Sactownbully84 Posted March 25, 2010 Report Share Posted March 25, 2010 lookn for a clamp meter to test my amp, and my HO ALT trying to keep it under 100 bones. i know fluke is the but im not gonna spend that much for a hobby. i would'nt use it that much to spend that much money so here is a link to one tell me if its kool...i know im looking for "TRUE RMS" and "DC" amperage testing capability http://cgi.ebay.com/RMS-AC-DC-Clamp-Meter-Ammeter-DMM-Capacitor-Tester-HVAC_W0QQitemZ370353776016QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item563ace2590 2001 Grand AM Pioneer UB4000 HU Tsunami / Monster Wire's DC POWER INC 260SP ALT w/ XS Power VCM BIG 3 All 1/0 Monster 400 + YT Under Hood Stinger SPV70 x2 in Trunk 4x SA-10's On There Way soon i hope SS XXX-4000D @ .7ohm 3K+ RF Power 4x6's & 6x9's Monsoon Powered PG TL22 Line Driver 148.7db @ 35-45hz sweep w/ 12" BTL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sactownbully84 Posted March 25, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2010 (edited) or should i go with the.... http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Craftsman-400A-AC-DC-Clamp-Meter-11-Functions-82369_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem3a59282c65QQitemZ250603908197QQptZMotorsQ5fAutomotiveQ5fTools i know the brand so im leanin' towards this one Edited March 25, 2010 by Sactownbully84 2001 Grand AM Pioneer UB4000 HU Tsunami / Monster Wire's DC POWER INC 260SP ALT w/ XS Power VCM BIG 3 All 1/0 Monster 400 + YT Under Hood Stinger SPV70 x2 in Trunk 4x SA-10's On There Way soon i hope SS XXX-4000D @ .7ohm 3K+ RF Power 4x6's & 6x9's Monsoon Powered PG TL22 Line Driver 148.7db @ 35-45hz sweep w/ 12" BTL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeyF Posted March 25, 2010 Report Share Posted March 25, 2010 The first one looks just fine man. But when you are testing amps, etc, you usually will need two meters, one to clamp the wire, and the other go test the voltage of your speaker outputs. I also don't think the second one is a true rms meter either. 12" DC LVL 4 Sundown 1200D PG RSDs PPI PC2100 Alpine 9886 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackrosetiger Posted March 25, 2010 Report Share Posted March 25, 2010 I'd go for the Craftsman only because of the warrenty you can walk into any Sears (and I think Kmart now) and exchange it 1998 Plymouth Voyager (daily) Jensen VM9213 H.U. (I Know but I havent had any problems.... yet) 5.25" Factory -> Sound Stream SST5.2 6x9 Hifonics ZXi 693 -> Sound Stream SST6.9 Amp: Class D: Crescendo 3KWP (x2) Class A/B: Crescendo 1000C4 Sub: Almani S-7 10" (x6) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sactownbully84 Posted March 25, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2010 (edited) The first one looks just fine man. But when you are testing amps, etc, you usually will need two meters, one to clamp the wire, and the other go test the voltage of your speaker outputs. I also don't think the second one is a true rms meter either. i have a DMM also so i could use that. also what is the different between "TRUE RMS" and one that's not? they both have the same margin of error like 3% give or take Edited March 25, 2010 by Sactownbully84 2001 Grand AM Pioneer UB4000 HU Tsunami / Monster Wire's DC POWER INC 260SP ALT w/ XS Power VCM BIG 3 All 1/0 Monster 400 + YT Under Hood Stinger SPV70 x2 in Trunk 4x SA-10's On There Way soon i hope SS XXX-4000D @ .7ohm 3K+ RF Power 4x6's & 6x9's Monsoon Powered PG TL22 Line Driver 148.7db @ 35-45hz sweep w/ 12" BTL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sactownbully84 Posted March 25, 2010 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2010 I'd go for the Craftsman only because of the warrenty you can walk into any Sears (and I think Kmart now) and exchange it even if i bought it from ebay i could return it 4 a new one? 2001 Grand AM Pioneer UB4000 HU Tsunami / Monster Wire's DC POWER INC 260SP ALT w/ XS Power VCM BIG 3 All 1/0 Monster 400 + YT Under Hood Stinger SPV70 x2 in Trunk 4x SA-10's On There Way soon i hope SS XXX-4000D @ .7ohm 3K+ RF Power 4x6's & 6x9's Monsoon Powered PG TL22 Line Driver 148.7db @ 35-45hz sweep w/ 12" BTL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommyk90 Posted March 25, 2010 Report Share Posted March 25, 2010 (edited) I picked up an 800 amp, AC/DC, true RMS craftsman clamp meter off ebay for $61 shipped. Just like THIS one. It also has peak hold so you don't have to be holding the meter to get readings. Also, I snagged a fluke 337 off ebay as well (because i needed 2 clamp meters anyways), so when I get that one I'm gonna do a head-to-head comparison and see how accurate the craftsman one is. So far though, the craftsman has been doing very well. The only thing I can complain about is that it gives "ghost" readings, meaning it's reading current even though it's not clamped around anything. But since it's so low (in the 10-15 amp area) it doesn't really affect my readings. Just annoying. Edited March 25, 2010 by tommyk90 Team B2, Team Audiotechnix, Team Kicker, Team XS Power, Team Sundown, Team Maxxsonics, Team DD2008 Bassrace 130-139.9 Regional and National Champion2006, 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2012 MECA Champion (S1, SR1, S2, S3, S4, DB1) -1 DD 9510F + 2 Sundown SAZ2500's @ .7 ohm strapped=154.2 headrest, 129.2 driveby-2 DD 9510F's + 2 Sundown SAZ2500's @ 1 ohm strapped=154.0 headrest-1 DD 9512F + 2 Sundown SAZ2500's @ 1 ohm strapped=153.5 headrest, 131.1 Driveby -2 DD 9512F + 2 B2 Zero1's @ .5 strapped= 157.0 headrest, 158.0 outlaw-1 Sundown SA-8 + 2 MB Quart 2000's=148.8 headrest, 150.6 outlaw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audiofanaticz Posted March 25, 2010 Report Share Posted March 25, 2010 (edited) I picked up an 800 amp, AC/DC, true RMS craftsman clamp meter off ebay for $61 shipped. Just like THIS one. It also has peak hold so you don't have to be holding the meter to get readings. Get this clamp!! Im using the sameone, as tommy said, it has peak hold/min, its true rms, and does dc current up to 800amps The other craftsman that was linked to that is red is not the professional line, and is not true rms and does not have peak hold (it just has hold which holds whatever number is on the screen when you push hold). The red craftsman will take 2 people to clamp an alt or amp, the yellow craftsman professional will only take 1 person due to the peak hold functions. Oh and the yellow craftsman professional is also led backlit for those late nights testing in the dark. the cheaper craftsman is sold at most sears for $60ish new, the professional is useually special order and is a $120 clamp. Edited March 25, 2010 by Audiofanaticz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommyk90 Posted March 26, 2010 Report Share Posted March 26, 2010 I have one of the cheaper craftsmans as well if anyone wants to buy it! Haha. Team B2, Team Audiotechnix, Team Kicker, Team XS Power, Team Sundown, Team Maxxsonics, Team DD2008 Bassrace 130-139.9 Regional and National Champion2006, 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2012 MECA Champion (S1, SR1, S2, S3, S4, DB1) -1 DD 9510F + 2 Sundown SAZ2500's @ .7 ohm strapped=154.2 headrest, 129.2 driveby-2 DD 9510F's + 2 Sundown SAZ2500's @ 1 ohm strapped=154.0 headrest-1 DD 9512F + 2 Sundown SAZ2500's @ 1 ohm strapped=153.5 headrest, 131.1 Driveby -2 DD 9512F + 2 B2 Zero1's @ .5 strapped= 157.0 headrest, 158.0 outlaw-1 Sundown SA-8 + 2 MB Quart 2000's=148.8 headrest, 150.6 outlaw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derrick824 Posted March 27, 2010 Report Share Posted March 27, 2010 I have two of those same yellow Craftsman clamps as well as a Fluke and they all read identical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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