My background (scroll to bottom for review and bottom line): I was in the auto drivability and diagnostics and heavy equipment field for years, ASE heavy truck certified and worked on electric forklifts from Clark, Crown and Toyota so I know what I want in a meter. I can't afford a bunch of attachments anymore because I'm retired on disability from the VA and only work on my own stuff when able. This looked like a good fit because you just can't find an all-in-one AC/DC clamp meter anywhere, and with a Jeep project that I've had for years that I can't work on because of headaches but tinker on occasionally I thought it'd be fun to make it an EV and the meter would help in my area of expertise on that matter. I've got a Silverado with a power drain that's been plaguing me for several months, can't leave it sitting for more than a week, sometimes only a few days. The instrument cluster is a common point of failure put I'm not going to fire a "parts cannon" at it to fix it, it needs troubleshooting. Normally you'd buy a whole digital meter system with a low-current clamp to help diagnose something like that, but you can't use a low current clamp to check a charging or starting system when they are in operation because the current range is too high for the clamp. In addition the cost of a system like that is outside a disability income budget, so this looked like a good fit. Review: The meter does look rugged and solid in the hand, although I don't think you could drop it from any appreciable height, even from shoulder height, so if you dropped it from an automotive lift (or a ladder if you were an electrician) you'd be in trouble. I could work the clamp with my left hand easily enough. The battery compartment is held in by two screws, but the retainers for the screws are just paper like the paper you see on the screws for wall sockets, and can screw off when removing the cover. It does look well insulated so it shouldn't cause any circuit contact problems unless the case is broken. The only exposed metal I noticed is within the current clamp jaw tip when you open it. The 80CM510 I received is not backlit, so it was difficult to read measurements. Due to the battery installation I was dealing with it was awkward to fit the clamp where needed but not impossible. Unfortunately the description in the listing does not describe the minimum DC current rating so I could not verify whether the current measured was accurate; moving along the cable I noticed different readings. I have not yet used the current clamp to check the charging system, and I may update this review after doing so. The voltmeter is auto ranging, which seems to be common these days, but sometimes you need to set a specific range, as in my case. There weren't enough decimal points below zero in the milliamp range to take an accurate reading, and the meter rounded up to the next number. I had to use an older meter to take an accurate measurement. The REL setting does initially zero the meter like the tare button on a scale, but it still can vary after that point. The only way to truly zero the meter is to touch the two lead tips together, so I think the REL is only for zeroing the reluctor on the ammeter clamp. The ohmmeter seemed to function fine, and I used it to verify that the current draw was not due to a short circuit between the fuse and the component identified as one of the failure points. AC testing: Untested. [EDIT: Tested to check AC on the DC generated by alternator described below. The touchless LED lit up, but for all tests (voltage, frequency, and percentage) the measurements were to widely varied due to component EMI.] Neither was the touchless function, which only senses AC voltage but doesn't read it. I didn't try the AC frequency testing, although I might on my truck on the DC charging system just to see if it's way out. Cars can generate AC voltage and actually do from their alternators, which is then rectified and regulated to a "bubble" waveform DC current. To diagnose problems with that waveform you need a meter with a scope, which this does not have. I do not need to test AC voltage nor current regularly anymore since I no longer install or repair chargers for electric forklifts. It could be useful around the house, but it isn't necessary since I'm not going to perform any electrical work on non-breakered or line voltage. Temperature probe: Untested. I had no need to test the probe at present, since I am having no problems with overheating. Matching temperature gauges to actual operating temperature is reasonably pointless, since gauges really only show trends anyway. It would only be useful to me to test a thermostat opening temperature. However, I noticed the probe is exposed, and not protected, so I don't know how well it would stand up to automotive coolant/antifreeze or battery electrolytes if you were looking for a temperature issue on that kind of equipment. Carrying case: A nice carrying case is provided, but there are no pockets inside for the accessories, leads, or manuals and paperwork. The case seems to unzip a little too much for me; if unzipped all the way everything falls out. Packaging: The meter comes in an approximately 3" x 6" x 10" box, and easily fits into a rural style mailbox, which is where our postman left it. It was well packed, came unbroken, had a positive and negative lead with removable tip guards on each lead and removable banana connector covers on each lead and on each connector of the temp probe converter. The temp probe itself came in its own plastic bag. Bottom line: I could not recommend this meter for automotive technicians. For the power drain I ended up needing to use a voltmeter alone measuring voltage drop on the mV scale across the mini fuses for the components in question and using a chart provided by another meter manufacturer to convert the measurement to current. I was not happy about that, but it did help me isolate and determine as faulty one of the two components that I suspected, which is the instrument cluster. [EDIT: I also discovered the battery was faulty, once replaced I used the clamp on DC amps to check the charging system current, and was able to do so with the same problems from EMI interference described above. With the volt meter function the charging system measured 15.5 V which is at the top of range for the SARVC system, if this doesn't change it may be a failure in that component as well. Indications it may be failing are the headlights dim at times when the system should be set to charge when they are on.] No "parts cannon" was fired in this troubleshooting, so it saved me some money, but I already had a basic digital manual ranging multimeter that could perform this diagnosis more accurately because I could set it specifically to the DC millivolt range. The 80CM510 rounded it up to 1 volt, but it was around 900 mV on the other meter. I could have saved myself the cost of a clamp meter that was ultimately useless to me. I would recommend this meter to someone working on the power components of EVs, electric forklifts and other lifts, in HVAC, or other electricians. The touchless function would be nice for locating wires in walls, and the clamp meter would be great for diagnosing current issues with electric motor wear. The AC voltage setting seems to have more sensitivity than the DC setting, and you can take AC frequency counts to ensure it isn't out of range for your equipment. I'm thinking of returning the meter and exchanging it for one better suited for my needs, but I don't really like my other options in this price range. I have a limited time and budget to make my choice, and might update my review to reveal my choice. [EDIT: I'll be returning the 80CM510 clamp meter, and am considering replacing it with either another high internal resistance DMM that takes a low-amp probe clamp or a handheld DMM/O-scope combo with the same capabilities packaged for automotive use. The second
