Recommend to a Friend

Super portable with a few annoying issues

3.0

You can't beat this meter for portability. The functions it has are not available in this size at any price, that I know of. It does function properly but if it were not for the compact size and light weight I don't know if I would recommend this meter.
I have an older Fluke clamp meter which I find much more convenient to use for a few reasons.
1. The Fluke has a backlit display. A lot of times electricians are working in dark areas or at night, a backlit screen is key.
2. The Fluke auto-ranges quickly: if you go to meter a household circuit it will immediately give you a reading of 120 (for example) the hioki will slowly step up from the ones to the tens to the hundreds range and THEN give you a reading. If you are doing a number of circuits in a row it will cycle through this auto-ranging sequence each time you connect to a new circuit. There is a way to hold a button down when you turn the meter on to get it to lock into a certain range but it is tricky and it will lose that setting each time you turn it off.

3. The Fluke's leads have right angle plugs that I like because they lend themselves to being wrapped around the unit without adding length to the unit. On the Hioki you need to remove the leads for storage in a tool pouch or it adds about 2 inches of length to an otherwise very small meter.

In general I consider this a great meter to have if you need a meter on you at all times but don't use it that much. It's very small and light so you can keep it on your tool belt in a small pouch and forget about it until you need it. If you need to have a meter because you use it constantly, this is not the meter for you; if I am doing a lot of metering I will certainly go to my Fluke, I carry the Hioki in my roll as a TV/Film electrician because when I need it there is generally no time to go back to the truck and get it.

As far as the pouch it comes with, it is good for holding it and keeping it together but I would not count on it to be durable enough for regular belt use, plus I found its loop too small for my belt anyway, I keep it in a Setwear utility pouch.

Verified Purchase Jeremy on Feb 05, 2014 I found this helpful (3)