AC-only and AC/DC clamps use different physics inside the jaw
A clamp meter reads current without breaking the circuit, which is the whole reason it exists. An AC-only clamp works by transformer action and cannot read direct current at all; an AC/DC clamp uses a Hall-effect sensor and can, at more cost. Jaw opening in millimeters decides whether it fits around the cable you actually have. We compare jaw type and opening, current ranges, true-RMS, the stated measurement category, and whether the tool also does the ordinary multimeter functions.
800 A AC and DC · True RMS · 6000 counts · 5-in-1
An 800 A AC and DC clamp with true-RMS and 6000 counts, positioned by its maker for solar and balcony photovoltaic work — which is where the DC capability earns its keep.
Best for: Solar and battery work, where the current is direct and an AC-only clamp reads nothing at all.
≈ $34
1 mA resolution · True RMS · color LCD · 19.2 × 4.5 × 3.0 cm (7.6 × 1.8 × 1.2 in)
A pocket clamp with 1 mA resolution for finding leakage and parasitic drain, an automatic multimeter mode, and a color screen — in a body under twenty centimeters long.
Best for: Chasing a parasitic drain on a vehicle, or a leakage current that a normal clamp reads as zero.
≈ $50
CAT III 600 V AC/DC · True RMS · 4000 points · 8 functions · NCV
The only clamp meter in this hub that publishes a complete safety rating: CAT III 600 V AC/DC, with true-RMS, eight measuring functions and a non-contact voltage detector.
Best for: Distribution boards and control cabinets — the work a stated CAT III rating exists for.
1000 A AC/DC · 750 V AC / 1000 V DC · inrush · VFD and LoZ modes
The highest current range here at 1000 A AC and DC, with an inrush mode for motor starting currents and VFD and low-impedance modes for drives and ghost voltages.
Best for: Motor and drive work, where inrush and VFD filtering are the two modes that make the reading meaningful.
≈ $80
400 A True RMS · inrush · low-pass filter ~160 Hz
A trade mini-clamp reading load currents to 400 A with true-RMS, an inrush function and a low-pass filter at around 160 Hz for suppressing the switching noise of motor drives.
Best for: Motor and lighting installations where the drive noise is the reason previous readings made no sense.
The clamp measures a current without cutting the conductor or working in series. That is what makes it fundamentally safer than a multimeter in ammeter mode.
A simple clamp is enough to check a consumption or identify a loaded circuit.
A twenty-five-millimeter jaw will not close round a panel supply cable. The stated jaw opening is the first sort, before the current range.
Without fail: two conductors of the same circuit carry opposite currents and the clamp reads zero. The most frequent handling error.
Only Hall-effect models. Transformer clamps measure alternating current alone.
No, and that is exactly the point: the measurement is taken on a live circuit, with nothing unplugged.
Not directly: the cable carries both conductors and the clamp reads zero. A line splitter is needed.
Centering the conductor improves the trueness. At the edge of the jaw the deviation becomes noticeable.
Most include voltage and continuity functions. They are often less refined at measuring resistance.
Work with insulated tools, no jewelry, and one hand where possible. The instrument's measurement category must match the point of work.
Because it surrounds both conductors, whose fields cancel out. Only one conductor must be inside the jaw, which means a split cable or a line-splitter adaptor.
A clamp goes round one conductor only: across two, the currents cancel and the display drops to zero. It is the most often botched handling — and only Hall-effect clamps measure direct current.
A column is raised only if four instruments in five publish the value. Below that, it would be measuring the silence of the manuals.
| Model | Price | Functions | True-RMS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proster Clamp meter 800 A | $34 | 5-in-1 | True RMS |
| BSIDE UX1 | $50 | — | True RMS |
| KAIWEETS Clamp meter 1000 A | $80 | inrush | — |
| BENNING P2 | — | inrush · low-pass filter ~160 Hz | 400 A True RMS |
| Voltcraft VC-523 | — | 8 functions · NCV | True RMS |
Specifications: manufacturer sheets for measuring instruments and the matching Amazon product pages. Prices and availability: Keepa. Every figure in this table names its source.
Most recent revision in this category: August 31, 2026.
Prices quoted in these summaries are dated readings. The live price is shown next to each product.
