UEI Meters

[tinnerjohn]

I'm thinking of buying a new meter and my wholesaler has a good sale price on the UEI 389. I've noticed most of you seem to favor Fluke, but I haven't really been able to find anything beyond the "Ford vs. Chevy". What are the problems/disadvantages of UEI over other brands. Thanks for any input or advice. John

[itsiceman]

I like it when it works but I wont buy another one.
I've sent them back but still problems.
I'm looking for something else that does all the same things with one meter.
Seems like with fluke you would need to buy multiple meters and the meters that do most of what you want all in one are duds.
Don't they sell a version of the UEi at HD........Nuff said

[Frostmonkey74]

I've never been a fan of uei, fluke has been my brand if choice. My brother on the other hand WAS a loyal uei customer until we ended u working for the same company. He sways said uei were as good ad fluke but at a fraction of the price. His opinion changed once he realized he'd had sent his meter back to uei for repair 3 times ( in three years), while my fluke was still working like a champ. He quickly bought a fluke and has been loyal every since.

One thing I do remember about uei meters is that they are not fused, so if you accidentally measure voltage whenset on ohms.... You let the factory smoke out.... They'll be happy to sell you more factory smoke. It's neat comes in a canister resembling a new meter and is $$$$. Lol

[Keith73]

In this line of work, saving a few bucks could cost a life. Now that the drama is done. I have had a few in the past and were not impressed. I use Fluke and Fieldpiece. Fluke has always been reliable IMO. Fieldpiece has impressed me with the 77 model clamp on combo. If I was in the market I would try the ...http://www.fieldpiece.com/clamp-meters/sc56

[anthonyac1]

I'm thinking of buying a new meter and my wholesaler has a good sale price on the UEI 389. I've noticed most of you seem to favor Fluke, but I haven't really been able to find anything beyond the "Ford vs. Chevy". What are the problems/disadvantages of UEI over other brands. Thanks for any input or advice. John

i have the pro+dl389. and personally i feel its a great meter, it has a light for the display, also the capacitor range is up to 4,000 mfd, also has a magnet on the back. sometimes if you slap it on an a/h or some other metal it causes the screen to go wacko thats because the magnet is on the battery cover, and it messes up the battery connection. but i took the cover off and put a piece of card board in the battery compartment then put the battery cover back on. now the batteries have a much tighter fit and it doesnt happen. also if your a fieldpiece fan and have the hs35 with several different heads its ok because the dl389 was built to accomodate all those attachments also even though its a field piece head. also u can set the meter on voltage setting and you can read the voltage and amperage at the same time. also the hook attachment ch3 is really handy for working on small ice machines and reach in coolers. where the wires are short and in tight spots. i have been using my meter for about 3 years now the only negative i can say is the test leads dont last that long i used about 4 pairs in 3 years. i would definately buy another one. but everyone has there own opinions

[Damien]

+1 for Uei dl389

[stonewallred]

Been dragging around various UEI meters for several years.
Only issue I have ever had is they will occasionally be off on temp readings by 2-3 degrees, which is consistent and can be worked around once you calibrated it.

[Thomasg]

Yes I had one worked good but no fuse , accidentally left pipe clamp hooked in while checking voltage blew the clamp , and smoked the meter. I like fluke 902, but I've been using fieldpiece sc53 last week or so it has been real nice so far.

[a\c don]

I've had my DL389 since they first came on the market.
No problem with it so far, but if I do I have a perfectly good DL289 for a back up.

[gary5833]

I've got a fluke and a UEI 379. My first choice between the 2 is the UEI because it can do almost anything I need to do a meter plus it has a magnet on the back.

[tinnerjohn]

Thanks for all the input. My old Sperry is still working, just want to upgrade. The fuse issue, while probably not major, has me rethinking the situation. Lets face it, we all can be in a hurry and forget to turn the switch once or twice. I think maybe I'll do some more research. Thanks again. John

[cuchulain]

I have the uei389, been using it for awhile, had it fall of a 3 story building and works great. Actually had it fall out of my truck on the road and it was run over by a truck, and no problems. As for the fuse issue if i'm not mistaken it does have a fuse in it, but I won't know for sure till i can look at my meter tomorrow.

[knave]

I recommend fieldpiece. They are good quality and the customer service is great.

[Paul Bee]

Most techs like Fluke or Fieldpiece because of quality, ruggedness and service. I have used UEI and Ideal and Sperry. They are all good meters but they break too easily. Plus Russell Harju (Product Manager for Fieldpiece) is on this forum and if you have a question or a problem with a Fieldpiece meter you can ask Russell. I live near Portland, Oregon and UEI is based in Beaverton, 15 minutes away, but taking broken meters to the repair shop is NOT at the top of my list of fun things to do. So I have a Fluke 116 and a Fieldpiece sc53 and sc76 and they take a lot of abuse and keep working. Like I used to tell my customers "Do you want the good one or the cheap one, cause the good one isn't cheap and the cheap one isn't good".

[nemofied]

I've had the UEI 379 for a month now no issues, nice set of features, well see how it lasts in the long run, seems fairly sturdy. I'd like to replace it with a fluke at some point tho and use it as a backup. ;-)