In a way, isn't "betting to see where you're at" like a c-bet? You're giving yourself a chance to take the pot down right then and there, and if you get called, it's "fold to any action if I don't improve." Granted if you're putting feeler bets out all the time an aware player will see it, but if used in the right situation against the right player it's just a bluff with the worst case scenario of you gathering information.