Their specs have me puzzled. I would have thought the XP-L HI (C8T) drawing 4.5A of current in a C8 body would be quite a thrower, yet stated intensity is only 9600 cd. Even the other emitters state intensity that’s not a whole lot higher than this. Not much of a thrower, if these figures are true. I guess you’ll have a chance to confirm/deny these specs when you review it.
Nice looking body, though.
I’d take the triple, as it’s unlike all others stock C8s.
Thanks HKJ! Gonna take a look! :+1:
I'm looking and Amazon has this offering for their house brand: Amazon clammeter
I know UNI-T is a favorite brand but I wonder if anyone has experience with this meter(?).
Thanks!
Bought it and returned it. Current readings were inaccurate.
Thank you! I have a good old DMM with 14 ga. leads but I'm looking for the current reading accuracy of a clamp meter.
Clamp meters are not that precise, they sense magnetic field around the wire. This is sensitive for the earth magnetic field (DC current only) and placement of wire in clamp. This means it often requires careful usage to stay within the specified tolerances.
HKJ, your input is very much appreciated!
Below, this has been my DMM well before I started using it in this hobby. Through the forum, I've learned to use short, higher AWG leads and good quality terminators, ie. Be Au spades and Au banana plugs. I bought all these items in my previous hobby of speaker design, stereo and home theater set ups. The 14 ga. Monster cable was a natural choice for the conductors. I think I have some decent equipment but now I've learned of other design options. My background is lab practiced science so precise measuring is a learned and natural endeavor.
So, with the 'budget' in mind, do I really need to buy a DC current capable clamp meter?
Where clamp meters are really needed is when you want to measure high amperes (Somewhere above 10) or due to safety (Industrial usage).
For low voltage a external resistor/shunt is often more precise to use, but also more cumbersome ;).
I often use a clamp to check current, but for more precise measurement I use a shunt.
I have written a bit about current measurement here (Including resistors/shunts): Multimeters and current measurements
What are you going to use the clamp meter for? That certainly can help others give you a more accurate advice.
Maybe to measure unregulated flashlight tailcap currents? That certainly is better done with a clamp meter.
:-)
Chabuduo and electricity do not mix. Unless you only use your meter for low voltage DC, I would not entrust my life to a random-branded Chinese meter.
Amprobe is a good lower-priced alternative to Fluke (of which until recently they were a sister company), Brymen or Keysight/Agilent. The Chinese gray-market imports like the $40 Fluke 101 are also an acceptable option.
OR a good and safe alternative is to pick up a used Fluke. The Fluke 27/FM’s are solid as rocks and TRMS.
For high amp flashlights, definitely. I don't seem to be seeing similar current readings on lights and battery combinations that others post and I have as well.
I certainly will use it for other proper tasks... nothing over 120V systems, though.
clamp meters are almost essential for flashlights
and [unfortunately] you need the expensive version, using hall effect sensors
they are usually at least $35
AC current clamps are very cheap - $5, they only use a coil
it is easy to be confused
a given meter may say AC and DC, and woo hoo, it has (or IS) a current clamp!
(some meters are sort of a smallish meter, integrated with a big crab-claw current clamp, plus some lead inputs for voltage and DC amps)
but they don;t tell you that DC amps can only read ‘through the meter itself’ and are limited to 2A or something low
and an internal pain in the ass fuse will blow if you go higher, like most li-ion cells can easily do
OR you might accidentally set up to read amps - on the voltage inputs, big problem, fuse blows, also, or something burns up
wle
Yes, such are the pitfalls. I'm reading the fine print and hopefully don't have to return any purchase due to misleading specifications.
Your input is something that needs to be pointed out. Thank you!
Can anyone recommend a good multimeter for the hobby that can handle the batteries and lights?
As OP said, it does doesn’t have to be the Rolls Royce of multimeters just something reliable and accurate.
AstroAI Digital Multimeter TRMS 6000 Counts Volt Meter Ohmmeter Auto-Ranging Tester; Accurately Measures Voltage Current Resistance Diodes Continuity Duty-Cycle Capacitance Temperature.
On Amazon; I paid around $35 a while back. Working good so far; used mostly on 18650 cells
I’ll second this option. Very versatile, and AstroAI 100% stands behind their products without question.
I also have one of their 2000 count models, which I got for $8 US during an introductory promotion. Super handy, and I probably use it more than the 6000 count, TBH.
I have an amprobe, a fluke, and a klein tool dmm, as far as voltage , current, resistance, capacitance, they show about the same values, amprobe was around 200, fluke was a present, but that model goes for about 300, klein tool dmm was iirc 30-40 bucks. it even had a temp probe, which more expensive models do not have. Klein tool dmm is smaller, feels less durable, has thinner probe wires, may not survive falls as good as 2 others, but as far as readings, pretty much the same, all 3 have 10A max current
Let’s face it, for 99% of the people that use a DMM out there a sub $50 DMM is more than enough. For that 1%, you need a Fluke or something of that caliber.
Most of the people that use a Fluke either have too much money to spend or they want to appear that they need it and know how to use it.
It’s the same with audiophile type electronics. Most people that own systems like that want to show that they hear the difference.
I like many people on this forum am heavily into electronics and I have a Fluke however my go-to DMM is a $20 Amazon special.