gilbequick

Need a clamp meter that will read AC volts, DC volts, AC amps and DC amps, and audible ohm/continuity test. If anybody has one they'd sell, let me know. I have excellent ebay feedback.

gilbequick

I'm trying not to break the bank on this one, have any of you used Extech or Mastech products?

JohnJ0906

I have an Extech Megger, works just fine.

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John from Baltimore
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John

How about this? SOP meter for most and you can get for it less the 100 bucks.
http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/items/4KF19

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randomkiller

Fluke T-5 600 is a great all around meter for normal electrical service work. You can also get extended probes and some accessories to customize it a little.

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Greg

http://www.professionalequipment.com...ectric-meters/

How high on the current do you need to go. I have a cheap Sperry that goes to 400A and for service work it does great. Plus it is small so I can put in my back pocket. Just noticed you need DC current I have a different meter for that. The only time I use DC current is when I'm troubleshooting generators.

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MechanicalDVR

Get an eye check oldman, "DC amps". The Fluke is a great pocket tool but you'll have to spend a few more dollars for DC amp reading.

John

One something like this? It will not fit in your pocket though, unless you have one big $@# pocket.

Attachment 423

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gilbequick

I actually used to have a T-5 600 until somebody walked off with it. I loved that thing, never had any problems with it at all and it was WELL used. But, the DC amp reading from the clamp is a feature I want in the next meter. From time to time something comes up where that feature would be so nice to have.

I've got a multimeter now that does dc amps but you have to hook the meter up in series with the circuit to read dc amps. It's a pita unhooking something up to hook it up with your meter to have to hook it back up again. A DC amp clamp it will be!

I'm stuck on buying cheap from ebay or paying with the cc to get a more expensive model. We just put a new furnace and AC unit in our house and funds are tiiiiiiight. But I've gotta have a meter!

Honestly, what do you think of these? If they're crap let me know!
http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Digital-Clam...QQcmdZViewItem
http://cgi.ebay.com/EXTECH-MA220-400...QQcmdZViewItem
Here's the .pdf info on the Extech: http://www.extech.com/instrument/pro.../MA200_220.pdf

gilbequick

Wow, did Indiana Jones dig that up in the Temple of Doom??

gilbequick

And how important is it for a meter to be RMS?

JohnJ0906

Is there such a thing as a DC Clamp?

I would have thought that you needed AC for that to work.

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John from Baltimore
"One day at a Time"
All responses based on the '08 NEC
It's not my fault, it's not my problem, I'm not your solution.

Mountain Electrician

How 'bout this one?

http://www.contractor-books.com/EX/EX810_20_30.htm

Less than 200 bucks.

randomkiller

Apparently there is, the one Mountain posted the link to seems pretty decent. My Fluke for DC amps only go to micro amps in the clamp, for bigger loads it has to be in series. This looks like a decent meter. For twice the price of a T-5 Gil is going to have a tough choice to make.

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randomkiller

Very important for the most accurate measurements. It's a must for calibrating control points but not as critical for troobleshooting.

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John

Maybe

AC and DC current is just the measurement of the magnetic lines of flux produced by a current passing through a conductor. The only difference is the electronic circuitry in the meter, which calculates the meter output.
The meter that Mountain linked to has an accuracy of plus/minus 2.0% to 2.8% for AC amps and plus/minus 2.8% for DC amps. So make sure you know the accuracy of the meter that you buy.

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HighWirey

Holy smokes, talk about your Swiss army knife . . .

(bet that cal lab has a conniption fit when this guy comes in!)

Left the trade too soon, gents.

Best Wishes Everyone.

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gilbequick

Well guys I went with the Extech EX730: http://www.extech.com/instrument/pro...10_720_730.pdf
It's got everything I want plus a few features I'll probably never use. It's RMS which pretty much made the choice given the price. Plus it's relatively compact and for $130 it's tough to beat.

Thanks for the input guys!

randomkiller

Good luck with the new meter and let us know what you think after you use it a while. I like the overall size.

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gilbequick

Got the meter in today. Ordered Monday received Friday, can't complain about that at all. At first site, the meter has a cheesy look to it, it's almost neon orange. But it feels like a quality product. The orange on it is actually a thick rubber coating so it should handle some bumps pretty good. It's a nice size, not big and bulky, just slightly larger than the Fluke T5. The leads on it I'm sure work fine but they have a somewhat "cheap" look to them and they're kind of long so I'll be using a set of extra Ideal or Greenlee leads I have laying around. I'm sure it makes no difference but hey, it makes me feel better.

The functions are easy to go through, easy enough you don't need the instruction manual, although it is helpful. You definitely don't need to read over it twice. I compared it with an RMS Ideal tester I have and they both produce voltage readings within a couple tenths of a volt, so it's accurate.

The DC amp clamp kicks arse....VERY CONVENIENT!

So once you mess with it for a few minutes and get past the neon orange, it seems to be pretty darn nice and I am so far very pleased with my purchase. I'll update this thread in a few months to see if I still feel the same way then.