a Fluke meter?+
Min/Max records the lowest and highest readings that last long enough to measure accurately, about 100 ms on the 87V and 200 ms (DC) on the 287. Peak records much shorter extremes, down to 250 µs for repetitive peaks, but with looser accuracy. Use Min/Max for sags and swells, Peak for spikes and very brief dropouts.
Does the Fluke 287 time-stamp Min/Max readings?+
Yes. Fluke's 287/289 manual says the meter stores the elapsed time since the session started whenever it records a new minimum or maximum, and Peak sessions work the same way. Its Recording mode goes further, saving the clock time of each record's start, minimum, maximum and end. The 87V's manual describes no time stamps.
Will a Fluke 287 catch a loose neutral?+
It's well suited to the symptom. A loose neutral typically makes voltage swing up on one leg and down on the other as loads change, and the 287's event records log each swing with its time. Comparing those times with what was switching on usually points to the cause. A loose neutral is dangerous, so get an electrician to repair it.
Is the 87V's Peak mode faster than the 287's?+
For single events, yes. Fluke specifies both at 250 µs for repetitive peaks, but for a one-off event the 87V's figure is 1 ms and the 287's is 2.5 ms. For a spike that happens once, the 87V is more likely to catch its full height; the 287 tells you when it happened.
Related
