Enter to win an 87V MAX

#TheUltimateTest

Putting quality to the Ultimate Test

We sent a Fluke 87V MAX to near space. Watch what happened.

Enter to win an 87V MAX
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Why we sent a multimeter to near space

Our customers put their trust in us every single day.

Every brand says their tools are tough. We wanted to prove ours.

Not because toughness is the goal.
Because confidence is.

And confidence is everything when your life is on the line.

The Ultimate Test: a Fluke 87V MAX, sent to near space.

Fluke 87V MAX true RMS multimeter showing 199.98 on the display
Monday: near space.Tuesday: back on the job.

Built to last.
Built for confidence.
Built for you.

How far beyond normal testing did we go?

Same standards. Far tougher conditions.

Normal testThe Ultimate TestMagnitude
Temperature-20°C-60°C40°C colder than the standard test
Altitude12,000m32,000m~16x normal IEC / ~3x storage spec
Air pressure~19 kPa~0.87 kPavs 101.3 kPa at sea level
Air density~1.225 kg/m³~0.0135 kg/m³~1.1% of sea level density
Result back on the groundPass to spec100% pass to specSame standard, far tougher test
Tests we ran after it came home
  • DC voltage
  • AC voltage
  • Resistance
  • DC current
  • AC current
  • Frequency
  • Continuity
  • Diode test

Each measured against published Fluke 87V MAX specifications.

We exceeded all known limits for this tool – the conditions were extraordinary.

Would it meet our expectations?

32,000 metres above Earth

Almost three times higher than typical commercial aircraft cruising altitude.

12,000m32,000m
In real terms

12,000m is roughly the cruising altitude of a long-haul jet. 32,000m is about 3x higher again: high enough to see the curvature of the Earth and the black of space above you.

~16x the altitude covered by normal IEC test-equipment conditions.

Beyond expected conditions

Temperatures approaching -60°C.

-20°C-60°C
In real terms

-20°C is about as cold as a typical home chest freezer. -60°C is far colder than anywhere people live, in the territory of the Antarctic winter.

40°C below the standard the 87V MAX is already rated to.

Pressure. Altitude. Extremes.

Designed to withstand more than real-world demands.

~19 kPa~0.87 kPa
In real terms

~0.87 kPa is less than 1% of the pressure at sea level. That is thinner than the air at the summit of Mount Everest, and closer to the atmospheric pressure on the surface of Mars than to anything on Earth.

Sea level is ~101.3 kPa, over 100x thicker than the air at peak altitude.

Air you could barely call air

Almost no air left to work with.

~1.225 kg/m³~0.0135 kg/m³
In real terms

~0.0135 kg/m³ is about 1% as dense as the air you're breathing at sea level. A sealed bag of crisps would balloon to bursting point: the same effect that makes your snack packet puff up on a flight, taken to the extreme.

~1.1% of sea-level air density (~1.225 kg/m³).

What happened when it came home?

100% pass to spec

Recovered. Tested against spec. Passed.

Enter to win your own

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