Edit: After using it for over a month, I cannot stand it anymore. I have to read everything upside down since the plug doesn't rotate and my plugs have the 3rd plug (ground) on the bottom of the outlet instead of the top (which is exactly how 99% of every plug I've ever seen are oriented).
The menus need to be simplified. This shouldn't require a manual to use, since it does something so simple. WANF Electricity Energy Watt Usage Meter for US Power Socket
I paid $3.99 for this just to compare it to KillAWatt. After leaving my Frig plugged into WANF for 24days I can't figure out what it recorded. For Cost, it doesn't say whether it's recorded cost/minute, per day, per hour, per month OR WHAT!! For Consumption, it appears to record instantaneous and accumulated KWH, but it doesn't SAY what it recorded. To me the WANF unit isn't worth $4 I paid for it. The User Manual is so poorly worded it will do nothing but confuse you, so if you buy this unit you're on your own. However the KillAWatt 4460 unit tells me exactly what it's displaying in dollars/minute, per hour, per day, per month, per year and in Volts, Amps, Watts, KWH, both instantaneous and accumulated. Both WANF and KillAWatt retain data when unplugged, so you can repower them at your desk to read the data.
========Original 4star Review below is Updated above========
Very detailed User Manual, but painfully short on usable information. It's almost impossible to understand what the abbreviations are, so taking a reading for power consumption or cost per day/week/month is a real challenge.
Other than that, it's great.
The backlighting alone puts it head and shoulders above KillAWatt. When you're standing on your head in the first place trying to read these things in the outlet 12" above the floor, you don't want to have to hold a flashlight in order to see the display.
Can't figure out how to contact the manufacturer, but they say "we have set the price very low in hope that customers will consider to try this product and leave review feedback". I bought it on the cheap and like it, but it's really hard to use. Hope they read this because I'd be grateful if the maker would contact me, and send a better User Manual.
Do not buy. This meter was being used to monitor power consumption of a desktop computer (200-250 watts). The product worked fine for about four hours then the LCD screen went blank. The product still provides power to whatever is plugged in to it, but does not give any information about power usage. Spend a few extra bucks and get a better quality meter.
Even though I can not answer for all the functions of the WANF Multifunction Mini Ammeter, I have been able to see the wattage being consumed when various electricity dependent items are plugged in after the ammeter is itself plugged to an electrical outlet. The monitor has a three-pronged plug that goes into a power source strip with multiple entry points. There are three small push buttons on the front of the unit that show the Kilowatt hours of energy being expended and related information. I purchased this energy meter to determine the amount of electricity being used by various standard light bulbs, ahead of switching over to energy efficient L.E.D. bulbs. In addition, I wanted to check to see whether or not to replace an aging stereo system, an old-fashioned picture tube television, and an old desk copier machine. This energy meter is simple to use and appears to produce consistently accurate results. It's a very useful tool for any household trying to save on ongoing electricity costs and reduce their overall carbon footprint. By measuring the power usage of potentially inefficient appliances and electronic entertainment devices you own in your own home or office, it's the first step to doing your part to help the planet go green!!
The tool is easy to use in order to figure out the power consumption and energy use of individual electrical appliances. You just plug it into a wall outlet and then add the appliance that you want to test. The meter shows the Watt power consumption on the spot. We got very useful insights into the life of our washing machine, light bulbs and an old printer -- I guess it is time for them to go :-). Overall the tool is a very helpful and affordable support tool for making decision about the replacement of appliances and ultimately for improving our overall carbon footprint - it finds the ecological culprits :-) - Energy Savings - Energy Meter - Electrical - Eco-friendly'
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