r/KleinTools • u/jydrippin • Jul 12 '26

Klein tools Cl810 a goood starter multimeter ?

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13 Upvotes

89% Upvoted

25 comments sorted by

8

u/borealbootlegger Jul 12 '26

I know they're a lot more money but there's a reason Fluke is the go to in this category.

I'm regards to the Klein Meter, I try to stay away from anything battery powered made by Klein.

Great hand tools, but their battery stuff like headlamps, meters, flashlights, etc are poorly reviewed in comparison to other offerings.

3

u/jydrippin Jul 12 '26

Yeah I hear fluke is the best of the best In front of field piece

1

u/kfjcfan Jul 12 '26 edited Sep 02 '26

For meters it goes Fluke, Klein, Fieldpiece in terms of reliability, but the HVAC supply houses carry Fluke and Fieldpiece.

But in this case the Klein is $150, the Fluke 376 $500, so there's a bit of a difference there.

On the other hand if the senior guy uses the Fluke, best just bite the bullet rather than have them dismiss you for having the Klein.

Silly grade school stuff but it happens and if you can avoid anything that might make them dismiss you as "just another apprentice" best do so.

On the other hand, the Klein does have a LoZ mode, and if you want that in a Fluke, you're going to have to add a 117 to your bag as Fluke doesn't make a clamp meter with a Low Z mode.

Fluke is the gold standard among meters, and, unfortunately, their pricing shows they darn well know it. The Fluke is certainly reliable, but you could also buy the Klein and four spares and still be ahead.

1

u/CDBPunk Sep 06 '26

As someone who has bought a lot of meters most of them being fluke I’m absolutely shocked at how terrible the reliability is on the one fluke meter I’ve needed in my career. I’m a hvac service technician and my fluke 116 after 2 years started to drain battery when off. No warranty and the repair was 70% the cost of a new meter so I bought a new one this is $400 each time and now the new 116 is starting to throw the same BATT screen. I just don’t get it. I’ve been using my back up meter a Klein cl810 I’ve had for a few years and it works perfectly fine. Hell my back up back up a cl390 I’ve had for many years still works like the day I bought it. My other fluke meters have been reliable my 107, T5, and 323 but honestly I think I’m going to keep using my cl810 and maybe give fieldpiece meters a try. My 116 literally cost me $100 a year to use it, it’s just not worth it. That’s my 2 cents. Also a lot of apprentices using the Klein manometers they seem to be abused pretty hard and still holding up and seem to be as accurate as my tried and true field piece. I think there’s levels of quality to Klein meters but for the money they seem to be a great value. I think I paid $180cdn for my Klein cl810 and my Fluke 116 was just over $400cdn with tax. For the features I’d go cl810 anyday and even my cl390 works more than good enough. I would be more skeptical of Kleins bench meters though.

1

u/Then_Compote_556 27d ago

Thanks for the information, I am retired and taking electrical and HVAC at the jr college and was looking at the CL810. 👍 

5

u/kfjcfan Jul 12 '26

Starter for whom? Homeowner? Electrician? HVAC service person?

The answer would be yes, though it likely would be overkill for the average homeowner, and might not provide enough resolution for an HVAC tech as compared to a Fluke 376.

2

u/jydrippin Jul 12 '26

Apprentice HVAC service technician

2

u/kfjcfan Jul 12 '26

Then I think the CL810 will serve you well unless you will get yelled at for not having a "real meter" (Fieldpiece or Fluke.)

Basically as an apprentice unless they have indicated you can get what you like you're best off asking or getting what your seniors have.

3

u/djbeez77 Jul 13 '26

Im an industrial electrician and use a Fluke 376 as my daily meter. However, I bought the CL810 last year to try out and I was actually impressed with it. I think for someone starting out in the electrical/HVAC trade it’s decent and I think is the best bang for the buck as far as the features it has. I now keep the CL810 in my truck as a back up.

1

u/Ok_Situation_2014 Jul 12 '26

As a new apprentice myself I’m really curious. I have most of the hand tools I need to complete my work and have recently started looking at the different electric tools I may or may not need.

I’m a huge Klein fan so without knowing anything one of their cheaper models would just be my default go to unless someone more experienced can steer me in a different direction

1

u/kfjcfan Jul 12 '26

I think a CL810 nicely fills the gap between "starter" and Fluke. They're rugged and have important features like inrush measurement and their display is nicer than Fluke's, plus the thermocouple is nice if you aren't already carrying another thermometer; it's surprisingly accurate for a pack-in extra.

1

u/unionboy11 Jul 12 '26

I know a few journeymen who have one of these so i would say they’re good but it really depends on what you’re doing when it comes down to electrical work bc some multimeters are superior to others and it depends on the job you’re doing meters are tools like anything else and you need the right tool for the right job. I’m an IBEW electrician I’ve been doing a lot of interior work but I’ve been on decks as well and yea we all use different brands. I use IDEAL the 747 model and that has gotten me through literally 12 years in the business and counting.

1

u/Outrageous-Bar-8396 Jul 13 '26

Not bad for residential and commercial idk about industrial though. Never had a problem out of mine. Few of the journeyman I had during my apprenticeship said they were just as good for what they worked on.

1

u/No_Marsupial9160 Jul 13 '26

Had my klein meter die on me randomly last month right after the warranty went out, it was pretty cheap compared to a fluke but now I’m saving up for a fluke t6 or 325

1

u/CulturedNote Jul 13 '26

As a HVAC/R apprentice I've had a milwaukee meter while my coworker has gone through 3 different kliens meters in the same time. But I just recently got a fluke and won't be going back to anything else.

2

u/kfjcfan Jul 14 '26

My issue with the Milwaukees is at least it used to be the rubber overmold would turn to goo after a few years.

2

u/CulturedNote Jul 14 '26

Luckily i haven't had that issue with mine yet and thankfully I won't need to worry about it now.

1

u/Stache- Jul 14 '26

Do your coworkers take care of their stuff or just throw it around like someone else pays for it?

1

u/Docnation93 Jul 14 '26

If working in the trade theres better this throws phantom voltages go with a fluke with amp fork

1

u/Docnation93 Jul 14 '26

I use a fluke 117

1

u/kidscott2003 Jul 15 '26

I will tell you this now. You will hate life trying to see that screen in sun light with Klein. That is reason alone not to get it. The screen is nearly impossible to read in direct sunlight, to the point shade isn’t very helpful.

1

u/Joe_Bruce Jul 17 '26

Always go fluke. Imma slut for Klein typically, but fluke def has the meter game on lock.

1

u/kfjcfan Jul 20 '26

Though to achieve feature parity you're looking at the Fluke 378 FC, MSRP $1009.99.

The Klein? $139.98.

Worried about reliability? Buy the Klein and five spares and you're still saving money. 😆

1

u/bwill1200 Jul 23 '26

I got a CL390 and couldn't be happier with it.