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Fluke 117 vs 179

Updated: 22 October 2026

The Fluke 117 vs 179 choice is what you face when you already want Fluke and the prices do not sit together. On amazon.co.uk on 21 October 2026 the 117 is £215.00 and the 179 is £442.80. Both are true-RMS handhelds. The 117 adds VoltAlert and low-impedance AutoVolt and stops at CAT III 600 V. The 179 prints CAT IV 600 V and CAT III 1000 V, and it carries a thermometer. Peter F. used those listings and Fluke's UK pages, not a lab. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The set is on the [Fluke multimeter comparison](/hub/measuring-equipment/fluke-multimeter).

The Fluke 117 vs 179 choice is what you face when you already want Fluke and the prices do not sit together. On amazon.co.uk on 21 October 2026 the 117 is £215.00 and the 179 is £442.80. Both are true-RMS handhelds.

Our top picks

Fluke Fluke 117

Best overall

Fluke Fluke 117
8.2/10about £215.00
View offer
Fluke Fluke 179

Alternative

Fluke Fluke 179
6.9/10about £442.80
View offer
Fluke Fluke 177

Alternative

Fluke Fluke 177
4.4/10about £382.80
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Same brand, different job
  2. 2.What you only get on the 117
  3. 3.What you only get on the 179
  4. 4.The condition, and the 177 beside it

Same brand, different job

True RMS on both is the reading you want on a dimmer or a switched-mode supply. A dealer table that gives both a continuous 20 A range is the figure to leave behind. Fluke's UK page for the 117 states 10 A, with a short overload above that, and the amazon.co.uk card does not print a current limit. Past a stated 10 A in the leads, a clamp is the usual next tool. The review files are not the same evidence. The 117 has 4.7 from 5,113 ratings, and the 179 has 4.6 from 487. Sockets and consumer units are the 117's job. CAT IV, or temperature, is why the 179 exists in this pair. Cheaper families stay in the Fluke multimeter buying guide.

What you only get on the 117

The 117 lists CAT III 600 V, true RMS, VoltAlert, Auto Volt and a white LED backlight. Fluke's UK page adds low-impedance AutoVolt, a 10 A range, a three-year warranty and a holster with silicone leads. There is no thermometer. A review on 25 June 2024 says the case was missing, so check the carton. VoltAlert tells you a cable may be live before the probes settle. It is a poor sole proof of dead, and LoZ is not a proving unit. LoZ loads a ghost reading so it falls away, and a real source stays up. You still prove dead with a test lamp or a two-pole detector, which is the stop on how to use a Fluke multimeter. UK reviews like the detector and several dislike the display from the side. GS38 places sockets and distribution boards in CAT III. The service position is outside it.
Fluke Fluke 117

Testsieger

Fluke Fluke 117
8.2/10about £215.00
View offer

What you only get on the 179

The 179 prints CAT III 1000 V and CAT IV 600 V and names a thermometer. Amazon's upper temperature field is 400 °C. Fluke's UK page includes an 80BK thermocouple. Amazon does not itemise a probe, because there is no included-components line. If the probe is why you paid the extra, look in the carton. Say the warranty as two figures. Amazon's field says 10 years. Fluke's UK page says lifetime. UK reviews still like the meter and still call the leads poor or stiff. People name a TL175 or a TL71-1 as the replacement. At £442.80 the money is the category and the thermometer, against 487 ratings rather than 5,113.

The condition, and the 177 beside it

Choose the 117 when the work stays at CAT III, on sockets and consumer units, and you want VoltAlert and LoZ. £215.00 is the sensible spend on that condition. You give up temperature, and you do not treat the meter as proof of dead. Choose the 179 when you need CAT IV 600 V on the printing, or temperature beside CAT III 1000 V, and you will pay for better leads if the stock ones match the complaints. This page is not an instruction to work live on a service head. The 177 is the side note. It costs £382.80, shows 4.2 from three ratings, prints the same category pair, and has no thermometer in the bullets. There is no UK review body in the file. Consider it only when you want that category and three ratings are enough.

Common questions

Which Fluke should a domestic electrician buy, the 117 or the 179?
Buy the 117 for sockets and consumer units. It is £215.00, with 4.7 from 5,113 ratings, VoltAlert, low-impedance AutoVolt and CAT III 600 V. Buy the 179 at £442.80 when you need the CAT IV line or a thermometer. Neither meter, on its own, proves a circuit dead.
Does the Fluke 117 measure temperature?
No. Neither the amazon.co.uk listing nor Fluke's UK page gives the 117 a thermometer. The 179 is the meter in this pair with one. Amazon shows an upper field of 400 °C, and Fluke's UK page includes an 80BK probe. Amazon does not list that probe in the box.
Is the Fluke 179 CAT IV?
Yes. It prints CAT IV 600 V and CAT III 1000 V. The 117 stops at CAT III 600 V. GS38 puts CAT IV at the origin, including the meter and the service entrance, and puts a wall socket in CAT III. It does not permit live work by itself.
Why is the 179 about twice the price of the 117?
£442.80 against £215.00 is £227.80. The difference buys CAT IV 600 V, CAT III 1000 V, a thermometer, and a tighter DC accuracy that an outside table quotes and we did not measure. It does not buy VoltAlert or LoZ. UK reviewers still complain about the 179's leads.
Where does the Fluke 177 fit beside the 117 and the 179?
The 177 prints CAT IV 600 V and CAT III 1000 V without a thermometer in the bullets, at £382.80 and 4.2 from three ratings, with no UK review text in the file. It fits only if you want that category and you do not want the probe. Three ratings cannot carry it over the 117 or the 179.

Related pages

Best Fluke multimeter

Fluke multimeter

Fluke multimeter buying guide: current and category

Fluke CAT rating before a UK socket or service head

How to use a Fluke multimeter before you prove dead

Sources

Public UK sources from the research digest, checked on 21 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures for these seven listings. Price bands are this set, not a market average. A dollar price on a Fluke page is not a UK price.

  1. Fluke UK: multimeter safety guide (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  2. HSE GS38 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  3. HSE HSG85 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  4. HSE HSR25 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  5. Fluke UK 117 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  6. Fluke UK 179 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  7. Fluke: 15B+ and 17B+ table (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  8. Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 (retrieved 21 October 2026)