mrjaw14
Well-known member
Open letter to multimeter manufacturers:
Hopefully there are employees that work for the multimeter companies that read these forums that are in a position to influence some change. I penned this letter after searching just about every brand of clamp meter and cannot find a single one that meets my needs. Sorry for the long post in advance, but the devil is in the details.
It’s time for tools like multimeters and clamp meters to get better. Most of the technology sold in 2024 is decades old and newer features are not being incorporated into new tools. They are falling behind. Features like dual measurement for current and voltage simultaneously, inrush, min/max/average, and voltage sense on clamp meters should be standard. Bluetooth with an app for mobile devices and laptops for remote measurement and logging should be standard, and the Bluetooth range should be as good or better than other Bluetooth devices so it can be used in place of long test leads for boats, trailers, campers etc where 30’ jumpers are common. I tried a Bluetooth capable meter from a major manufacturer and it’s atrocious. My phone and tiny Bluetooth earbuds can go literally 2-3x the distance than a $800+ meter. If you got more than a few feet away it was unusable, yet a simple speaker can go across the shop. Backlights are getting better, but still not good. They need to be able to be toggled on/off and not timeout after 15-30 seconds and be bright with a crisp screen viewable at off-angles. If this is a battery issue let’s move to a flat lithium ion that can be recharged via USB-C and replaceable so spares can be kept, just like on a modern headlamp. That would give more than enough power for a good Bluetooth radio, backlight, and be good for resistance measurements. It feels like some accuracy was lost, especially on resistance, when 9v was supplanted by two AA/AAA batteries that are prone to leakage.
There are market segments that are under served. Industrial high V and high A is covered, and residential 120-240 V and 200-400A is covered. But Marine and RV where there is both 12vdc and 120vac and anywhere from .5a- 200a is under served. If the amperage range was low enough so it would be useful on 12v circuits with less than 5 amps, but high enough where inrush for a 120v motor could be measured accurately with a single meter that would be incredible. If a meter is just a few amps off, that’s significant, and I believe that meters are zeroed or designed to read best at a particular sweet spot. For the industry I use my tools in that sweet spot for most meters is not useful to me. I’ve seen where specs for a compressor are given to where just a few amps makes the difference between a good and bad component. Two meters would have called an aging but not failed component out of spec and one read spot on and confirmed the issue was elsewhere. The meters had similar ranges, and the one that read right wasn’t the expensive meter. A clamp meter for 600-1000a is going to be zeroed for a certain amperage and don’t have the accuracy for lower-current applications on a 12vdc or 120vac circuit. We need options for meters zeroed for a usable range. There are meters I would put some trust in, Fluke 325 for example, but it’s ancient and has limited features for the high cost that it is. It also has an unfavorable resistance range for testing things like tank level sensors, which on an RV can be 188k ohms…yes those higher resistance ranges are needed, and not just marketing fluff found on cheap meters. Not buying one at that doesn’t meet my needs at inflated prices that hasn’t been updated in decades!
Finally, these changes shouldn’t make a meter cost $800+. Big names this should be a $350-400 meter and lesser brands should be no more than $150. This is tech that is going into dirt-cheap electronics and isn’t expensive. I’m not taking an $800 meter into an adverse environment, which eliminates just about everywhere this would be used. It would be in a tool bag, outside, in the weather. We’re just working men and women that need accurate and reliable tools that are keeping up with the times without being gouged with things so expensive they aren’t usable. I’m also not spending that much for a meter that doesn’t do what I need to do. These are all reasonable functions to ask for I think. I’m not looking for a unicorn, I’m looking for modernization of the field. I shouldn’t have to carry 3 meters with a combined cost of over $1,000 to do a job that one should be able to do today if there was one designed for the trade it’s being used in. I’m hoping we get out of the 90’s with meter tech!
Please post your multimeter and clamp meter requirements. I’m hoping it will be valuable to know how they are being used and where they are falling short and what features would be useful to you.
Hopefully there are employees that work for the multimeter companies that read these forums that are in a position to influence some change. I penned this letter after searching just about every brand of clamp meter and cannot find a single one that meets my needs. Sorry for the long post in advance, but the devil is in the details.
It’s time for tools like multimeters and clamp meters to get better. Most of the technology sold in 2024 is decades old and newer features are not being incorporated into new tools. They are falling behind. Features like dual measurement for current and voltage simultaneously, inrush, min/max/average, and voltage sense on clamp meters should be standard. Bluetooth with an app for mobile devices and laptops for remote measurement and logging should be standard, and the Bluetooth range should be as good or better than other Bluetooth devices so it can be used in place of long test leads for boats, trailers, campers etc where 30’ jumpers are common. I tried a Bluetooth capable meter from a major manufacturer and it’s atrocious. My phone and tiny Bluetooth earbuds can go literally 2-3x the distance than a $800+ meter. If you got more than a few feet away it was unusable, yet a simple speaker can go across the shop. Backlights are getting better, but still not good. They need to be able to be toggled on/off and not timeout after 15-30 seconds and be bright with a crisp screen viewable at off-angles. If this is a battery issue let’s move to a flat lithium ion that can be recharged via USB-C and replaceable so spares can be kept, just like on a modern headlamp. That would give more than enough power for a good Bluetooth radio, backlight, and be good for resistance measurements. It feels like some accuracy was lost, especially on resistance, when 9v was supplanted by two AA/AAA batteries that are prone to leakage.
There are market segments that are under served. Industrial high V and high A is covered, and residential 120-240 V and 200-400A is covered. But Marine and RV where there is both 12vdc and 120vac and anywhere from .5a- 200a is under served. If the amperage range was low enough so it would be useful on 12v circuits with less than 5 amps, but high enough where inrush for a 120v motor could be measured accurately with a single meter that would be incredible. If a meter is just a few amps off, that’s significant, and I believe that meters are zeroed or designed to read best at a particular sweet spot. For the industry I use my tools in that sweet spot for most meters is not useful to me. I’ve seen where specs for a compressor are given to where just a few amps makes the difference between a good and bad component. Two meters would have called an aging but not failed component out of spec and one read spot on and confirmed the issue was elsewhere. The meters had similar ranges, and the one that read right wasn’t the expensive meter. A clamp meter for 600-1000a is going to be zeroed for a certain amperage and don’t have the accuracy for lower-current applications on a 12vdc or 120vac circuit. We need options for meters zeroed for a usable range. There are meters I would put some trust in, Fluke 325 for example, but it’s ancient and has limited features for the high cost that it is. It also has an unfavorable resistance range for testing things like tank level sensors, which on an RV can be 188k ohms…yes those higher resistance ranges are needed, and not just marketing fluff found on cheap meters. Not buying one at that doesn’t meet my needs at inflated prices that hasn’t been updated in decades!
Finally, these changes shouldn’t make a meter cost $800+. Big names this should be a $350-400 meter and lesser brands should be no more than $150. This is tech that is going into dirt-cheap electronics and isn’t expensive. I’m not taking an $800 meter into an adverse environment, which eliminates just about everywhere this would be used. It would be in a tool bag, outside, in the weather. We’re just working men and women that need accurate and reliable tools that are keeping up with the times without being gouged with things so expensive they aren’t usable. I’m also not spending that much for a meter that doesn’t do what I need to do. These are all reasonable functions to ask for I think. I’m not looking for a unicorn, I’m looking for modernization of the field. I shouldn’t have to carry 3 meters with a combined cost of over $1,000 to do a job that one should be able to do today if there was one designed for the trade it’s being used in. I’m hoping we get out of the 90’s with meter tech!
Please post your multimeter and clamp meter requirements. I’m hoping it will be valuable to know how they are being used and where they are falling short and what features would be useful to you.
