electrical meter

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hbeery10

hbeery10

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Sardis, Ohio
I need to get a new electrical meter. It needs to do the basic stuff - measure amps, volts, ohms, hertz, ect. Just curious what people recommend getting. I've looked at some different Fluke models, but there are a lot of different options. I'm open to other manufacturers as well. I know there are probably a lot of different opinions out there, but if someone has one they really like, I'm interested in knowing. Thanks!
 
There is no one meter to rule them all.

As long as you stay away from the super cheap stuff I think the brand of meter you choose is far less important than than getting one with the features you need.

Ninety-some percent of electrical work all you need is go/no go. The Fluke t-5 series gets this done as good as any. I swore off of Fluke when they moved to China. Nothing wrong with picking up a good one off flea bay though.

At some point you might need greater sophistication....What in the world do I need with a meter that has a k temp probe? Whatever, it's on sale and I didn't spend as much as I thought I would for Christmas presents....fast forward to a future date....call back about a commercial oven I wired up for a cookie store...

Me- What's wrong with your oven?

Frustrated Cookie Baker-Sometimes my cookies come out perfect, other times they are burnt around the edges. Tech support says that I need to make sure my oven is coming up to temp in the first ten minutes.

Me- I know a good way to find out.

Me on the phone with the Tech Support guy- Yes I did check that.
 
PetrosA said:
T5-600 is convenient, but not TRMS if that's important to you.

What's your budget?
Click to expand...
I think I'd be willing to spend a couple hundred if it was worth it. I had a cheap meter a few years ago and one day realized it was giving me a wrong reading at a job (a coworker had a meter I was comparing it to) so it immediately went into the trash can. I can't afford having unreliable information coming out of a meter.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk
 
hbeery10 said:
I think I'd be willing to spend a couple hundred if it was worth it. I had a cheap meter a few years ago and one day realized it was giving me a wrong reading at a job (a coworker had a meter I was comparing it to) so it immediately went into the trash can. I can't afford having unreliable information coming out of a meter.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Ok. You didn't mention whether you'd prefer a DMM or clamp meter, but I'll assume you want the convenience of a clamp for now. I would recommend looking at brands that design and manufacture their own units and don't just rebrand someone else's stuff. I'm not saying that a rebranded unit won't do the job, but I've run into issues when dealing with these companies when it comes to tech support since they don't usually have experts in-house.

One of the big limitations I've noticed among clamp meters is the resistance range. Many of them top out at 4k or 10k Ohms for some unknown reason. This isn't a problem for basic continuity testing or troubleshooting, but there are times when you might need more range than that, floor heat sensors being one example (8k-12k Ohms). Even the Flukes only go up to 6k Ohms. Only you know whether that's important or not for what you do.

Some are AC amps only, others are AC/DC amps capable. Again, only you know what you need. You will pay more for AC/DC amps capability, and ACA accuracy is affected to some degree with sensors capable of reading DCA.



A few of the main brands that design and manufacture:

AEMC, Amprobe and Fluke (they both belong to Danaher), Hioki, Keysight (was HP/Agilent).

Here are links to a few models I consider interesting:

These two clamps are obviously off the same assembly line, but the Yokogawa offers power measurements in addition to voltage and current.
http://www.tequipment.net/AmprobeACDC-52NAV.asp
http://www.tequipment.net/YokogawaCW10.html

AEMC offers good bang for your buck:

http://www.tequipment.net/AEMC503.html
http://www.tequipment.net/AEMC511.html
http://www.tequipment.net/AEMC512.html
http://www.tequipment.net/AEMC/514/Clamp-Meters/
http://www.tequipment.net/AEMC670.html
http://www.tequipment.net/AEMC675.html

The lower priced models max out the resistance reading at 4000 Ohms, the higher end ones go up to 10,000 Ohms.


Hioki makes a rugged, accurate tool. They don't sell bells and whistles :) I have a 3282 as my everyday clamp and I'm happy with it. It also measures up to 10k Ohms. The 3288-20 can do up to 40 Megaohms.

http://www.tequipment.net/Hioki3288-20.html
http://www.tequipment.net/Hioki3282.html

Agilent/Keysight has two lines of clamps, a lower priced line and a higher price one. The higher priced line allows you to use Bluetooth modules (attached to the back of the meter) to do remote monitoring of the readings. I own a U1211A. For my taste, it's too large to carry around all the time, but it's very accurate and the Bluetooth makes it invaluable for certain things. It's also the most expensive of the clamps I've listed.

http://www.tequipment.net/Agilent/U1212A/?b=y&v=7661

Fluke is the go-to brand for a lot of guys. They are rugged and accurate. Many models are now made in China but that doesn't seem to be affecting quality.

http://www.tequipment.net/Fluke375.html
http://www.tequipment.net/Fluke325.html

As you can see, the 325 and 375 are SO popular they don't even bother to tell you how much they cost. I've even heard you can get them for free by going down to www.thecrossroads.com and entering coupon code LEGBA6 ;)
 
PetrosA said:
Ok. You didn't mention whether you'd prefer a DMM or clamp meter, but I'll assume you want the convenience of a clamp for now. I would recommend looking at brands that design and manufacture their own units and don't just rebrand someone else's stuff. I'm not saying that a rebranded unit won't do the job, but I've run into issues when dealing with these companies when it comes to tech support since they don't usually have experts in-house.

One of the big limitations I've noticed among clamp meters is the resistance range. Many of them top out at 4k or 10k Ohms for some unknown reason. This isn't a problem for basic continuity testing or troubleshooting, but there are times when you might need more range than that, floor heat sensors being one example (8k-12k Ohms). Even the Flukes only go up to 6k Ohms. Only you know whether that's important or not for what you do.

Some are AC amps only, others are AC/DC amps capable. Again, only you know what you need. You will pay more for AC/DC amps capability, and ACA accuracy is affected to some degree with sensors capable of reading DCA.



A few of the main brands that design and manufacture:

AEMC, Amprobe and Fluke (they both belong to Danaher), Hioki, Keysight (was HP/Agilent).

Here are links to a few models I consider interesting:

These two clamps are obviously off the same assembly line, but the Yokogawa offers power measurements in addition to voltage and current.
http://www.tequipment.net/AmprobeACDC-52NAV.asp
http://www.tequipment.net/YokogawaCW10.html

AEMC offers good bang for your buck:

http://www.tequipment.net/AEMC503.html
http://www.tequipment.net/AEMC511.html
http://www.tequipment.net/AEMC512.html
http://www.tequipment.net/AEMC/514/Clamp-Meters/
http://www.tequipment.net/AEMC670.html
http://www.tequipment.net/AEMC675.html

The lower priced models max out the resistance reading at 4000 Ohms, the higher end ones go up to 10,000 Ohms.


Hioki makes a rugged, accurate tool. They don't sell bells and whistles :) I have a 3282 as my everyday clamp and I'm happy with it. It also measures up to 10k Ohms. The 3288-20 can do up to 40 Megaohms.

http://www.tequipment.net/Hioki3288-20.html
http://www.tequipment.net/Hioki3282.html

Agilent/Keysight has two lines of clamps, a lower priced line and a higher price one. The higher priced line allows you to use Bluetooth modules (attached to the back of the meter) to do remote monitoring of the readings. I own a U1211A. For my taste, it's too large to carry around all the time, but it's very accurate and the Bluetooth makes it invaluable for certain things. It's also the most expensive of the clamps I've listed.

http://www.tequipment.net/Agilent/U1212A/?b=y&v=7661

Fluke is the go-to brand for a lot of guys. They are rugged and accurate. Many models are now made in China but that doesn't seem to be affecting quality.

http://www.tequipment.net/Fluke375.html
http://www.tequipment.net/Fluke325.html

As you can see, the 325 and 375 are SO popular they don't even bother to tell you how much they cost. I've even heard you can get them for free by going down to www.thecrossroads.com and entering coupon code LEGBA6 ;)
Click to expand...
Wow, thanks for the info. I have been looking at both digital multi meters and clamp on meters. Are the advantages of a DMM (like a fluke 117) a lot more than a clamp on? I do need to measure current, so I will need at least one clamp on. Most of my meters I have had in the past have been clamp on's. I did like the features of the Amprobe you suggested.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk
 
I like the fluke 115
It has a low ohms function to eliminate the induced voltage - so acts like an old analog meter. Also has an inductive voltage detector.
My go to use every day is a fluke T+pro
Volts
Ohms
vibrates, lights up and beeps
LED light
GFCI tester
And does phase rotation with 2 leads
All for about $80.
These new meters are smart, don't have to switch from ohms to volts. Old meters if on ohms and measured volts, then you just smoked the meter
 
tom baker said:
I like the fluke 115
It has a low ohms function to eliminate the induced voltage - so acts like an old analog meter. Also has an inductive voltage detector.
My go to use every day is a fluke T+pro
Volts
Ohms
vibrates, lights up and beeps
LED light
GFCI tester
And does phase rotation with 2 leads
All for about $80.
These new meters are smart, don't have to switch from ohms to volts. Old meters if on ohms and measured volts, then you just smoked the meter
Click to expand...
The problem is that I can't measure current with a fluke 115, correct? I really like that it wouldn't measure induced voltage. I've had that problem before.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk
 
tom baker said:
I like the fluke 115
It has a low ohms function to eliminate the induced voltage - so acts like an old analog meter. Also has an inductive voltage detector.
Click to expand...

Pretty sure you have described the Fluke 117, not the 115 (which does not have the Lo-Z or VoltAlert settings).
 
Last edited:
PetrosA said:
One of the big limitations I've noticed among clamp meters is the resistance range. Many of them top out at 4k or 10k Ohms for some unknown reason. This isn't a problem for basic continuity testing or troubleshooting, but there are times when you might need more range than that, floor heat sensors being one example (8k-12k Ohms). Even the Flukes only go up to 6k Ohms. Only you know whether that's important or not for what you do.
Click to expand...

Great point!!! I did not know this and just switched to a clamp meter, just tested it and my fluke 335 won't read 7.5 K ohms. It explains some of the questionable readings I've gotton checking speed pots . oops I've replaced one or two.
 
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