BSIDE ACM91 CHEAP-O Multimeter Review and Teardown!

[@bobsmith674]

Would have been nice to see DC amps accuracy.

[@KeepOnTesting]

FYI, this capable little clamp does lose accuracy below 1A, 600mA reads about 800mA ...

[@SimpleLife1971]

I'd like to dedicate this to performing automotive parasitic draw tests. Normally parasitic draws are under 1 amp so I'd be looking for milliamps. Clamping the device around the positive battery would tell me how much of a draw is happening then diagnose the cause. Would this be capable enough for this test?

[@EJEuth]

I have one of this BSide ACM91 and the DMM is good, but how to make it stable on the workbench is a PITA. Good to see its insides. When compared with the internals of UNI-T UT210e, that one was PTC and MOVs, but “ours” as here just have the PTC. Another good thing is the input impedance at VDC is 11 Megohm, while an AN9002, bought because of its Bluetooth App (questionable real utility) has shown just 910 Kilohm (probably because of the Auto feature, I guess).

[@KeepOnTesting]

Its a great clamp, very underrated and great performance for a CHEAP-O 😊

[@michaellicavoli3921]

I like the reviewer, he does a great job!

[@KeepOnTesting]

Many thanks! Keep on Testing!

[@anelectrician]

Excellent review

[@KeepOnTesting]

Thx my friend!

[@3rdpig]

Thanks for this review! The clamp size is small, but comparing the specs show's it's 20mm compared to the Uni T UT210e at 17mm. Also, it seems odd, it's almost as if the meter is aimed at HVAC techs (or at least home DIY'ers like me) as it offers Temp and LoZ, yet they leave out the needed capacitance ranges. Puzzling, you'd think those cap ranges would be a no brainer in every meter, even the cheap ones. But at $18 less than the UT210e, with temp, loz and 6000 counts, it's probably a better meter for me than the UniT. I think I'll pick one up, I've got other meters that can read the capacitance ranges. Still, makes me scratch my head and say "What where they thinking?".

[@KeepOnTesting]

Youre welcome Chuck..Glad it helped! Yes, quite a bizarre capacitance range..and no diode mode at all really irked me. However, as you point out it's still a very capable clamp and the added inclusion of LoZ and dual display Temperature along with a great price really seals the deal. Let me know how you like it!

[@3rdpig]

@@KeepOnTesting Lacking a diode mode is weird, but that's not something I was looking for with this particular meter, so it didn't slap me in the face the way the capacitance range did. But I suppose us aficionados of cheapo meters can't be too particular. And I'm so used to carrying two meters with me when I work on the A/C that it won't bother me that much. I've got lots of work to do this fall and winter, so it's going to get a workout!

[@unionse7en]

wanted to see how well the clamp worked in DC milliamp ranges

[@KeepOnTesting]

I will post a DC AMPS follow up on our website www.keepontesting.com next weekend ! 😊 👍

[@hbezner]

I found the review somewhat flippant and condescending, with a peculiar, repeated preoccupation with the jaw opening and circumference. I measure DC currents on small wires and could argue that the jaw opening is way too big and the circumference unnecessarily large. From my perspective the ACM91 is a fantastic, effective, and low-cost find and I'm ever so happy to have found it.

[@KeepOnTesting]

How on earth was it condescending...? At any rate, YMMV as with all instruments. Glad you like the clamp, there are certainly much worse ones out there!

[@bmh4013]

can it check dc currents of lithium batteries in the range 1A- 2A?

[@batkotivalio]

why don't you test the lowest DC uA range, what is the minimum current that can maesure - that is real test and would be interesting!

[@KeepOnTesting]

Current clamps tend to be unstable at lower currents (mA) ...but I'll try to improve my Clamp Testing at lower ranges. Thanks for the feedback.

[@kashubelua]

What about DC amps clamp? and even more important what about micro amps?? this is certainly the main thing that would bring you to this particular cheap device, what a miss man, this is not possible.... all other stuff are classic, no surprises.

[@KeepOnTesting]

Upcoming clamp reviews will have more detailed low current testing ..thx for the feedback!😃👍

[@derektodd4126]

Cheers Darren, thanks for the review. Sorry but definitely don't need another clamp meter. Have 3 already and not something I use alot anyway. Best wishes from Northern Ireland.

[@KeepOnTesting]

Roger that Derek!! Thanks for watching

[@workingandtraveling]

Hello, could you tell me the cost benefit of this product compared to Ut210d? Thank you

[@4272005]

Hi Darren, How come there was no testing with the clamp head done in the review?

[@KeepOnTesting]

Hello..I did test the clamp head! The clamp Current testing with the Clamp Jaw starts at 11:05

[@4272005]

@@KeepOnTesting Apologies Darren, i missed that bit. I've just bought an ACM91 and i couldn't make it read AC amps. I was putting around the whole cable rather just one core of the cable.

[@KeepOnTesting]

@@4272005 No worries ! Keep On Testing

[@dexwhitmore]

@@4272005 any idea if the meter will do AC mA?

[@techandrepairdiy6322]

Good review thanks for sharing

[@just_arandom_guy8209]

Most Bside look good multimeters and are offered at reasonable prices. I think that this one is not the exception.

[@KeepOnTesting]

They do try to give alot of features at a fair price..they just need to concentrate on how it all comes together but overall, it's a good buy.

[@Jon-hx7pe]

do you mean it can't read capacitance below 600uf? or is it a 0 to 600 range or 0 to 6000 and just not perfectly accurate for smaller caps?

[@KeepOnTesting]

Nothing below 600uF ...

[@set3777]

@@KeepOnTesting Capacitance: 600μF/6000μF 0.1μF/1μF ±(4.0%+3counts) IF lower FULL SCALE can be 600uF, you should be able to measure capacitance much lower than 600uF

[@dexwhitmore]

What's it like for AC MILLIAMPERES range? For earth leakage

[@KeepOnTesting]

Sorry , I haven't tested AC mA..

[@dexwhitmore]

@@KeepOnTesting any chance you can and report back? Was hoping to find one that had AC mA capability

[@KeepOnTesting]

@@dexwhitmore Sorry my friend...lent this to my brother in law and he's decided he likes it too much to give it back!

[@waynew2831]

Why does EVERYBODY skip over DC amps and mili-amps when testing or reviewing a meter. I don't get it !

[@yambo59]

Not too bad for $30, agreed the clamp opening is somewhat small but depends on what you intend to clamp I guess. I do see it online for as high as $57 and thats beyond reasonable but thats a one off exception its easy to find for under $35. For such a small guy it has a lot to offer with a couple of exceptions, amazes me how that style of continuity speaker can be so large on the board but be so weak sounding - ive seen same one in other meters and its always weak it seems. Were seeing more and more dual displays on low budget meters and a nice thing to see on this one. Just my preference but wish they would include straight lead connectors when the input jacks are at the bottom, but again thats just me. Not the worse cheapo clamp meter, ive seen worse for more money. Also agree the probes were better than average without cleaning, just something I do when they dont perform.

[@KeepOnTesting]

Hey Mike, Here here...its a pretty decent clamp for the price...my biggest caveat was the jaw size...I've seen small clamps with big jaws and this would have been preferable. Agreed about that continuity..needs to be louder!! I know you like to clean your stock probes...and I do to. However, for acuity, I prefer the "virgin" probes when doing the stock continuity tests.

[@narmenia]

does this have dc amp reading via clamp?

[@Clay7744]

yes

[@CaseyReedFishing]

Do you know the difference between acm91 and acm92?

[@skkayman]

ACM91 is True-RMS, resistance up to 60MOhm, measures capacitance, temperature, DC Current 0-200uA with probes, has LoZ test. AMC92 has AC Current range 600mA with 0.1mA resolution.

[@stephenshop4946]

The score for acm91 is low. How about habotest ht206d review. I'm looking for a good review before buying ht206d. Hope you do.

[@KeepOnTesting]

HT206D does look interesting..Ill order one for a review !

[@stephenshop4946]

@@KeepOnTesting Thank you for granting my wish. Am excited to see the review..

[@stephenshop4946]

@@KeepOnTesting Maybe you will consider Winapex 8203 also much cheaper than habotest but loaded with lot of features.

[@Dansk55]

Would you get this or the UT210E Pro?

[@KeepOnTesting]

UT210E PRO 👍

[@enlaotrapuntadelmund]

Having this Meter, I can say never worked properly, the clamp shows 55 A, 27 and then 11A, it does not matter Ac, DC, with or without a wire..Voltage measurement is 75 when should be. 220 , and so for. I got it through Ali Baba. ,I was skeptical about the quality and 35 € for something does not work is quite expensive, and it is more expensive return the product than buying a new one in Amazon. I guess my clamp was the wrong one, even with the Q. C stickers on it.

[@KeepOnTesting]

Sorry to hear it was a letdown...did you you cleaning the pcb with Isopropyl...install resh batteries ...usual suspects can wreak havoc on dmms.

[@kangtukang4948]

is it possible to measure ac current?

[@KeepOnTesting]

Yes the clamp is capable of measuring both AC or DC current.

[@workingandtraveling]

Could you point me to a device similar to the Ut210d?

Comprou o UT210d ?

[@englishrupe01]

UT210E

[@workingandtraveling]

@ Olá amigo, eu comprei o UT204+ Está me atendendo bem.

[@party-zn519]

мне интересно другое , кто у кого спиздил эту схему устройства * uni-t ut210e * bside ACM91 * MESTEK CM82C * как одно яйцевые близнецы , юнит и местек вроде давно на рынке , а эти бэсиде ..хз , не слышал раньше. ещё такой же клон есть у * Mastech *

[@KeepOnTesting]

Согласен с Вами. МЕСТЕК, UNIT-I и Zotek они все OEM's. В то время как большинство мультиметров таких как BSIDE, RICHMETERS и иже с ними являются ребрендингом вышеупомянутых компаний.

[@party-zn519]

платы в нутри ничем не отличаются , есть подозрение , что это одна и та же контора , которая занимается чёрным маркетингом , продажи прут и пофиг .. ))

[@LBCAndrew]

I couldn't get past the 1 minute mark with that stupid screen edge effect you have going on.

[@KeepOnTesting]

Practice makes perfect..I think you'll find the quality has improved...'😀👍