Description
The rugged Amprobe INSP-3 Wiring Inspector Circuit Tester verifies in seconds whether a building’s wiring (including voltage drop under load) complies with electrical code. This saves time and money by eliminating guess work. The large display shows all relevant test data so you can quickly identify issues with splices, connections, and conductor quality that are crucial to safety and performance, without scrolling or switching screens. Select a 10, 15, or 20 amp load on the electricity tester then read the results. A flashing screen clearly indicates incorrect wiring or failures. This wire tester won’t trip circuit breakers or blow fuses during the test.
INSP-3 Notice:
Do not use the INSP-3 to test AFCI protection (Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter) on the following breaker: Eaton (Cutler Hammer) BRCAF120CS (20A)
Due to unique design of the AFCI protection, the INSP-3 is not able to trip it. The INSP-3 can perform all other tests on this breaker per user manual.
This is the only known breaker type that the INSP-3 has limitations with testing (tripping) AFCI protection.
falcon391 –
save time
you can’t go wrong with this tester, it’s all in one for inspections
of wiring systems.
breaks all inportant info down. simply read info in the palm of your hand
✔ Yes, I recommend this product.
RonV –
Great tool for the price!!!
The INSP-3 circuit tester is a great tool and worth every penny (if not more). It has a simple, large, easy to read display that shows almost anything you would want to know about the circuit on a sngle screen. It has been a valuable addition to my tool bag.
✔ Yes, I recommend this product.
Basketball57 –
voltage drop worth checking
It is great to have a tool that can check a circuit condition, especially in commercial and industrial applications. So many circuits are added in time and it is nice to plug in and get the test result. It is an easy way to do preventative maintenance and prevent nuisance tripping if the voltage drop is too great.
✔ Yes, I recommend this product.
TheChristianElectrician –
works good, accurate in it’s testing
I recently purchased the INSP-3 wiring circuit inspector for a very specif job.
I needed to analyze specific circuits that were in a 1930’s age building which had numerous updated branch wiring circuits of various dates of construction throughout the years.
The building was a ice cream shoppe currently and much wiring was partially exposed as to non-metallic or in conduit or in wiremold style of construction.
The main 200 amp panel was completely full with an sub-panel of 100 amps also on site, so there were 40 circuits to test for load.
The initial setup was easy, just plug it in, choose the amperage of the breaker and do a load test.
The INSP-3 did a load test on each circuit I choose to do, it told me how much was being drawn and how much current was left over not being drawn on that particular branch circuit breaker. It never “popped” a breaker during testing.
The INSP-3 showed me which circuits were not loaded down with out having to take panel covers off, trying to work through the density of packed wires in the circuit panel and doing a clamp style of load testing with my other Amprobe clamp meter. I simply had to go throughout the building and plug the INSP-3 into existing outlets to see which outlets we could put additional load current on without “popping” a breaker.
The INSP-3 would be a great diagnostic tool for the skilled electrician or electrical firm to own since it could also generate income by having an electrician come out and for a fee analyze a whole building outlet system for left over system outlet compacity in amperage or wattage per outlet.
I was very glad to have purchased this product and endorse it highly
✔ Yes, I recommend this product.
sparky134 –
invaluable tool
The wiring inspector is an excellent tool for all types of work.Can easily identify problems and has the ability to show the customer your findings.
✔ Yes, I recommend this product.
mkseattle –
Simply and easy to use with great information
As a property investor one of the largest risks is buying a building with bad wiring. With this tool I can confidently know that prospective properties I am interested in have a good electric service. This tool has saved me thousands of dollars having an electric inspector come out before a purchase. The information is very simple and concise and very readable for someone with a lacking electric background. If you have a need for this it is a bargain from all the money it will save you in the future.
✔ Yes, I recommend this product.
Steve –
Everything you need to know at a glance about your circuits
As electrician for over 30 years, & old house wiring specialist this is the perfect tool to have, great investment
✔ Yes, I recommend this product.
EEHOWARD –
You can call this product “THE DETECTIVE”
A big time saver! The electrons report to you right away as long as you use it properly. If you want to know all about your branch circuits…GET THIS INSTRUMENT!!!
✔ Yes, I recommend this product.
electrictim –
Great Tool!
A fellow electrician told me about this tool. Since he was so excited about how it worked I naturally had to buy one. I love it and it comes out almost every time I troubleshoot now. 🙂
✔ Yes, I recommend this product.
Harrisele –
great tool for an electricans bag
This is an fantastic tool showing problems to customers
✔ Yes, I recommend this product.
bxj6 –
ease to use & points me in the correct direction
I have use my insp-3 hundreds of times & I just love how easy it is to use! It has ponted me in the right diagnostic direction more times than I can list. It is by most the best tool I have bougt yet.
Dennis O. Blough
Blough’s Handyman Services
✔ Yes, I recommend this product.
TonyPops –
Awesome!
As someone who has been in the field for years, this is one of the best tools?
✔ Yes, I recommend this product.
SMINC –
A MUST HAVE FOR A/V INSTALLERS
Read an article on this product in EC&M. The device sounded like like a time saver. I own a sound and communications installation company in Pennsylvania, we purchased one to try and after one or two uses the tester paid for itself. When the high voltage electricians setup feeds to our racks there are on occassion, times where miss-wiring occurs which creates both noise and switching problems for our rack gear. The INSP-3 gives the installer instant information concerning the high voltage (120vac) wiring and ground conditions which saves us time and money. If your in the low voltage install business but rely on proper high voltage installs, this device is a MUST HAVE!
✔ Yes, I recommend this product.
Kibi –
Must have tool
I was have electrical problem with one of my plugs. A friend of mine who is an electrician over heard me talking about it. He went and get his tool an plug it into the plug and told me that I have the wrong fuse in. This just tell me that if you have the right tool you can save your self time and money. This is a great tool to have and keep.
✔ Yes, I recommend this product.
BigE –
This circuit tester was one of the best product used
Are you are looking for a product that is easy to use, accurate each and every time, then look no further than the Wiring Inspector Circuit Tester. I have had not found a product that can match this tester.
✔ Yes, I recommend this product.
taino –
INSP-3
Great item, just installed a ceiling fan and this item was very useful in identifing in the amount of current growing through the room in order to prevent an overload.
✔ Yes, I recommend this product.
frank61 –
great tool
Just the name Amprobe is enough to know its built to last and be used for a long time.Great tool
✔ Yes, I recommend this product.
positive1 –
fast
fast and accurate. I’ve used it on a couple of jobs and it came in very handy.
✔ Yes, I recommend this product.
Budd –
Time Saver
What a great tool. Saves me time, money and frustration.
✔ Yes, I recommend this product.
petroman –
Extra income
Home inspectors ruin our industry….give our customers a real break and back it with facts…..this is the meter to do it….
Highly recommend and will be purchasing soon, after a trial from my supply house.
The meter performs tests that we routinely don’t and will add to your treasure trove of additional income producing tools
✔ Yes, I recommend this product.
Addicted2Toolz –
Problems with Arc fault testing….
I have gone thru three testers in three days. They’ve been good with getting me replacements. But when I get a new one I’ll do three to four arc fault tests and it comes up with “internal fault contact factory” on the display. Also GFCI trip gets stuck, so every time you plug it in it’ll trip the GFCI.
If all your doing is testing for voltage under load, voltage drop, or ground resistance. Then this may be a good model for you… If your looking for a arc fault or GFCI tester. This may not be the model for you.
✘ No, I do not recommend this product
Amprobe –
Thank you for your feedback. This issue has been brought to our attention and our engineering team has developed a solution. We have found that the issue occurs on a certain type of arc fault breaker, which blows the internal fuse. As a result, the “internal fault reading” error message is displayed. This issue has been corrected with updated firmware.
Also, per the user manual, the GFCI button needs to be depressed prior to plugging into a GFCI receptacle. We understand that this is counter-intuitive and we will address this with our next product update.
All Amprobe products are covered by a one year warranty which covers this fuse. Please call 1-877-AMPROBE for service assistance.
Petros –
A decent tool, but not perfect.
The INSP-3 is a nice addition to a set of testing tools, but it has a serious weakness. The GFCI test circuit is not implemented very well and uses circuitry which heats up a little after each test, eventually causing the unit to trip a GFCI breaker or receptacle as soon as it’s plugged in and before you press the test button (after maybe four or five consecutive tests). This really needs to be addressed as many of the kitchens I install need to be tested in multiple locations (Plugmold, remote GFCI protected recepts, etc.) and the tester simply isn’t up to the task.
For non-protected circuits it works well and offers a lot of good information.
I don’t use the AFCI test often, so I can’t comment on that.
✔ Yes, I recommend this product.
Amprobe –
Thank you for your feedback. Per the user manual, the GFCI button needs to be depressed prior to plugging into a GFCI receptacle. We understand that this is counter-intuitive and we will address this with our next product update.
Scott27 –
Not made for the professional
Excellent toy for the amateur or DIY’er but the quality or reliability is not there yet for the professional. We’re on our fifth one in 2 years. I can not stress enough that If you are a professional expecting to use the product daily, move on, don’t waste your money. Eventually you will get the “internal fault reading” contact factory. This fault renders the unit inoperable and requires replacement (at your cost). The factory will not repair the unit. We have made multiple calls to the factory and no one knows or can explain to us why this happens. We have purchased our last one.
✘ No, I do not recommend this product
Amprobe –
Thank you for your feedback. This issue has been brought to our attention and our engineering team has developed a solution. We have found that the issue occurs on a certain type of arc fault breaker, which blows the internal fuse. As a result, the “internal fault reading” error message is displayed. This issue has been corrected with updated firmware. All Amprobe products are covered by a one year warranty which covers this fuse. Please call 1-877-AMPROBE for service assistance.
ConcernedUser –
My INSP-3 gives inconsistent results
I’ve just started using an INSP-3 I purchased new from Amazon.com. As a very experienced electrical engineer, I think I have a full understanding of how the device is to be used and what things should or should not affect the measurements it reports.
To be fair, the following represents my INITIAL findings. If I come to a different conclusion after further investigation, I’ll try to update this review.
I’ve observed a significant problem, which could be due to a deficiency in the INSP-3 (but might also be due to some other factor, although I’ve yet to determine what it might be). Namely, the results the INSP-3 reports VARY significantly if I repeat the test of any particular receptacle, either right away or after a few minutes. For example, it may report a total voltage drop (hot + neutral) of 5.8% one time, 6.5% another time, and 7.2% in another trial. In many cases, such as in this example, the amount of variation is outside the 2%/2-digit accuracy specified for the INSP-3, and makes it difficult to have confidence in the results!
One possible interfering factor is the presence of other loads on the branch circuit being tested. But I believe I eliminated this factor by knowing all of the receptacles on the branch being tested and disconnecting all loads.
Another possibility is that the INSP-3 starts measuring too soon after the prongs of the test plug first make contact with the receptacle. There could be some intermittency in the connection until the plug is fully seated in the receptacle, so that if measurement is occurring during this period, the results could be corrupted. This would be a design problem that Amprobe could have avoided by building in enough delay before measurement starts.
A third possibility is that the INSP-3 measures over too short of a time interval. This, too, could lead to variance in the displayed result. Like the previous factor, this would be a design problem.
Yet another possibility, of course, is that my INSP-3 is defective or has been abused. Since I haven’t abused it and am (to the best of my knowledge) the original owner, this possibilty would seem to boil down to defect.
I hope Amprobe responds to this good-faith review.
Amprobe –
Thank you for your feedback. This issue has been brought to the attention of our engineering team and they are currently looking into this inconsistency. All Amprobe products are covered by a one year warranty. Please call 1-877-AMPROBE for service assistance.
curt –
Why are there two copies of the INSP-3 manual on this website?
Neat product!
However, there are two copies of the manual on this website – one for “INSP3” and the other for “INSP-3.”
The copies appear to be the same. Suggest you get rid of the one named INSP3, since the actual product name is INSP-3.
✔ Yes, I recommend this product.
Christopher65 –
Not currently Combo-Arc Fault Capable (??)
The INSP-3 may have great attributes for conventional wire testing as well GFCI, but completely fails in the newer combo arc fault circuit breaker requirements as per NEC 2008/2011. I put one of these in the hands of a contractor who comes to our supply shop daily; this will not trip combo arc fault breakers like the Eaton BRCAF115 and by consequence, he failed his inspection. The INSP-3 may work on conventional arc-fault protection circuit breakers, but NOT the newer combo variants.
✘ No, I do not recommend this product
Amprobe –
Thank you for your comment. This issue has been corrected with current models of the INSP-3 (any unit with serial number 201305907 or higher should work fine with the newer combo arc fault circuit breaker). If you have an earlier version of the product, please return it to our service department for a replacement by calling 1-877-AMPROBE.
Greg –
Waiting to get it right…
My vendor tells me that NONE of the AFCI testers are doing great in the field, so while my review contains some criticism of Amprobe, I have my doubts that there are “better” testers out there. According to my contact, there should be a satisfactory replacement by June 2014.
I ordered an Amprobe Insp 3 and have attempted to use it twice.
The first time was out of the box and I simply tested some AFCI circuit breakers by wiring a receptacle directly to a few different breakers in my own electrical panel. Testing the AFCIs seemed to work great; I was very happy.
However, when I tried to use it to test knob and tube circuits for voltage drops in a customer’s house, the tester would immediately trip AFCI circuit breakers.
I simply wanted to test the circuits/wiring and NOT the AFCIs. In other words, I would turn the unit on, plug it into a receptacle and the breaker would trip before any test could be performed. I tried this with 2 different AFCI circuit breakers with the same results. The same thing also happened with a GFCI receptacle. I did NOT touch the AFCI or the GFCI buttons during these tests. One thought did occur to me: if the AFCI protected circuits had shared neutrals, maybe that was causing the breaker to trip. Unsure.
So, to eliminate that possibility and just to make sure it wasn’t the wiring, I attached a receptacle directly to each AFCI circuit breaker at the electrical panel and had the same results -again, I did not touch the AFCI button. I also did do an AFCI trip test by turning on the unit, pressing the AFCI button and plugging it into the receptacle I had attached to the breaker -I got a clean AFCI test with a good test result.
I feel I understand how to use this tester: before purchasing, I read the instructions online and watched Amprobe’s (and other’s) youtube videos to help me decide whether or not to purchase. Before using the tool, I also read the instructions.
Essentially my issue is this: I can’t make a voltage drop test on an AFCI breaker without near-instantly tripping the AFCI before the test even seems to start.
I have contacted Amprobe tech support, they agree that there is a problem, and they instructed me to contact my vender for a replacement.
✔ Yes, I recommend this product.
Amprobe –
We apologize for any confusion regarding the INSP-3. To AVOID tripping a breaker, please push either the AFCI or GFCI button BEFORE testing. This way you can measure voltage drop on such breakers.
When the unit is connected without pressing the GFCI or AFCI buttons, the breakers will be automatically tripped. This may sound counter intuitive, but it is a useful feature for quickly testing AFCI/GFCI breakers for proper tripping. We hope this explanation solves the confusion.
Vinroc –
I like it, helps with troubleshooting.
Excellent tool for the trained electrician. You need to spen some time with it getting to learn and understand its readings.
The manual does not indicate How to reset the tool once you are done testing your GFCI.
1-Press the GFCI button before you plug into it.
2-once test is complete and the GFCI has tripped and unit is off. Press the GFCI button again.
3-Hit the reset button on the GFCI. Now you can get all other readings.
I found if you did not do this it will constantly trip the GFCI and not allow you to get any other readings.
✔ Yes, I recommend this product.
hcl1 –
Great tester
Even though coltage drop is only a recomendation in the NEC it needs to be properly calcuated and checked, This tool does an excellent job in testing voltage drop under load. It also adds the great features of GFCI and AFCI tester. You do need to read the reviews below on how to properly use this tool on those circuits to prevent an instant trip on the circuit.
✔ Yes, I recommend this product.
bluwizz –
Quick and easy
When I need to determine the quality of circuitry in a building, this is my go to tool. Plug it in and get all the information in less than a minute per receptacle.
Since working with it for a couple of years, I wouldn’t be without it. Gives me more information about a circuit on one screen than other tools combined, and much quicker.
✔ Yes, I recommend this product.
dean1186 –
very handy tool
was very accurate, and fast, did what I wanted it to do very accurately
✔ Yes, I recommend this product.
exmdd –
did not trip the AFCI breaker
used it to check on s remodeling wiring, the device did not trip any of the AFCI, worked well for GFI and voltage drop. Sent it back
✘ No, I do not recommend this product
mastersparky –
4 uses
Used to tool 4 times before screen showed internal failure on the display and quit working.
John28 –
warranty
had to return unit under warranty, took 2 weeks for new unit to
arrive
✔ Yes, I recommend this product.
Malkam63 –
This product can help troubleshooting
I used mine to find a bad neutral in a residential setting
✔ Yes, I recommend this product.
Jeez –
must have tool
This tool works very well & I would not be without it.
It is a bit expensive for a non professional, but as a property owner / landlord it has been indispensable in troubleshooting minor issues.
It has literly save me thousands in electrician costs.
✔ Yes, I recommend this product.
Truckkd –
Great tester for the money
Bought this tester in a pinch because I couldn’t get the ideal one in time. I was surprised how easy it was to use. I like it better than the ideal
✔ Yes, I recommend this product.
Jbfbomb –
Great product!
This has been the easist and longest lasting circuit tested I have had! It makes testing outlets a breeze!
✔ Yes, I recommend this product.
jmack –
Great product for use in water damage restoration field.
I use this product when setting up water damage restoration drying equipment and can quickly and easy identify each different circuit, can test to see if wired correctly and can test the amount of draw in use and available in each circuit.
✔ Yes, I recommend this product.
Frankieg19 –
Great tool must have for service electricians.
This is a great tool easy to use very intuitive works great for double checking faulty breaker‘s and leaving you and your customers with confidence that you found and resolved the problem,when you have replaced the faulty breaker this is the best tool to make sure the circuit and breaker are good.
It is also much more professional to use this tool to do a load test then finding appliances such as vacuums or blowdryers to test the customer circuit.
✔ Yes, I recommend this product.
joby1994 –
i loved this product,everything you need right in front of you!
I was able to just use this tester for a couple hours to fix my wiring in my house and I was done so quick and fast i could not believe it ,told me what I needed to know so I could fix it.there is no way I could afford something this awesome but none the less its a great tool and so e day I will try and get one of my own.
✔ Yes, I recommend this product.
Ray0033 –
I am alive thanks to this product ..
I had just purchased this great tester for a home project I needed to figure out why my office light went in and out , I thought I had flipped the breaker but hadn’t and almost stuck a screw driver to a live plug in when I saw my tester at my feet .I decided to use it since I bought it and saw juice was still running so yea this product is a life saver ..
✔ Yes, I recommend this product.
Mike69 –
Great produce
I would get more when I need it I have use it and it work great.
✔ Yes, I recommend this product.
Terryterry –
Great for voltage drop
This meter was bought solely for voltage drop. If does its job flawlessly. It also measure ground resistance. Very helpful for checking the integrity of a circuit and cuts down troubleshooting time.
✔ Yes, I recommend this product.
DJ6595 –
Awesome
Excellent product. Don’t hesitate to purchase. Great buy
✔ Yes, I recommend this product.
COBY WRIGHT –
This meter still does not work on dual function breakers. It will trip the dual function as soon as plugged in. It does make no difference if you press the arc fault button first, the gfi button first, it will trip as soon as placed in plug. These testers we have are the newer serial numbers. At this time they are useless to us.