Clamp meter,safe,reliable,and under $200

[Neeko]

hey guys/gals.... I AM NEW,so sorry if I'm doing something wrong. I tried to search first,but didnt find what I'm looking for.ANY HELP WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED..... I'm looking for a clamp meter under $200. Things I'm looking for are....
: SAFE/RELIABLE
: AC/DC current clamp
: fairly accurate both AC/DC from clamp from .25amps(250milliamp - 100amps)
: continuity
: max/min
: inrush would be a plus but not a must
ANY AND ALL HELP IS GREATLY APPRECIATED!!! I'm a beginner when it comes to meters but TRULY wanting to learn. My 1st QUALITY multimeter I just got the eevlog brymen bm235 now need the clamp meter! Again if I'm post in wrong place or unapropaly IM SOOOO SORRY... by the way I was looking at the Klein cl800,but was told it's not accurate down to .25 amps and theres better options but wasnt offered any...lol

[AVGresponding]

I use a Mastech 2108A

https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-MS2108A-Digital-Clamp-Meter-Multimeter-AC-DC-Current-Volt-Tester/171901109389

[Neeko]

Thank you for your help. Does it seem fairly accurate through the clamp down to .5 amps

[rsjsouza]

I use some antiques, but people around here like the UT210E a lot - it has a good construction but the jaw is not huge.
https://www.uni-trend.com/html/product/General_Meters/digitalclampmeters/UT210_Series/UT210E.html

However, at this price range you can look at a meter with a bit more counts (10000) and it has also some good reviews such as the GTC CM100.
https://gtc.ca/product/cm100-milliamp-clamp-meter/

The manual does not say it, but its FAQ says that, when measuring current, the probe terminals have an output of 10m/A, thus allowing it to act as a current probe.

There is also a more featured Amprobe AMP-320 with 10mA resolution and AC+DC, etc.
https://www.amprobe.com/product/amp-320/

[cdev]

The UT-210E that I have gets used a lot, because the clamp is convenient in many situations.

Its inherently a safe meter because its non-invasive and also it has a nifty NCV sensor that has proven to be super useful in warning where voltage is present in any device. You really cant go wrong for $35. Accuracy is much better than I expected.

 Is it 1ma on current, 1 pf for capacitance?

Yes if you understand its limitations which any other meter of the same kind would also share.

You should have some means of degaussing it periodically but that is easy to make.

[threephase]

A bit above the $200, is the Flir CM46, which I use and have found it to be reliable and accurate. You may be able to shop around and get it cheaper.

https://www.flir.com/products/cm46/

[wraper]

Brymen BM037 or BM035. Specs: https://brymen.eu/wp-content/uploads/biall/102194/102194.KARTA_EN..2020-05-22.1.pdf

[J-R]

The AMP-2xx/3xx series meters have similarities to the Brymen clamp meters.  Not sure of the history there.  All appear to have the same minor annoyance where they can only measure down to 0.1V.  Just something to keep in mind.

I picked up the AMP-330 with NIST calibration+data for a good price a while back.  I've found it to be pretty accurate in most cases, generally within 0.05A.  But a lot of that depends on conditions.  Values below 0.25A start to wander a bit.

Here is the calibration data:
Setpoint    As Left
19.00A     19.18A (small conductor position)
58.00A     58.43A (small conductor position)
58.00A     58.75A
580.0A     582.2A
975A        980A

I just did a quick test between 0.5A to 40.0A and found it to be fully spot on to the tenth of an amp the entire way.

[AVGresponding]

Thank you for your help. Does it seem fairly accurate through the clamp down to .5 amps

It has 400A and 40A ranges for both AC and DC. In 40A range the resolution is 10mA, and seems well within its specs of +/- 2% + 6 digits, indeed when nulled carefully using the REL button, the LSD is spot on, compared against a 1% shunt combined with a 0.05% DMM.

[wraper]

: inrush would be a plus but not a must

None of suggested besides brymen have Crest function AFAIK.

[Neeko]

Yea for the money I am looking at the brymen 035 and 037, Klein cl800, or the cheaper uni-t something 210e I think...... IVE ONLY BEEN PART OF THIS GROUP FOR 2 DAY AND ITS GREAT TO SEE THE HELP I CAN RECEIVE!!!! ITS A GREAT PLACE...... THANK YOU

[rsjsouza]

: inrush would be a plus but not a must

None of suggested besides brymen have Crest function AFAIK.

It is a bit hard to figure out this because most of the manufacturers call it "inrush"  instead of crest. All the models I mentioned above have this ability - at least they mention this or were tested by others.

[rsjsouza]

Yea for the money I am looking at the brymen 035 and 037, Klein cl800, or the cheaper uni-t something 210e I think......

Just one bit. Klein's CL900 has inrush, but apparently not the CL800.

https://www.kleintools.com/catalog/clamp-meters/digital-clamp-meter-ac-auto-range-trms-low-impedance-loz-2000-amp

[wraper]

: inrush would be a plus but not a must

None of suggested besides brymen have Crest function AFAIK.

It is a bit hard to figure out this because most of the manufacturers call it "inrush"  instead of crest. All the models I mentioned above have this ability - at least they mention this or were tested by others.

I don't see UT210E manual mentioning inrush capability.

[Neeko]

Yea it does not have inrush feature,but inrush is not a must for me. It would be nice though. I bought the Klein cl900 and returned it because for some reason the clamp was NOT working. It was reading 3 amps on a line that was pulling 8 amps and other times it wouldn't read ANYTHING.... THE MAIN THINGS I NEED ARE
SAFE
RELIABLE
DEFINITELY FAIRLY ACCURATE FOR AC AND DC FROM CLAMP down to 250 or 500 milliamps
Max min
Buzzer for continuity (hopefully fairly fast detection)
And definitely true rms
Theese are the only things I really need... and 50-200 dollars at most
AGAIN....THANK YOU,AND ANYONE ELSE WHO HELPS

[rsjsouza]

: inrush would be a plus but not a must

None of suggested besides brymen have Crest function AFAIK.

It is a bit hard to figure out this because most of the manufacturers call it "inrush"  instead of crest. All the models I mentioned above have this ability - at least they mention this or were tested by others.

I don't see UT210E manual mentioning inrush capability.

Yeah, you are right. One more reason the UT210E is cheaper than the others. Not to detract from it, but it just fits different requirements. 

To the OP: a discussion about other Uni-T clamps. Apparently the UT216C is also good.
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/which-uni-t-clamp-meter-to-buy/

[Neeko]

Yea I was just looking at 3 clamp meters the Klein cl800, Brymen BM037, and the uni-t 216D with the nice old display,but dont think it's worth spending 200 for the display but the uni-t 216c for 100 looks like good. Think I'm gonna try and find some opinions on the Klein cl800,brymen bm037,and the uni-t 216c. there all around 100 dollars! And should be good enough for me to learn worth! AGAIN..... I CANT BE MORE GRATEFUL FOR ALL THE HELP IM GETTING HERE!!!

[HKJ]

For a cheap clamp meter the UT210E is one of the best, like most clamp meters it is not perfect at low DC current, but it is better than many other. Do not expect clamp meters to be precise, they are not. DC clamps will often change reading when you change orientation of the clamp (Due to Earths magnetic field).
If you want to measure DC mA with a clamp, take a look at Benning CM11, I have recently bought one and it looks to be the best low current DC clamp I have seen.
Measuring DC below 1A (or thereabout) is not something many clamp meters do well, most works much better with a couple of amps or more. I.e. I would not use the same clamp for higher current as I would for low current, especially when talking DC.

[Neeko]

Yea looks like a great clamp meter but twice what I'm looking to spend. I TRULY believe you get what you pay for. Most of the time. But this is my 1st clamp meter and trying to stay under 200

[HKJ]

Yea looks like a great clamp meter but twice what I'm looking to spend. I TRULY believe you get what you pay for. Most of the time. But this is my 1st clamp meter and trying to stay under 200

If you believe much of you usage is below 1A, get the UT210E, for higher current it is not nearly as important what meter you get.
I have reviewed a couple of clamp meters, being an electronic guy I am very interested in the low DC current behavior and not as much in how the meter handles 1000A AC.
As a general meter I would never recommend a clamp meter, they are nice for measuring current, but fairly limited for everything else (They work, but a $20 DMM is often better).

[HKJ]

The UT-210e for what it does, it does well.  If you follow the instructions to the letter its accuracy is really good, like 1ma, 1pf. Error introduced by our own carelessness or laziness is going to be the same with all meters of similar design.

The UT210E is not anywhere near 1mA accuracy, but you can easily detect 10mA DC with it (But not measure it accurately). To measure low currents you need to use the zero button, then clamp it around the wire and then check again outside the wire to see how much it has drifted.
To check if a car uses to much standby current from the battery I would say it is adequate, but measuring current consumption from a low power circuit it is not.

[Neeko]

Yea I'm mostly useing this for small dc current working on my car,high power electric scooter(like wiring lights)and for around the house checking load on breakers,checking current for generator use....ect definitely 20amps or less and never over 100 amp or even close to that. Think I'm going to pick up the uni-t 210e for low current and look for something reasonable for higher stuff like a brymen BM037 or uni-t 216c or the Klein cl800..... between the 2 I should be ok. I just bought my 1st decent multimeter meter and got scammed. Was told it was a new up to date eevlog brymen bm235 but turned out to be the oldest 1st edition

[HKJ]

I just bought my 1st decent multimeter meter and got scammed. Was told it was a new up to date eevlog brymen bm235 but turned out to be the oldest 1st edition

You may be scammed, but you still got a very good meter.

[Neeko]

Yes from what I've been told..... it might be the oldest version but still a QUALITY multimeter that I got for 100 bucks. It last me years!

[J-R]

Be careful about the "Inrush" feature as in many cases it is only for AC amperage.  For example, the AMP-25 is this way.