Fluke Meters - Lifetime Warranty

This section is about the lifetime warranty offered on some Fluke models. (Because E-bay limits the size of buying guides, I had to split my Fluke buying guide into sections. Please see themain guide also for additional information) LIFETIME WARRANTY (see my MODELS and SERIES section for an explanation of the terms used here)Some Fluke models are (and were) sold with a "lifetime warranty." Understand that this is not YOUR lifetime, but the lifetime of the product. Fluke defines the lifetime of the product as 7 years after the final production date. However, the warranty will be in effect for at least 10 years after initial purchase, so buyers will have at least a 10 year warranty. Also note that some models do/did not have a "lifetime" warranty. I'm not sure if the original 87 series meters (made from 1987 to 1998) had a lifetime warranty, but if they did, ithas expired.I bring this up because several sellers, in good faith, see that the newest version of a meter, for example, the 87 (series five) has a lifetime warranty, and describe their 87 (series 1, or no series) meters as having a "lifetime warranty," when in fact the warranty has expired.I know that many broken and inoperative meters are sold, most often to folks like me who repair them or use them for parts. These aren't like the hand tools that you can buy broken and take back to the dealer and get replaced - if you send a broken Fluke 87 to Fluke, they will charge for the repair. This is bad for the buyer, who thought he or she was buying a broken meter that could be exchanged for a new one or repaired at no cost, and probably bid too much. This is bad for the buyers like me because it runs the price up on parts meters! I hate to think of the good parts that have been wasted when a meter was thrown away once a buyer found out that their "lifetime warranty" had expired!Fluke meters, as many know, will last FAR longer than 7 years after Fluke stopped making them. I've seen beat up and battered meters that still exceeded accuracy specifications. Many reputable sellers check these for proper calibration and test all functions before listing. These are great meters and they will last a long time if treated properly. (Some last a long time DESPITE poor treatment.)
This guide is about the length of Fluke's lifetime warranty, but Fluke has other warranty conditions that I did not know about, because I rarely buy new meters. 99 percent of the meters I buy are long past their warranty period. Fortunately, another E-bay member has written an excellent guide about Fluke's warranty. Click the link below to read this member's guide, which I highly regemend. Warranty Guide