Fluke 323 vs a Fluke 179 with i200s - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: Steve Zarg
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: December 04, 2015, 07:14:27 pm
content: Hello,I have a repair project where using an amp meter could be helpful. I own a Fluke 179 and just priced a i200s current clamp accessory and have learned that it costs over twice as much as the Fluke 323 Clampmeter.I don't anticipate ever using an amp meter for more than 20 amps in any application so either unit seems to have plenty of capacity.What else should I be thinking about before making a purchase decision?Thank you.

author: retiredcaps
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 04, 2015, 07:41:51 pm
content: If you don't need more than 20A, the Fluke 323 would be a good backup meter to the Fluke 179. It is also a lot safer in that it is harder to make an oops moment.

author: Electro Fan
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 05, 2015, 01:22:28 am
content: Quote from: retiredcaps on December 04, 2015, 07:41:51 pmI happen to have a Fluke 179 - it's been one of my favorite pieces of equipment for about 10 years. The 323 looks like a pretty good value. Only thing it might be nice to add is a backlight but Fluke will happily give you that (+ capacitance) in the 324. I have an Amprobe ACD-14 TRMS-Plus clamp meter which is ok but the display has small characters - can't tell if the Fluke display would be larger, but it's something to consider. I don't use the clamp very often but when you need it it's a pretty cool tool.An accessory to consider is one of these:http://www.amazon.com/Amprobe-ELS2A-AC-Line-Splitter/dp/B001DPR0FE/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1449278159&sr=8-5&keywords=ac+splitter+for+clamp+meterhttp://www.amazon.com/Tekpower-M920-AC-Line-Splitter/dp/B003A0MD48/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1449278159&sr=8-4&keywords=ac+splitter+for+clamp+meter- don't know how safe and reliable these are (always good to be extra safe with AC) but it looks like a "deal" at $35 including shipping for the clamp meter and the splitterhttp://www.amazon.com/Tekpower-UT202A-Uni-Trend-Auto-ranging-Splitter/dp/B00IRLJTGA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449278159&sr=8-1&keywords=ac+splitter+for+clamp+meterI think for AC work it might be good to go with a Fluke:http://www.amazon.com/Fluke-323-True-RMS-Clamp-Meter/dp/B00AQKIEXY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449278957&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=fluke+323&psc=1http://www.amazon.com/Fluke-324-Temperature-Capacitance-Measurements/dp/B009AZ0TXE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1449279054&sr=8-2&keywords=fluke+324Seems like this is about 1x rather than 2x the price of the 323:http://www.testequipmentdepot.com/fluke/accessories/current-clamps/i200.htm?gclid=CKuG-eTKw8kCFYGCaQodbdgKnw- just add this to your 179 and you are ready to clamphttp://www.nscainc.com/uploads_2014/product_guides/F_I200S.pdf- i200s would get you to 100mA vs 500mA?- Includes BNC connector making it suitable for use with any oscilloscope, power analyzer or ScopeMeter® testtool having a compatible BNC input connector?http://www.amazon.com/Fluke-I200S-Current-Clamp-Voltage/dp/B000LDD9PYFrom Amazon review:Fluke I200S AC current clamp is a very handy instrument to measure power. I’m using this clamp with a Fluke 190 series Oscilloscope to evaluate power factor & watts. The BNC connector is perfect for oscilloscopes connections. The quality of included adapter for DVM’s (4mm banana) is good and very safe. The 20 Amps scale is reliable with loads below the 40% of the scale; if the load is > to 8 Amps is better to move the selector to the 200 Amps scale.http://www.testequipmentdepot.com/application-notes/pdf/clamp-meters/using-accessory-current-clamps-with-fluke-digital-multimeters_an.PDF

author: Steve Zarg
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: December 06, 2015, 01:01:18 am
content: Thanks to both of you for the replies and the helpful suggestions.