Clamp meter or multimeter

Hi,
Expecting a few quid of Santa been looking at fluke clamp meters was wondering if I should buy one and double it up as a multimeter as well or bite the bullet and buy one of each. Any suggesting thanks in advance.


Charlie

i have a t1 000 and its bulletproof clamp and general meter in one takes lots of stick and keep a good meter for the fine stuff

I'd buy one of each if you can afford it, that way if ones broke or been lent to someone or off for testing you can still get by.

Some meters also measure temperature and capacitance which are both usefull in our trade, check the range though as my clamp meter won't read start caps but other models do.

Jon :)

Same as Jon says. I have analogue clamp for current readings, then a Fluke 114 for general use then Fluke 117 as backup and capacitance testing.. Then there is the old Di*k Smith meter as a last resort..Mike.

a fluke t1000 is good for fault finding,checking currents upto 100amp but resistance check is limited,but it doesnt trip rcd circuit breakers which is a great benefit,so get a few meters, capacitor checker, good digital multi meter,plenty of batteries and fused test leads ( u can measure current on a multimeter but i wouldnt risk blowing me meter up trying

I use a Fluke 173 with temp and amp attachments, a Hioki combo, and a Fluke 117, all cat-111 rated, plus an Avo electronic meggar. Recent addition was a Fluke digital 2 chanel thermo, and an IR thermo and a data logger that I havent figured out yet.

I reckon one of each, or more. I find that often I want to have a clamp meter positioned for reading at a glance whilst I'm fault finding / testing with a multimeter. Also I've found generally most clamp meters don't have sufficient range for measuring reasonably high resistance such as contactor coils, and as mentioned, many do not measure capacitance. A quick run through my kit, Multimeter Fluke 117, a basic Clamp meter, a small open - ended clamp KYORITSU 2300R (for those tricky hard to reach spaces), a Megger, and a set of old fashioned test lamps - the batteries never go flat, simple, reliable and quick operation, and if positioned correctly they can be seen from the other end of the plant room, great for solenoid wiring, level switches, and motor circuits. Oh, and a bunch of test lead prongs / claws / adaptors.

Hi Magoo. Ever shot the IR at the clouds, just out of interest or boredom?

Hi MikeRef.
No but will try it out, hey you guys are up up for another cyclone, again. Victoria had a battering, really unusual down there.
Friggen hot and humid Christmas day here, back yard cricket got a hammering, the rugby ball was punished. Plus the frizzby knacketed everyone lost somewhere in the neigbours place. In general a huge day for an old person

Ah, a little late in my reply Magoo (watching Transformers movie). Curious about IR effective measurement when aimed at vapour, as in cloud mass. Similar situation when aiming into island freezer when humidity of shop is high and mist, (for the lack of a better term on my days off), blankets the products :).
As for our weather, Cyclone "GRANT" is over Northern Territory, too far away to affect Queensland. Good to see you enjoying the Xmas break unlike "Mad", who has probably got vertigo after the recent quakes in Christchurch :eek:. . Mike.