Originally Posted by mpolli

I will throw in my .02 for what it is worth. I am an electronic technician and EE.

The value of the resistor shunt method is that it is something the average person can understand and do, usually without causing much damage, and it gives accurate results.

Yes, most meters can measure DC current through their probes, but it is my experience that almost no one can do this without blowing the fuse on the meter. The meter needs to have its probes connected correctly and then the meter probes need to be put IN SERIES with the circuit, which is different than how voltage is measured. Easy if you understand but most people not "skilled in the art" do not get this detail. So the result is they put the probe in the current measuring hole, then immediately measure a voltage and blow the fuse. Then they wonder why the meter doesn't work. Even an experienced person can forget where the probes are plugged in and do this. I work with a bunch of professional wiremen and half the meter fuses are blown all the time.

A DC clamp-on meter is a wonderful thing. As was said you have to be careful buying one since the vast majority of clamp-on's measure AC current only, including the ones on eBay advertised as "AC DC CURRENT METER". You have to look at the details. A good cheap one is the Mastech MS2108A which you can get for about $40. It will not read small currents as accurately as the resistor method but will measure them well enough. I used one this weekend to track down a short in some trailer wiring. I just sniffed the current along until it stopped. Like magic. Took 5 minutes and I didn't have to touch a wire.