Fluke 325 Clamp Multimeter AC-DC TRMS

When we received this meter, my husband was concerned because the batteries were already installed in the meter. (Normally products are shipped without the batteries installed.) I contacted Fluke to ask, and the representative confirmed that Fluke does ship this meter with batteries installed. She also warned me to be careful to purchase directly from Fluke on Amazon (which I had done), as they have had problems with issues involving others selling supposedly Fluke products. Her responses were prompt and complete, even though my question was unusual and required her to search for the answer. My husband has used the meter one time so far--looking for a slow drain auto battery issue--and is so far very pleased with the product. We will not hesitate to order from the Fluke store on Amazon again. (The representative did warn me that any issues with the product would have to be handled through Amazon, as it was purchased from Amazon and not directly from Fluke, so you might want to be aware of that, especially if you are purchasing multiple items for industrial use that might require support.)

The important thing to know is this only measures current in Amps, both DC & AC with the clamp. I did not realize this when I first bought the meter. Or Hz, if the AC current is at least 5 amps. If you want to measure voltage, (or capacitance, resistance/continuity) you'll have to use probes like an ordinary multimeter...which it will do. But, I asked two Fluke tech support people point-blank if you could measure DC or AC voltage with the clamp, and they both said yes. Either they didn't understand the question, or were misinformed, because it definitely won't. Looking at the instructions closely reveals this. My purpose in buying the meter is to measure current in low-voltage circuits, without having to interrupt the circuit. Admittedly, the meter is less accurate at lower settings, but it will tell me if a DC power supply is supplying 1 or 2 amps, or whatever. If you need absolute accuracy, though, it's preferable to interrupt the circuit and measure with a multimeter that's capable of measuring lower amperage. Lower level stuff is all I plan on doing with the clamp meter, but I will say this -> ALWAYS CONSIDER SAFETY FIRST. Fluke warns that anything over 30 volts to be a safety risk. Never use a device in a manner it wasn't specifically designed for. Sorry for the caps, but it is the most important statement of this review! Another thing I learned - if you place the clamp meter around an AC extension cord, it will measure 0.00 - one phase on one wire in the cable will cancel out the phase in the other wire during measuring. This was a big disappointment, but understandable. And the drawings in the instructions show this, although it's not clearly obvious what it means. I learned this from talking to a Fluke Engineer initially. You have to isolate one of the wires to measure the AC current. Again, ALWAYS CONSIDER SAFETY FIRST! But, you can't just go around putting the clamp meter on power cables and expect any measured values. I would like to thank Amazon for their help in supplying a meter that worked, and putting up with my learning how to use it. Hopefully, this review will help others. It's taken me quite a while to write it, and get it right. SAFETY FIRST!

I have lots of meters. This is a great meter.

What a quality piece of equipment! I have owned several multimeters over the years, but none of them were as well made as this Fluke. It is also easy to use and very simple to learn. I am entirely pleased with it and look forward to many years of service from it.I received an unhelpful vote on the above review so I will attempt to give more information to rectify it.I purchased the AC/DC version of this meter with temperature measurement. My first impression of this product was one of quality.The yellow and black soft case is well made and provides plenty of room to keep the probes in it along with the meter. I do my best to protect my tools and expect this case to last me well, as I won't be abusing it. Now if someone was to throw it in their toolbox and drop other tools on it repeatedly, I expect that it would not last long. But for the normal person, it should hold up well.The test leads have good quality probes attached to a fairly heavy duty wire terminating in well made banana plugs. The plugs fit securely in the meter, but aren't too hard to get into the meter. I didn't measure the full length of the leads but they are of sufficient length and seemed to be just a tad longer than most leads. As the probes have very sharp points, there are caps for them provided.The included manual is very thorough and an electronic version is available for download at their website to carry on your phone or tablet if needed in the field.I tested the meter with 115volt AC, 230 volt AC, 0 to 30 volt DC, multiple resistances including a potentiometer, AC current from 1 to 30 amps, DC current from 2 to 180 amps, and multiple temperatures. I tested against other meters and thermometers I had and I was quite satisfied with the Flukes accuracy. I like the fact that I can use this one meter instead of having to grab two or three other meters because of different kind of measurements on the same project.The data hold feature really comes in handy when you are in checking amperage and the lines that you are checking are too big to be rotated to where you can see the meter face.This was a splurge purchase for me as I don't work use this meter in making my living. I am an advanced do it yourselfer who likes to have good quality, long lasting tools and I was glad to see my money was well spent. I am completely satisfied with my Fluke 325.We use Amazon for most of our purchases and I update my reviews if anything changes with the products. I do this so other Amazon users can get a real feel for the life of the product. I am not associated with any company and all opinions are my very own.

I love this meter. It is compact yet big enough to operate with big hands. It has a max amp or voltage feature which has allowed me to see the inrush of amps drawn of equipment startup. It has been dropped a time or two and can handle a light rain,