If you have ever wondered whether a charger is really delivering 65W, whether a USB-C cable is quietly throttling your fast charge, or how much capacity is actually left in a power bank, a USB-C power meter answers it in seconds. We stock two that sit at different points on the scale: the value-focused ATORCH C13P and the professional ChargerLAB POWER-Z KM003C. They look similar and both measure watts, but they are built for different jobs. Here is how to choose.
What a USB-C power meter does
A USB-C power meter sits inline between your charger and your device, passing power through while reading what flows: voltage, current and wattage in real time. Better units also total up capacity (mAh and Wh) so you can measure a power bank or a charge cycle, and the most advanced ones decode the USB Power Delivery negotiation itself, the back-and-forth where charger and device agree on a voltage. That last capability is where these two meters part ways.
The short version
- ATORCH C13P (SGD 80): the best-value everyday meter. Wide voltage range, big display, measures capacity, covers PD3.1 up to 54V. The right pick for most people testing chargers, cables and power banks.
- ChargerLAB POWER-Z KM003C (SGD 120): the professional PD analyzer. Higher accuracy and, crucially, it decodes the Power Delivery conversation and logs to PC software. The tool for engineers, reviewers and anyone debugging a fast-charge handshake.
Side by side
| Feature | ATORCH C13P | ChargerLAB POWER-Z KM003C |
|---|---|---|
| Price | SGD 80 | SGD 120 |
| Best for | Everyday charger, cable and power-bank testing | Engineering, QA, reviews, PD debugging |
| Voltage / current range | 0 to 50V, 0 to 6.5A (PD3.1 to 54V) | High precision across the USB-C PD range |
| Live volts / amps / watts | Yes | Yes |
| Capacity (mAh / Wh) | Yes | Yes |
| Fast-charge protocols | Detects PD and common protocols | Full PD message decoding |
| PC software logging | Limited | Yes, ChargerLAB PC software |
| Display | Large colour display | Colour display |
| Level | Prosumer / maker | Professional / lab |
ATORCH C13P: the value all-rounder
The ATORCH C13P is the meter most people actually need. It reads voltage (0 to 50V), current (0 to 6.5A) and wattage live on a large, clear display, and it supports PD3.1 all the way up to 54V, so it keeps up with the newer high-power EPR chargers that many cheaper meters cannot read. It also accumulates capacity in mAh and Wh, which is how you check whether a 10,000mAh power bank really holds 10,000mAh, or how much charge a phone pulled. For verifying a charger's output, catching a weak cable, or measuring a power bank, it does the job at a price that is hard to argue with.
▶️ Watch the ATORCH C13P tested in real time
ATORCH C13P specifications
- Voltage range: 0 to 50V, PD3.1 up to 54V
- Current range: 0 to 6.5A
- Measures: live voltage, current, wattage, accumulated capacity (mAh / Wh)
- Connector: USB-C in and out, pass-through design
- Display: large colour screen, readable at a glance
- Price: SGD 80
ChargerLAB POWER-Z KM003C: the professional analyzer
The ChargerLAB POWER-Z KM003C is a different class of tool. Alongside accurate real-time V/A/W and capacity, its headline feature is PD protocol decoding: it reads the actual USB Power Delivery messages between charger and device, showing which power profiles (PDOs) a charger advertises and which one the device requests. Paired with ChargerLAB's PC software it captures and logs that data for analysis. If you have ever needed to know not just that a device is drawing 27W, but why it did not negotiate the 45W it should have, this is the meter that tells you. It is the choice for development, QA, repair and serious reviewing, which is what the higher price reflects.
▶️ Watch the POWER-Z KM003C measuring a real charge in real time
Which should you buy?
It comes down to whether you need to measure power or analyse it:
- Buy the ATORCH C13P if you want to know how many watts, volts or amps are flowing, check a cable's real throughput, measure a power bank's true capacity, or confirm a charger works. That covers the vast majority of users, and it handles the high-voltage PD3.1 chargers too.
- Buy the ChargerLAB KM003C if you need to see and decode the PD negotiation, want the highest measurement accuracy, or log readings to a PC for development and testing work.
Put simply: the ATORCH tells you what is happening, the ChargerLAB tells you why.
Browse the full range
Both are on the Testers and Power Meters page, shipping from Singapore. If instead you are trying to test loose AA, AAA or coin cells rather than USB power, that is a job for our BT-168 battery tester, a different tool for a different kind of battery.
Frequently asked questions
What is the ATORCH C13P?
The ATORCH C13P is a USB-C power meter and tester. It sits inline between a charger and a device to show live voltage (0 to 50V), current (0 to 6.5A) and wattage, supports PD3.1 up to 54V, and tracks accumulated capacity in mAh and Wh. It costs SGD 80 and is the best-value choice for checking chargers, cables and power banks.
What is the difference between a USB power meter and a PD analyzer?
A power meter shows what is flowing right now: volts, amps, watts and usually accumulated capacity. A PD analyzer does that too but also decodes the USB Power Delivery negotiation, the messages where charger and device agree on a voltage, which helps diagnose why fast charging did or did not start. The ATORCH C13P is a power meter; the ChargerLAB KM003C is a power meter plus PD analyzer.
Can these measure a power bank's real capacity?
Yes. Both total up capacity in mAh and Wh, so you can discharge a power bank through the meter and see how much it genuinely delivers versus its rated figure.
Do I need PD protocol decoding?
Most people do not. To check chargers, cables and power banks, a power meter like the ATORCH is plenty. PD decoding matters if you develop or repair USB-C hardware, review chargers, or need to understand a failed fast-charge handshake, which is the ChargerLAB's territory.
Will they work with 65W, 100W or 140W chargers?
Yes, both handle high-wattage USB-C PD. The ATORCH C13P's 0 to 50V and PD3.1 up to 54V range covers the higher-voltage EPR profiles used by 140W-class chargers. At the extreme end, check your specific charger's voltage against the meter's range.
Are they pass-through?
Yes. Both sit inline between the charger and the device and pass power through while measuring, so you use your device normally while reading the numbers.
