[jbrewer]

I'm an EE and electronic hobbyist and I use a DMM almost daily. I have two fluke 87s and a Fluke 77. I also have a small fleet of cheaper models.

The good things about Flukes:

They are more accurate than you'll ever need for mechanical work
They are good at battery management
They will tolerate measuring voltage on the resistance scale (you WILL do this)
I've dropped / banged em around and they survive
They stay put when you set them somewhere to take a measurement

The bad things about them:

Unless they fixed it in later designs the display to PCB interconnect implementation is TERRIBLE leading to missing segments, dim displays, etc. I've fixed several but it's not for the faint of heart and it's temporary

They're expensive


For garage use, I'd get a cheaper model...midprice. They will likely have some protection for misusing them (see V measurement while on the R scale) but not expensive enough to hurt if you run over them with a tractor, or step on them, etc.

HF stuff is accurate enough for mechanics use, but they're fragile, will run batteries down if not shut off. The leads on them are flimsy and cheap. They'll work fine, if you watch out for them though. They'll also fall off of everything you place them on as they're super light. They're a great value for free (or $2.99).

PS: The displays on Flukes dont go bad, but the spongy interconnect between board and display gets flaky. You can disassemble the meter and clean the pads and the sponge things, and it'll work again. Don't drink a lot of coffee before doing this. I've saved several.