Amprobe AMP-330, Extech MA1500, or Fluke ??? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: r00t
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: November 18, 2016, 08:59:33 pm
content: So I'm in the market for a new clamp meter as my Uni-t UT204 has died, and was rather lackluster in features or accuracy. I never really cared for the Uni, it was a last minute replacement an old Klein that died before it.My spec requirements are :AC and DC current clamp measuringGreater than 100ma resolution (preferably 10ma) on at least lower amperage readingsTrue RMSInrush a major ++at least 600a/v maxmin/max functionI've been trying to buy nicer equipment now, as I'm tired of inaccurate of unreliable cheap stuff kicking the bucket after a year or so. I'd love to stick with Fluke on this one, but the one spec of mine that I can't find a matching Fluke on is the current resolution. It seems all their meters (besides the "milliamp clamp meters") are 0.1a resolution. Unless I'm missing something.So really the two choices I've narrowed it down to otherwise are the Extech MA1500, or Amprobe AMP-330. I know Extech is owned by Flir, and Amprobe by Fluke, but that doesn't necessarily mean they had a hand in engineering or controlling the manufacturing of those devices. I have an old extech DMM that I keep in my emergency car bag, it's always been okay, not horribly accurate. I don't have any experience with anything recent of theirs, and I've never really spec'd Amprobe before now.Does anyone have any comments between these two companies generally, these two devices, or maybe any other device suggestions? I did search for both of these models and didn't find threads for either one, if I somehow overlooked them then I apologize.Thanks!

author: retiredcaps
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 18, 2016, 09:20:27 pm
content: Quote from: r00t on November 18, 2016, 08:59:33 pmWhich Fluke model are you looking at so we can see if your interpretation of the specification is correct or not?I'm not familiar at all with the Fluke clamps.

author: r00t
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: November 18, 2016, 09:35:13 pm
content: Quote from: retiredcaps on November 18, 2016, 09:20:27 pmThe one I was/am most considering would be the Fluke 376 (with or without the FC). 375 is similar but with lower max amp/volts and no I-Flex (not something I see me needing anytime soon). Also looked at the similarly specd older 365. Thought it was weird because there are a lot of cheap meters out there that can go to 10ma resolution in DC/AC, but none really with the Fluke that I could find. Maybe they weren't happy with the accuracy at that level?

author: retiredcaps
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 18, 2016, 09:47:23 pm
content: Manual for Fluke 376http://assets.fluke.com/manuals/37x_____umeng0000.pdfsays 0.1A resolution for AC and DC current so your understanding is correct.

author: cs.dk
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 19, 2016, 10:10:28 am
content: I've got a Brymen BM089, i'm quite happy with it.It does in-rush, 10 ma resolution, phase rotation, 1000V Cat III/600V Cat IV, AC/DC clamp, min/max/avg. etc.It does not autorange very fast, when used as multimeter, but i use it mainly for current, which works fine.http://www.tme.eu/en/details/bm089/meters-and-acdc-clamp-probes/brymen/Datasheet:http://brymen.com/product-html/cata080/BM080_Catalog.pdf

author: r00t
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: November 19, 2016, 02:35:44 pm
content: Quote from: cs.dk on November 19, 2016, 10:10:28 amThanks for the response. It looks like to me the Brymen BM089 is maybe a rebranded Amprobe AMP-330? They have identical stats and LCD screens and nearly identical bodies. Brymen seems like primarily a EU brand. Yeah I'm not too interested in the DMM features in my clamp unit either, although they're nice sometimes, I have a fluke 117 and 289 that I would use for most of those situations though. Glad to hear you like the meter though it seems like a great one for the price.I have a nasty habit of making spreadsheets when I start comparing things too much, so I threw this together last night and figured I'd share if anyone is interested. Take it with a grain of salt, as it's obviously tailored for my needs, and I tried to spend as little time as possible on it there's the possibility of errors.https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_fBxaPp5MjNScYv0FAn48KTFf2wmAoafieMubGK-Fuc/edit?usp=sharingFrom it I've pretty much ruled out the Extech I think. Am now debating between the AMP-330 and the Hioki 4371. With an honourable mention to the Agilent(Keysight) U1213A. I'll probably wind up with one of the Hioki's now lol.Let me know if anyone has anymore input. Thanks!

author: amirm
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 19, 2016, 06:03:40 pm
content: Quote from: r00t on November 18, 2016, 09:35:13 pmI bought a 376 a couple of months ago and am super disappointed in its accuracy in DC. It is consistently low by about 15% from a few amps all the way up to tens of amps. I sent email to Fluke and they did not even respond! Plan to call them but am very unhappy about its performance.

author: Lightages
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 19, 2016, 06:51:25 pm
content: Quote from: r00t on November 19, 2016, 02:35:44 pmActually Brymen is the original manufacturer for some Amprobe, Extech MM series, Greenlee, some others, and is also selling their meters using their own brand. Dave Jones also sells a specially branded version of the BM235.

author: r00t
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: November 19, 2016, 09:22:50 pm
content: Quote from: amirm on November 19, 2016, 06:03:40 pmThat sucks! I'm sure once you get ahold of them they'll make it right, but I'd be fairly upset too.Quote from: Lightages on November 19, 2016, 06:51:25 pmInteresting - Thanks!

author: Ebivetar
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: November 20, 2016, 10:59:50 am
content: I have HIOKI CM4374. Using it for 2 months already and its great.It looks like you need HIOKI CM4371 or CM4372.If you do not need 3 phase rotation on your clamp meter, go with HIOKI. You should also check Flir. I believe that their newest models are really similar to Amprobe AMP-330 + you get better warranty. And OEM for this is BRYMENHere are some links for HIOKI clamps:https://www.hioki.com/en/products/detail/?product_key=6362

author: r00t
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: November 20, 2016, 07:25:29 pm
content: Quote from: Ebivetar on November 20, 2016, 10:59:50 amThanks - glad you like it - i couldn't really find any reviews for that series. Yeah I'm leaning towards the Hioki CM4371 at the moment. I think the AMP-330/BM089 has a few more features, like the 3 phase detection, but none are ones that are really that important to me. However, the Hioki seems like it might be better quality and have better reliability, makes me feel more confident. It's just a brand I've never really seen before and don't really find much when searching these forums. I assume they're bigger in Japan/Asia.Thanks for the suggestion on Flir! I actually hadn't thought to look to see if they made any clamp meters. The Flir CM82/CM74 look really great for the price and features, the only thing I'm not sure of is if they have .01a resolution at a lower amp range. I'll have to contact Flir to confirm. I added them to the spreadsheet to compare.

author: BravoV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 20, 2016, 08:04:48 pm
content: Quote from: r00t on November 18, 2016, 08:59:33 pmAs long we're talking a hand held clamp meter, not a low current "probe" as normally used in oscilloscope, I think its not easy to find a reliable 10ma resolution in DC current measurement.Not an expert though, I own U1213A (teardown) , the earth magnet it self will affect the 100ma resolution in DC Amp mode, like standing in the middle of grass football field, changing the handheld orientation like just turning the clamp jaw will make the 100ma resolution useless, let alone 10ma resolution.And when surrounding has huge metal objects like metal cabinets,table etc, they will also affect the U1213A in 100ma resolution heavily as it keeps fluctuating, I had to maintain the clamp's jaw not moving, while holding breath, in order to get a stable 100ma resolution.

author: rjardina
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2016, 03:14:28 am
content: Quote from: r00t on November 20, 2016, 07:25:29 pmI can't speak about the Hioki, but I do own the BM089, it is my daily driver, and has been drop from two stories on to hard cement without damage, to be fair it did have the leads wrapped around it and landed flat on it's back too, also went through a dishwasher. the LED flashlight is gimmick. Even though you said you're leaning more for the Hioki, if you did go with the BM089 don't get the amp-330 you'll save $60+ importing being in the US, or at least I did when I bough mine.

author: r00t
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2016, 03:46:10 am
content: Quote from: rjardina on November 21, 2016, 03:14:28 amlol, I could see how one would mistake an amp meter for kitchen plates. That's good to hear @ dropping it though, it looked like it had a decent case but they didn't list any "drop test" ratings, like a lot of the other meters did. Yeah I don't care too much for the LED light feature, I use a headlamp 99% of the time. From what I saw the BM089 was available from 2 websites for 155ish shipped, and the amp-330 was 185ish. The only disadvantage of importing the BM089 to USA would be if I did need warranty work it'd complicate the matters and be more expensive shipping (and longer), unless they have a presence in the USA (but I couldn't find it). So it may be worth it to get the local brand/version, IDK. I'm still debating between the Hioki CM4371, the Amprobe AMP-330, and maybe the Flir CM82 (need to verify some specs). The Flir is nice because it has their "lifetime" warranty, otherwise it's middle ground spec wise, it's also almost twice the price of the BM089. Lifetime on something like that isn't really too meaningful though, after 5years or so there's going to be better technology, or I'm going to drop it/break it some other way.Quote from: BravoV on November 20, 2016, 08:04:48 pmYou would think it would be easy to find but for instance Fluke doesn't have any comparable. I probably saw 10x the amount of models that didn't, opposed to the ones that did. Yeah the U1213A is on my short list (i think #4 ATM), it has pretty good specs, decent warranty, but is a bit expensive. However Agilent/Keysight do make quality/reliable products from what I've seen. Yeah I've used DC clamps before and a lot can interfere with it. I kind of liked about the Amp-330 that it had a narrower opening at the top of the jaws for "accurate mode" (small gauge wires), so you didn't have the issue so much of your wire moving position in the clamps and changing the readings slightly. I don't know how effective it is in practice, but it might be.

author: cs.dk
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 21, 2016, 04:33:48 am
content: Quote from: r00t on November 21, 2016, 03:46:10 amBrymen is sold under the Greenlee brand in the US;http://www.greenlee.com/products/1000-AMP-INDUSTRIAL-AC%2540PlusDC-TRUE-RMS-CLAMP-METER.html?product_id=29125They offer lifetime warranty, but probably more expensive.

author: r00t
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2016, 06:10:02 am
content: Quote from: cs.dk on November 21, 2016, 04:33:48 amInteresting! Didn't realize Greenlee had lifetime warranty for the same item brymen/amprobe have 1yr for. Looks like the best price I could find for it ATM is 280. It may be worth considering for some though who value a warranty the most. 5-10yrs is a good life for an item like this IMO (depending on usage). After that I'd expect to either have broken this or moved it out of rotation as my dd. I couldn't easily locate the fine print for the Greenlee lifetime warranty but I imagine they won't warranty any calibration/accuracy issues after a year, which also starts getting expensive the older it gets.FWIW I looked up the Flir warranty tos and it's "lifetime" is 10 years after you purchase it or 7 years after they stop manufacturing the model. Also it excludes "routine maintenance" which I assume they would argue calibration falls under. I think Hioki is the only one I've seen that specifically guarantee's calibration accuracy (they do within specs for 1 year, within 1.5x specs for 3 years). Although, it's somewhat unlikely any of these go out of specs within a few years.

author: retiredcaps
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2016, 06:17:52 am
content: Quote from: r00t on November 21, 2016, 06:10:02 amI have asked this question wrt to Greenlee's "lifetime" warranty several times and have yet to receive a clear satisfactory answer.Seehttps://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/what-is-greenlee

author: r00t
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2016, 08:38:42 pm
content: Just to follow up. I heard back from Flir and the CM74 and CM82 do have 0.01a display resolution up to 60a on AC/DC, I've updated the spreadsheet to reflect if anyone is looking for a similar comparison in the future. The Flir CM82 seems like a great meter, and is the closest feature wise compared to the AMP-330 and Hioki CM4371. The ranking for me is the Hioki -> Flir -> Amprobe. I think I'm going to go with the Hioki. 3 Years warranty is enough for me (that's all my flukes have anyways), and it seems like the Hioki could be a more accurate unit, and it's 100$ cheaper (33%). I'll try to get around to posting a teardown/review when I get it (and have the time). Thanks everyone for the information and suggestions!

author: alt.ca
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 27, 2017, 07:22:51 pm
content: Hello,I'm pretty sure you've done the right choice, but I'd like to know if you actually bought it and some feedback on the clamp meter.The reason I'm posting this question is because I'm thinking to buy a CM4371 myself.Thanks!