Power Meter

I've had several different power meters in the past, but the Reed R5090 provides more information than any of them, in a more compact factor. The most useful readings it can provide are power (watts) and current (amps), plus voltage and frequency (useful for diagnosing problem conditions. This is the first meter I've had that can also display the power factor, which is sort of a measure of how efficiently the device under measure uses the power phases; I think this is not of interest to most people, but it is interesting. It can also display total power used over time (kWh), as well as elapsed time. Less useful, in my opinion, are the ability to compute power cost in dollars and CO2 emissions - you must tell it what factor to use.

This kit includes the power meter, manual and an installed battery. Using the power meter is very simple. Plug the power meter into a power source and plug a device you wish to test into the socket located on the front of the power meter. It starts immediately. Before using the meter, you must remove the rear plastic cover to remove a plastic tab covering the installed CR2032 coin cell battery. The installed battery keeps the data safe in the event of a power outage. The power meter has several units of measurement, voltage, current, watts, frequency, power factor, energy usage, total cost (to use), and elapsed time. It can accept a maximum current and power rating of 15A and 1800W respectively. It has an over-current warning function. It can keep track of energy consumption in the form of kWh. It can use that information to calculate the cost to power the device over time. In order to calculate the cost over time, you must enter the rate your energy provider charges. I question the accuracy of this feature as some people are charged a variable rate. It can estimate CO2 emission load, although I question the accuracy as there are many forms of energy production. Its dimensions are 5”(H) x 2.6”(W) x 1.75”(D). I use this power meter to determine how much power my gadgets are consuming such as PC’s, TV’s, computer monitors, portable heaters, etc. Using this device is very simple. It is a plug and play experience. It gives immediate readings once things are plugged in. I use the “Power” option and selecting it is simple, press one of the four front-facing buttons and you are good to go. The display is easy to read in a well-lit room. It does not have a backlight. The numbers are nice and big. However, the units of measurement are quite small, so you have to be very close to read it. I compared it with another power meter and their readings were almost identical. In addition, the manual goes into detail about all its functions. I found this power meter to be easy to use, practical and accurate. For those reasons I would recommend it.

I regret buying it. Not intuitive at all. Since I don't use it daily, I have had to review the directions a few times. The biggest issue is my fault, I should have checked if it had a backlight feature. To read the data, with few exceptions, I have to get out a flashlight. Real pain in the butt.

Worked as advertised, easy to use

The meter meets my expectations for recording kWh usage for appliances, TV, internet modem and WIFI router. Depending on location a flashlight might be needed to read the display since it is not backlit.

I find instructions confusing. The display does not light up. There is no way to reset. Can you help?

Easy to setup for monitoring power consumption and cost. Great to actually see how much energy, and the cost it takes to run electrical appliances you use. Measured electric chainsaw, log splitter, radiator core heater, leaf blower etc. Going to measure many more household appliances next.

Bought this to check power draws around the house and worked as intended.

I bought this for me but I have 2 adult kids and as soon as I took it out of the box my daughter asked me to let her ck it out. When she is done with it my other kid wants to barrow it. Can't wait to try it myself. So far it looks like it's going to be a great investment.