Last updated on Jan 22, 2022
Having a clamp meter is important for anyone working with electronics. A clamp meter enables non-contact current measurements on live conductors without disrupting the circuit. It is an invaluable tool for electricians. Our team of experts has done the detailed research to find the best clamp meters available in market. Based on our findings our top pick for Clamp Multimeters is the Fluke 376FC with the AstroAI coming in at a close second.
Table of Contents
Quick Summary of our Top Picks
Before we get into the detailed reviews, let’s get a quick snapshot of the different products that made it to our list.
- Editor’s choice – Fluke 376FC True-rms Clamp Meter “Having the ability to sample AC current on a motor; then, turn right around and measure DC current on another motor is fantastic; as is the ability to measure inrush current with ease.”
- Best Budget Pick: AstroAI Digital Clamp Meter “My first multimeter so it was a learning curve using this instrument. Fortunately it is idiot proof and I was able to sort a few outstanding wiring issues without destroying my car!”
- Most Popular – Fluke 323 True-RMS Clamp Meter “Water well serviceman here. We use these pretty much exclusively. Tough, they survive bouncing around in a dirty truck. Accurate, I have checked them against more expensive meters. Easy to use, I can train new guys to use them in literally less than a minute.”
- Best Value – Klein Tools CL800 “What this CL800 can accomplish with it’s amazing features is a bargain for this price.”
- Best Lightweight – Uni-T B4Q094 UT210E True RMS Mini Clamp Meter “Small meter packing quite a punch at an amazing low price.”
Detailed Reviews
Our top pick: Fluke 376FC True-RMS Clamp Meter
Based on our research, we have concluded that the Fluke 376FC is the best clamp meter available in the market as it has advanced features and high accuracy. It is suitable for industrial, HVAC experts and commercial applications. This easy-to-handle wireless clamp meter has powerful troubleshooting, auto-ranging, and logging features with the ability to do true RMS voltage and current measurements. It can evaluate AC/DC 1000 V, 1000 A, and resistance with advanced safety ratings of CAT III 1000V and CAT IV 600V.
The Fluke 376FC is the only advanced meter in the market to provide flexible current probes, recording, and safe remote measurements. This meter also offers millivolt DC measurements and capacitance readings with min/max range, inrush, and average recording ability to estimate variations.
This clamp meter will increase your productivity through logging and Bluetooth connectivity feature. You can work faster and safer with this Fluke connect enable wireless clamp meter. It comes with iFlex which is an 18 inches long flexible current probe that helps in providing measurements in a tight location. You can expand the AC measurement range up to 2500A through iFlex. Fluke 376FC is built to be used every day. A high quality product which makes it the top pick clamp meter on the list.
Pros
- Fluke quality and accuracy
- Includes flexible current probes and Bluetooth connectivity.
- Enables safe remote measurements
- Provide measurements in tight locations.
- A highly durable wireless device with auto-ranging function
- Offers variation estimation by Min/Max range, inrush, and average recording ability
Cons
- Small screen display
- Costly
User reviews
With a rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars, the majority of customers say that measurements provided by the Fluke 376FC are highly accurate, reliable and the iFlex hoop is amazing for large transformer cables and tight spaces. The meter does come with an understandable expensive price tag.
Best Budget Pick: AstroAI Digital Clamp Meter
This true RMS auto-ranging clamp meter comes with many features at an affordable price. A large backlit LCD screen is also available in it. It can measure AC/DC voltage, AC current, continuity, resistance, capacitance, temperature, and frequency and can also run tests on diodes. The AstroAI has a professional design, quick reading ability, and advanced safety features to handle the demands of long working days. You can also hold-on the data displayed on digital display through data hold function.
Pros
- Easy to read indicator.
- Quick working of auto-ranging function
- Long-lasting battery life
- Lots of features at an affordable price
Cons
- Cannot measure DC current
- Not as durable as others on this list
User Reviews
With a rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars, many customers say that for the price, the AstroAI clamp meter is one of the best and economical clamp meters as it has a variety of features. According to a few customers, the manual is written in very poor English and the device cannot measure DC which is its major demerit. The AstroAI is not an exceptionally durable meter for many customers but comes with many features at an affordable price. Overall, this is an economical clamp meter that has a long-lasting battery.
Most popular pick: Fluke 323
This is a highly rated true RMS digital clamp meter that can measure current up to 400A and DC voltage up to 600V and resistance up to 4000 ohm. The meter can provide accurate measurements. The jaw opening is 30mm. This clamp meter also features continuity test and safety ratings of CAT III 600V and CAT IV 300V. This is a great clamp meter for general troubleshooting. This meter is popular due to the high measuring quality of Fluke meters.
Pros
- Durable and accurate
- Long-lasting device
- Simple meter and easy to use.
- CATIII and CATIV safety environment
Cons
- Cannot measure DC current
- Cannot measure frequency
- Stiff test leads
User Review
With a rating of 4.8 out of 5, many customers are happy with the overall performance and quality of Fluke meters. Top-quality comes at an expensive price. Few customers are a bit dissatisfied with the design of test leads and their port location. This Fluke 323 has the lead ports on the bottom which is quite problematic for a few users.
Best Value Pick: Klein tools CL800
This is the best value true RMS clamp meter due to its ability to perform a variety of measurements such as AC/DC voltage, resistance, continuity, frequency, capacitance, and test diodes with auto-ranging ability. Thermocouple probes are also available for measuring temperature. Stray voltages can also be identified through low impedance (LoZ) mode. It comes with CATIII and CATIV safety ratings of 1000V and 600V respectively. It has a min/max range button in addition to a hold button which is another bonus feature of this clamp meter.
It tests AC/DC voltage to 1000V and AC/DC amps to 600A and also handles millivolts. It has a setting for low impedance. It comes with a flashlight, backlight, hold button, min/max range, and a non-contact voltage tester. Multiple features are available in this product at a much lower price which makes Klein tools CL800 the best value pick.
Pros
- Multiple features at a much lower price relative to others on this list
- Can do a variety of measurements
- Can eliminate stray voltage by LoZ function
Cons
- Not very accurate
- Inaccurate temperature readings due to inconsistency of temp sensor
User Review
Many customers are happy with this product. This product has a rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars. The majority of customers agree that the CL-800 offers many advanced features like measurement of temperature with AC/DC voltage and current at a much lower price in comparison to other products with similar features. The product offers many features but the quality is lower than other expensive meters. The temperature readings of the CL-800 are not very accurate according to some customers. Most customers find the LoZ function extremely useful. It has also been reported that the continuity test sometimes doesn’t work. It’s good practice to test continuity by touching the probes together. If you don’t get a beep then power cycle the meter to fix it.
Best Lightweight: Uni-T B4Q094 UT210E
This is an auto-ranging true RMS clamp meter that can test diodes, measure AC/DC volts, AC/DC current, continuity buzzer, resistance, capacitance. It also features a backlit screen and data hold function.
This tiny package combines the ability to provide a variety of measurements and non-contact voltage detection with a backlit screen. All of this is available in a portable device that weighs only 6 ounces much lighter than other available clamp meters making it the best lightweight clamp meter in the list.
Pros
- Lightweight and easy to carry
- Auto-ranging TRMS tool
- Many features in a small multipurpose device
- Accurate and handy meter at a Reasonable Price
Cons
- Not durable
User Reviews
Majority of customers are satisfied with the overall performance of this tiny device. It has a good rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars. Uni-T B4Q094 is a well-designed feature-packed clamp meter at an affordable price. Many customers find it portable and easy to carry as it is small enough to carry in the pocket.
How we picked the Best Clamp Multimeter
We have listed a few important criteria that are used for selecting the best clamp meters which are as follows:
Measurement Range
We should look for the measurement ranges for selecting the best clamp meter. We should also look for the variety of measurements that clamp meter will offer such as current, voltage and resistance are particularly important measurements that should be available in a good clamp multimeter.
Continuity
Continuity test determines whether an electric circuit is open or closed. The best clamp meter should have a continuity feature to determine open and closed electric circuits properly.
True RMS
True RMS measurements provide highly accurate readings due to measuring the ability of both linear and non-linear load. A clamp meter with the ability to do TRMS calculations can provide accurate measurements.
Advanced features
Availability of advanced features like Bluetooth connectivity, wireless transmissions, logging auto-ranging, presence of backlight for high accuracy are important to consider in the selection of best clamp meters,
Accuracy
Accuracy and good quality are important consideration parameters for considering the right clamp meter.
Summary
We have reviewed the best clamp meters available in the market for you. We used a specific set of criteria for selecting our best clamp meters like accuracy, true RMS measurements, range, continuity, and many more. We have selected the Fluke-376FC as our top pick due to its capabilities, advanced features, high-quality performance, and robustness. We have also mentioned other best clamp meters in the list which you can consider according to your budget and requirements.
As a final recap here are our top picks: