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Looking for a clamp meter

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9.3K views 94 replies 17 participants last post by  JimsGT  
#1 ·
Is there a meter with better bang for buck than the Klein cl800? Looking at fluke meters, money doesn’t get you nearly as far… the t6-1000 is like 450 and doesn’t have a clamp, which I’m iffy on. Just looking for some advice before I go and spend money on what I hope to be my go to meter for everything. Currently using a pretty basic Klein meter without an amp clamp and that’s quite annoying, my foreman and boss have the cl800 and from what I’ve seen I like it. Any suggestions/experiences with the cl800?
 
#2 ·
As a meter manufacturer, Klein makes pretty good pliers.

Buy a T5-600. I bet half the guys on this site use it as their daily meter. It’s Low Z, which is important.

I have a Fluke 325 and it stays in the bag unless I need to measure current, which is rare. My daily meter is a $60 Ideal which gives me Low Z volts, continuity, NCVT and a flashlight. It’s a trooper.
 
#5 ·
Neither the T5 nor the T6 is low Z. I really don't much care for the T5. A lot of guys praise the small form factor, but the ohms scale only goes to 1000Ω, which can get you into trouble sometimes. The T6 is better at 100 kΩ. The T6 1000 is also Cat IV 600V, which is important depending on what you do. I know Klein and Ideal both have clamp meters that have a low Z, I just trust Fluke more. The problem with fluke is that they don't make one meter/tester that does everything. Their clamp meters can be pretty limited in functions. I have a whole pile of meters and testers, but I am not a minimalist when it comes to test equipment.
 
#7 ·
How about the Amprobe 210 or 310? Good quality and affordable.

I have a Simpson Power Clamp 400A and I really like it, but it’s not budget friendly like the Amprobe.

I also have an Amprobe RS3 analog, and truth be told I use it more than my Simpson or Fluke. There’s something about an analog meter that I prefer to a digital meter.
 
#8 ·
I have a C800 as my in-the-pouch meter. It's okay. For me it gets irritating because it won't discern between AC and DC in voltage mode. There's only one voltage reading position on the switch, and if you are expecting DC you have to push a button to switch to DC or it won't read it. That frustrates me because I read DC often. For many electricians this wouldn't be problem at all.
A couple of good things about the C800 are the work light, which has its moments, and it has a 'lip' on the clamp for separating wires. Also it has a LoZ mode.
Drawbacks - I cracked the lens of the display somehow. Maybe not so tough. :) Probes plug in one the bottom so if you leave the probes plugged in when it's in your pouch it's pretty tall. All in all a pretty decent meter for general tasks.
If you are going to do a lot of troubleshooting then maybe look at a Fieldpiece meter. Good pricing for decent meters with a good reputation.
I have Extech and Flir meters, too. The big Flir meters are REALLY good, in my experience, but the little Extechs are just okay.
 
#12 ·
First off Fluke snobs can kiss my grits.


$100,000 on sale.

Second check out Amprobe. Tested in Fluke Labs. It’s basically the Fluke budget brand. Keep in mind the above statement…I had the AC/DC-54NAV and used it for years until it dropped about 80 feet onto concrete. Mostly still worked except the clamp part was broke. Now have the AMP-330.
 
#15 ·
I like the looks of this Ideal meter

https://www.idealind.com/us/en/category/product.html/600a-ac-dc-trms-tightsightr-clamp-meter.html

It has true RMS, low Z, and a CAT rating, bunch of other features and a few gimmicks, for about $135 at Home Depot.
The tightsight was glorious in its day, but has been pretty near rendered useless by the advent of bluetooth meters that can display the value on your phone.

I've got to say, though... that meter is ticking all of the boxes for me, personally. The only thing that would make it even better would be if there was a separate jack for the K-type thermocouple so that it could be used as an amp for thermocouples and you could get a probe wand and plug it in. That's something that not many people would want, but it would be the icing on the cake for me.
 
#16 ·
Is there a meter with better bang for buck than the Klein cl800? Looking at fluke meters, money doesn’t get you nearly as far… the t6-1000 is like 450 and doesn’t have a clamp, which I’m iffy on. Just looking for some advice before I go and spend money on what I hope to be my go to meter for everything. Currently using a pretty basic Klein meter without an amp clamp and that’s quite annoying, my foreman and boss have the cl800 and from what I’ve seen I like it. Any suggestions/experiences with the cl800?
You really need to define what "Everything" is.

+1 for the Amprobe, Ideal and Hioki too ... I'll add in UEI also, they make some really nice meters.


My everyday is an old Greenlee amp clamp. Been abused alot, and for resi stuff has never let me down.

I have a couple of Multimeters, DC Amp clamp, Scopemeter, Megger, and an old analog meter.
 
#18 ·
Here is what might be almost the perfect clamp meter:


It connects to your phone up to 1000 feet away (so it says) to display values.
True RMS, low-pass filter, the clamp swivels so you can see the value when the wire isn't going where you want, and it has two features that I haven't seen on a meter before - it has a micro-amps DC range for sensor readings using the clamp (!) and it has a phase rotation check thing built in. Comes with TWO thermocouples that PLUG IN PROPERLY. Oh, man. I want this meter now.
Not cheap, but if it had Fluke's name on it it would be $1000 more.
Drawbacks - Looks pretty tall. Not sure how it would fit in a tool bag. There is a version that doesn't have the swivel clamp that is shorter.
 
#22 ·
Here is what might be almost the perfect clamp meter:


It connects to your phone up to 1000 feet away (so it says) to display values.
True RMS, low-pass filter, the clamp swivels so you can see the value when the wire isn't going where you want, and it has two features that I haven't seen on a meter before - it has a micro-amps DC range for sensor readings using the clamp (!) and it has a phase rotation check thing built in. Comes with TWO thermocouples that PLUG IN PROPERLY. Oh, man. I want this meter now.
Not cheap, but if it had Fluke's name on it it would be $1000 more.
Drawbacks - Looks pretty tall. Not sure how it would fit in a tool bag. There is a version that doesn't have the swivel clamp that is shorter.
That seems to be missing LoZ. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an electrician with a Fieldpiece. I’m surprised they don’t try to push more into the electrical trade.
 
#27 ·
This thing ticks all the boxes to make it a T5 killer. LoZ, TrueRMS, 200A jaws, and a bunch of other nice features. But it’s made by Milwaukee, it just doesn’t feel right for a meter.

View attachment 199553
I almost bought one of those some time ago, but I don't like that the test leads plug in the bottom.
[/QUOTE]
 
#29 · (Edited)
My experience with Ideal is good. This is my daily meter with Low Z volts, continuity beeper, NCVT and flashlight. It’s also backlit. No amps. 60 loonies. I love a meter I can abuse and don’t have to treat like it’s a Rolex.

Looking at Fluke pricing, it looks like they have jumped in price since I bought my 325. It’s now $500. That’s insane.
Image
 
#44 · (Edited)
When I started as an apprentice, I had an ideal multimeter from when I went to trade school. It was stolen out of my bag on a large school job I was working on. I used a T5 for a while. I then bought a 400A ideal clamp meter at a discount store for $29.99 (discontinued) which I used for years until I started having problems with it. I also carried an old ideal Wiggy type tester for dealing with ghost voltages and quick checks. Shortly after I became a journeyman I bought the Fluke 117/323 combo and then upgraded the 323 to a 374 FC about 7 years ago for higher cat rating, amperage to 600A and motor inrush. I still use the 117, it is now 9+ years old. I upgraded the 80s ideal vol test to a knopp k60. For the last 5 years or so I've also been using a T+pro for a daily tester. Its ok, the ohms range is not very accurate and I broke the rubber piece where the leads go into the tester. Good thing I had a parts one from home as fluke won't sell just that piece AFAIK. I bought one of those ideal testers like @99cents posted above from Menards (Home improvement store in the Midwest) for $29.99 And I think if I got better leads for it it would be OK for a daily tester as well.
 
#49 ·
I had a few Klein clamp on that I bought when I didn't have my main tools with me....and ended up using as a backup meters....functionally they work good but they aren't durable they break way too easy.

I like the Fluke 325...its a true RMS, its good if you work on motor drives and general commercial electric.
The one I have is about 10 years old and Its has a few battle scares from being bounced around but still works. they make a 323 and 324 that are a bit cheaper but are not true RMS.

The Fluke t5 series and T6 are good too you can really beat the hell out of them. I have a T5-1000 that I bought in 1999 that still works great.
 
#67 ·
Just some remarks for your shopping.

Remember you're going to want a tester with low Z for everyday work that you'll put in your pouch first.

Then you're going to need at least one additional meter but it's not likely you'll carry it for general troubleshooting, you'll go get these meters when your troubleshooting indicates you need it.
For some people, measuring current is more of a common thing, and a fork meter might be handy, but that's really a minority.

Almost everyone occasionally has to measure line current*, when they do, it can be very helpful if it can record min / max / average (to the point I wouldn't even buy a clamp meter that didn't have this) and depending the environment you work in a flexible loop might be a must too. Lots of times you'll actually still need your tester to measure voltage or continuity elsewhere while you're measuring current. Another reason you need a tester in addition to a clamp meter.

The Fluke 87 is not a clamp meter but it is set up to measure a lot of things that are common for industrial, they cost a lot but have earned a devoted following, it's a good third meter for your collection if you do industrial work.

* Measuring instrumentation current for 4-20ma is a different animal
 
#74 ·
The specs look OK, but it's priced a bit high. One of my 2 clamp meters is a UNI-T UT203 (AC & DC current clamp), and the other is an Ideal 61-73 (AC only clamp). The UT203 is discontinued, so if I had to buy a new one today I'd probably go for the UT213.
The calibration on the UNI-T meters seems pretty good, within 0.5% for AC & DC voltage readings, although you probably don't need that kind of accuracy. When I'm testing out a new inverter, I like to measure the input DC voltage and output AC voltages with a good meter and compare it to the voltages reported by the inverter to make the inverter was properly calibrated at the factory. Clamp current meters aren't very accurate (maybe 2% for the best ones), so when I want more accuracy I'll use a power meter with a toroid current transformer
 
#76 ·
4 pages of posts to go through to catch up, so I won't. This was hinted at by @frc.mentor.jim and @emtnut . If this is redundant ignore it.

  • Define what kind of work you will be doing.
  • Define what measurements you need to accomplish your job.
  • Define your primary needs and specialty needs.
  • Define what level of accuracy is needed.
  • Determine the level of category protection is needed.
  • Look at 3 reputable brands of meters to see what capabilities are offered. My suggestion would be Amprobe, Ideal, and Greenlee.
  • Get a good general purpose meter that meets your primary needs.

My suggestion is a 600A true RMS clamp meter with 600A and 600V category 4 protection if you are doing commercial or industrial work. I would recommend a 200A fork or clamp meter with 300V category 3 protection for strictly residential.

A good rule of thumb is a garden variety clamp meter initially and a Fluke 87V, or similar later. The DMM can use a number of attachments for specialty measurements.
Further specialty that you can't do with a DMM and attachments will require dedicated single purpose equipment.

Don't get hung up on brand, but buy something reputable.
 
#77 ·
Leisure Dave if you‘re considering the Klein CL-800 (which I have and like), please know that the Klein CL-810 is the newest. It has all of the CL-800 features plus a dedicated in-rush mode, microamps through the leads, relative mode, new display, and illuminated dial.

I also have the Ideal 61-757 that splatz mentions. It has all of the CL-800 features plus peak voltage and the second display screen. I like this one, too.

The CL-800, CL-810, and 61-757 are all basically the same price depending on sales and discounts. The comparable feature set on the Fluke and Fieldpiece are considerably more expensive, Let us know what you end up getting.