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Clamp meter vs multimeter

Updated: 22 October 2026

You need a current figure and you are not sure whether that means breaking the circuit. A clamp meter vs multimeter search is muddy here, because the P 4350 and the P 1650 say multimeter or DMM as well as clamp. They still answer a different job from the P 3440 and the P 3442. If you cannot open the conductor, you need a jaw, and the jaw still has to fit the core and the printed category. The [PeakTech multimeter comparison](/hub/measuring-equipment/peaktech-multimeter) is the price table. This page chooses the method, then the listing. The Products Compared editorial team used the four listings scraped on 21 October 2026, plus Fluke, the IET and Meter Test Lab for the method. We did not measure a board. A qualifying purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You need a current figure and you are not sure whether that means breaking the circuit. A clamp meter vs multimeter search is muddy here, because the P 4350 and the P 1650 say multimeter or DMM as well as clamp.

Our top picks

PeakTech PeakTech P 3440

Best overall

PeakTech PeakTech P 3440
8.0/10about £204.17
View offer
PeakTech PeakTech P 1650

Alternative

PeakTech PeakTech P 1650
6.3/10about £77.70
View offer
PeakTech PeakTech P 4350

Best value

PeakTech PeakTech P 4350
6.7/10about £75.18
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What each instrument is actually for
  2. 2.Load current in one core
  3. 3.Leakage, which is the difference
  4. 4.Voltage and continuity still belong on the leads
  5. 5.Which listing to open on the main page

What each instrument is actually for

Fluke’s UK split is the map. A handheld is mainly a voltage tool, with series current only if you break the circuit. A clamp is mainly a current tool, with some voltage ranges on the leads. The P 3440 at £204.17 and the P 3442 at £162.90 are the handhelds. Both print CAT III 1000 V and CAT IV 600 V and Bluetooth 4.0. Amazon names current and prints no ampere limit. PeakTech states 10 A for both, so quote the maker’s ceiling and the blank Amazon field together. The P 4350 at £75.18 and the P 1650 at £77.70 are the jaws, both CAT III 600 V only. A clamp is the right buy when the cable stays closed. It is the wrong buy when you needed CAT IV and a fused series measurement at the maker’s 10 A. Counts and the dongle stay on the buying guide. What the jaw goes around is the next split.

Load current in one core

Load current is one conductor in the jaw. Live and neutral together cancel, so a healthy flex reads about zero while the appliance still draws current. For a higher stated current, the P 1650 title says 400 A AC/DC at £77.70 and CAT III 600 V. The scraped table has no jaw opening. A later description on the P 1650 page, seen on 21 October 2026, adds “up to 30 mm” and “100 kHz”. PeakTech states 30 mm and prints two conflicting frequency figures, so this page does not upgrade the comparison table to one hertz limit. The only UK review says the battery arrived flat. Non-UK reviews mention readings that would not repeat. If the core is thin and the current is small, the 400 A title is the wrong reason to prefer it. The zero step is on the how to use page. Leakage is the exception, and it stays in its own section so the two readings are not mixed.
PeakTech PeakTech P 3440

Testsieger

PeakTech PeakTech P 3440
8.0/10about £204.17
View offer

Leakage, which is the difference

Earth leakage is the imbalance, not the load. The IET’s Wiring Matters note of May 2021 says a sensitive clamp around line and neutral shows that imbalance, and around one conductor it shows load. Meter Test Lab notes that many load clamps resolve only about 100 mA and cannot see something like 2 mA. A 1 mA claim is the exception, and very low leakage can still be uncertain. The P 4350 states that exception: 1 mA up to 5 A, then 100 mA up to 80 A, jaw to 12 mm, £75.18, CAT III 600 V. Non-UK reviews use it for RCD leakage and vehicle quiescent current, and they report drift after REL. Megger uses about 30% of a 30 mA RCD as a selection rule of thumb for nuisance trips. That is Megger’s context, not a PeakTech specification. A 12 mm jaw will not swallow a fat meter tail, and this page does not tell you to clamp tails. Both clamps stop at CAT III 600 V.

Voltage and continuity still belong on the leads

Both clamps list voltage, resistance, continuity and a temperature probe on the leads. A clamp is not only a current tool. The P 4350 adds min, max, data hold and a jaw lamp. The P 1650 adds data hold. The handhelds still have the CAT IV line, the higher count and Bluetooth. The P 3440 adds the colour logger. The P 3442 adds 4–20 mA% and a low-pass filter, which is a series-loop job. The INFO lines name test leads and do not describe GS38 fused 2 mm tips. A socket voltage or a dead continuity check on a disconnected core uses the leads, inside that meter’s category. Supply-side category is where you leave the clamps in the bag. The pointer below names a listing. It does not create a new winner.

Which listing to open on the main page

Open the P 3440 on the PeakTech comparison for CAT IV, a colour logger and series current within the maker’s stated 10 A, if you accept the slow beep. Open the P 3442 for the same category with 4–20 mA% and one detailed UK review. Open the P 4350 for a cable up to 12 mm and the 1 mA claim, knowing the sample reviews are not from the UK and the low range may need REL. Open the P 1650 for the 400 A title when CAT III 600 V is enough, and fit a fresh battery first. The best PeakTech multimeter page says who should skip each one. None of the four proves a circuit dead or writes an installation certificate.

Common questions

When do I need a clamp instead of the P 3440?
You need a clamp when the conductor stays closed. The P 3440 measures current in series, and PeakTech states 10 A while Amazon prints no limit, so a feeder is the wrong place for it. The P 4350 covers a core up to 12 mm and states 1 mA to 5 A. The P 1650 states 400 A and, in the scraped table, no jaw size. Both clamps are CAT III 600 V, so neither replaces the P 3440 where you need CAT IV 600 V.
Can the handheld measure current at all?
Yes, in an opened circuit, with the meter in series. The P 3440 and P 3442 bullets name AC and DC current and stop there. PeakTech’s pages state 10 A. There is no jaw on either handheld. The P 3442’s 4–20 mA% function is a loop measurement on the leads, which is different from clamping a cable. If breaking the circuit risks the supply or a blown fuse, the handheld stops being the current tool and the jaw takes over.
Why does a clamp around a whole flex read about zero?
The go and return currents cancel inside one jaw. A flex with live and neutral often reads about zero while the load runs, which matches what Fluke and the IET describe. The meter has not failed, and the appliance is not proved off. Clamp a single core for load current. Clamp the live conductors and leave the CPC outside for leakage imbalance. Mixing those setups is how a healthy circuit gets written down as a fault.
Is the P 4350 an earth-leakage clamp or a load clamp?
The listing sells both ranges on one jaw: 1 mA resolution up to 5 A, and 100 mA resolution up to 80 A, for cables up to 12 mm. Meter Test Lab’s warning still applies, and non-UK reviews report drift after zero. It is CAT III 600 V at £75.18. It is not a 400 A feeder clamp and it is not CAT IV. Use it when the core fits and you zero first. Skip it when the cable is fatter than 12 mm.
Will the 12 mm jaw fit a meter tail?
The P 4350 limits the jaw to 12 mm, which is a small conductor, not a typical meter tail. This page does not recommend clamping tails. Both clamps are CAT III 600 V, and Martindale puts the service head in CAT IV. The P 1650 scrape omits jaw millimetres. A later sales line and the maker’s 30 mm figure do not change CAT III 600 V. If the tail is the question, category comes before diameter.
Can I use either clamp at the service head?
The printed category says they are CAT III 600 V. Megger places CAT IV between the supply source and the first isolator that disconnects line and neutral. A bullet that calls the P 1650 suitable for electricians does not raise that category. The P 3440 and P 3442 print CAT IV 600 V, and even those are not the HSG85 tool for proving dead and not a BS EN 61557 tester. Service-head work belongs with a competent person and an instrument rated for that place.

Related pages

PeakTech multimeter buying guide

PeakTech multimeter

Best PeakTech multimeter for a logger or a clamp jaw

CAT rating on a PeakTech multimeter, not a certificate

How to use a PeakTech multimeter without proving dead

Sources

Public sources listed in the research digest. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures on these four listings. The price bands are this set, not a market average.

  1. Martindale Electric: measurement categories explained (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. HSE GS38: electrical test equipment for electricians (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, regulation 16 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. HSE: electrical FAQs (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. SELECT Best Practice Guide 7 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. Fluke: what is true-RMS (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. PeakTech P 3440 manufacturer page (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. GOV.UK: Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 (retrieved 22 October 2026)