Fluke 376FC or 378FC Alternatives - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: bpan
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 11, 2023, 01:04:03 am
content: A while ago I was asking here about multimeters and what you all thought of Flir. Anyhow, I purchased a Flir, but don't love it so it is going back.I really like the interface and ease of use on my Fluke 88V. The screen is well done, the button and function layouts are easy to operate and make sense.Before I go buy a Fluke 376FC or potentially a 378FC do you guys have any other suggestions?

author: Ugur
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 11, 2023, 05:36:26 am
content: To answer that, we need to know what you really need. If you don't measure very high current, I can also recommend the Fluke 325.

author: BeBuLamar
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 11, 2023, 11:50:19 am
content: The 378FC is very expensive because it has non contact voltage measurement. I am not sure if this feature works well. The 325 which is less expensive than any of the 37x models does have higher resolution in current measurement.

author: multiJ
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 11, 2023, 01:17:53 pm
content: Fluke 319 can be an option if you can find them in your place of the worldhttps://www.fluke.com/en-in/product/electrical-testing/clamp-meters/fluke-317-319

author: bpan
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 11, 2023, 03:21:36 pm
content: Thank you all for the suggestions, I think this has helped narrow it down for me completely! I am going to go with either the 376FC or the 378FC. (most likely the 376FC) I get into everything from low current 12v, occasinally up to 347V 3 phase and everything inbetween. My max amperage I have needed until this point is 400A, so a 600A rating is fine, but I would be ok with more.One thing that bugs me about the 325 and the 319 suggested are that there is 1 selection for VAC and VDC. I like to have those on a separate dial selection.Thanks again guys, you are all so fast to help out!

author: BeBuLamar
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 11, 2023, 05:15:14 pm
content: The one thing I dislike about the Fluke 37x series is that it has 1 range of current measurement and it only measures down to 1/10 of an Amp. I never use a clamp meter for anything else but to measure current so I never care for the voltage or resistance functions on these. Perhaps you may need more than 400A in a car but I work in the industries and working with motors up to 400HP but never need more than 400A capability.

author: bdunham7
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 11, 2023, 05:33:20 pm
content: Quote from: bpan on July 11, 2023, 01:04:03 amAre you just measuring current or will you use the other features (voltage, FC, i-Flex add-on, etc)? If you don't need any of the additional features you may as well not pay for them. Sometimes a very good tool that does everything isn't as handy as several that add up to the same thing.The current clamps you have listed have very limited frequency response, which they refer to as built-in VFD filtering. Is that OK?I have the basic Fluke 323 (AC only ) for actual mains usage and then the i1010 clamp (AC/DC 10kHz, works with DMM) for other things. I also have an i400 and a line splitter for logging AC current in case I want to look at something over a 24 hour period or whatever.