Review of cheap ebay aligator test clips

[Solaris]

i recently purchased some alligator test clips off ebay and decided to do a review on their quality, performance ect.

the sale was for 20 test leads in multiple colors (4 red, 4 black, ect) with a reported length of 31 inches and a purported wire thickness of 20 Guage.



the first image shows the package with its contents removed revealing 2 baggies with 5 bundles each.

the second image shows how each bundle of connectors is packed, there are 2 per bundle

the third image shows the new alligator clip compared to a radioshack brand large alligator clip.
note how the ebay clips are smaller, they still are 31 inches long.

the fourth image shows a close up of the connector with its sheath removed. notice how unlike the radioshack connector these are not soldered.
they are crimped and some wires have escaped. the clips appear to be made of 100% copper and do not have a coating.

the fifth image shows the test clips resistance. the Extech 430 reveals a resistance of 0.6 ohms, this is not typical of 20 gauge wire.
this suggests the actual size of the wire is 34 gauge.

the clips are unwieldy, poorly constructed and definitely do not utilize 20 gauge wire.

[3roomlab]

i got the same stuff, direct from china.

they are the cheap and useable, but finnicky type imo. the croc teeth are always out of alignment, and the top and bottom half are always wobbly ... for the price, it does connect A to B, and sometimes chomp on a few wires to act as common ground for a quick fix. the wire inside is small gauge. in past experience, they break easy. i remember i did re-solder a few, the croc rear cable pincher seem to be the culprit at breaking the cables as there is no cable strain relief. if you tug at the wire and is able to see inside the pincher, you can see some wires are pinched, some are not lol, they are "stressed" differently.

i ended up using J-hook clips to replace all my crocs (DIY solder). the small and big versions. they handle jerking/vibration better than croc imo. but most are up to 2A. the larger hirchsmann is 5A. like this http://sg.rs-online.com/web/p/grabber-clips/0423633/ ... or this ...http://www.aetool.com/upload/Micro-Hook%20Test%20Lead%20%20%28MHTL%29.jpg
they have kit sets, they come with giant crocs, grabbers, bananas, etc. its a nice must have. http://3roomlab.blogspot.sg/2014/04/mini-show-and-tell-hirschmann-pms2600.html --> the hirschmann blabbering starts in 2nd half of the page. i got this after being led to it also from forumers here (was it robrenz?)

i hope you add J-hooks or grabbers, they are more sturdy imo. but for high amps, you can skip these smaller crocs and go for the giant ones 10A-15A big jaws ! i also bought some "duck bill" clips to try ... not soldered yet. the only thing good i could think of nice is that the firmer croc grips have good bite, and makes DMM readings easy, J-hooks have no teeth to penetrate items esp with oxidized surface

[xrunner]

I also got some last week. I knew they wouldn't be constructed to my specifications, so I just sit down and re-do all the clips by soldering them properly. 

[macboy]

I don't see a "REL" symbol in the meter display. Be sure to zero the meter to remove the resistance of the test leads and internals, by shorting the test leads and pressing REL. Then you should see a reading of zero. Then measure the device under test. Otherwise what are you really measuring?

[linux-works]

I bought some alligator wires from ebay and regretted it.

they smelled!

they 'paint' wore off right on my hands.  ewwww, gross.

many of them were not well connected.  I've had protoboard jumpers be 'opens' and not jumpers before, too.

'how bad can it be?' I thought when I ordered them.

yeah, really bad.

its a shame that simple things that are so low tech can't even be done right, if its from china and if its from no-name brands.

the colors coming off in my hands was the final straw, though.  I stopped trying to buy certain things from ebay, now.

[akis]

I do not know if anyone else also gets this, in my case the springs keeping the jaws shut lose their tension and the silicone sleeve that presses down on the back of the clip wins,  causing the jaws to remain permanently slightly ajar... Found no way to fix a clip like that.

[radix]

I had something similar. The fix for the jaws not closing because of the plastic insulation is to take the plastic off. I've also molten a few wires... I don't know, if I've ever seen thinner wire in my life. I'd say they're not worth buying.

[Seekonk]

I had some I wanted to use with a dual banana plug.  Cut it in half and it only had three strands of wire.

[dannyf]

Most of the issues are with the wires. So I usually buy the clips and then solder my owners to it.

It also makes it much easier to DIY kelvin clips.

[Rick Law]

I also got some last week. I knew they wouldn't be constructed to my specifications, so I just sit down and re-do all the clips by soldering them properly. 

I did the same.  The first pack-of-10 I got.  The stock wire is ok, but about 1ohm and really seem thin.    It took me a while to decide to replace all the wires - using the same clips and boots.  Once I replaced the wires, I like them.

The second 10-pack I got, I replaced the wires right the way.  I have a third pack with original wires which will replace broken clips as the chips/boots get worn.

[akis]

Isn't it better to buy better quality clips from a reputable supplier and then wire/solder it as you already do? That is what I do. For my short (1 foot) test wires I buy clips from Rapid, and use 3A wire to link them with, I have it in many colours. For longer test leads I use 5A+ flexible test lead cable. No point using the cheap ebay stuff so many of their clips simply are crap let alone the wires as you have observed.

[PA4TIM]

I stopped using that crap long ago and mine were not half as bad as the ones in start post. Today I only buy test leads from brands like  Hirschman or Pomona, coaxial stuff from brands like Radial or Amphenol. (after I found out the crap 3 euro coax cables where 75 ohm while the printing on the cable stated 50 ohm.
I make most test leads myself in all sorts and sizes from good wire and good connectors/clips.

Tip, the RC shops sell relative cheap silicon isolated wire. It probably is not top quality but survives many amps in battery packs and ESC's and it is not stiff so it is great for making very good test leads.
Another tip: I make several good test leads with banana plugs. I bought a few sets from Hirschman with clips that can be placed on banana plugs. That way I can make all sorts of combinatios.

[codeboy2k]

Tip, the RC shops sell relative cheap silicon isolated wire. It probably is not top quality but survives many amps in battery packs and ESC's and it is not stiff so it is great for making very good test leads.

Another tip: I make several good test leads with banana plugs. I bought a few sets from Hirschman with clips that can be placed on banana plugs. That way I can make all sorts of combinatios.

I was thinking of buying some silicone wire from the RC shops online. They look ok to me too.  Have you actually used them though? You also said they "look ok" so I am not sure if you actually have bought some before.

At my old place of work, I did like you did, made several banana-to-banana leads in various sizes and colors, red, blue,green,black, 1m, 2m, and 50cm etc. Then I had probes and grabbers and j-hooks on short ends with banana sockets on the ends of those.  You could as you said, make any combination you want. I want to repeat this at home now.

For powering prototype and test boards, I like the way the test boards are done by the manufactures like LT, TI , etc.. with big banana jacks on the edges for power.  So I started doing that too, so I can plug a banana-to-banana lead straight from the PSU into a prototype board or a test panel. They make a firm connection and are not as floppy as j-hooks to test-points (although test-points on the edge of a board for power are smaller and cheaper, which is a bigger consideration for home use!)

[PA4TIM]

I made a few cables as test with the RC stuff. But I bought that from the local RC shop while I was there for helicopter parts, not unseen from internet . They look like  they are capable for the original job. ( carrie many amps) But I am more curious how the silicon stuff mechanical holds.
It is elastic so I'm curious if that could give more stress on the copper.

I'm still in doubt if I like silicon wire.  I have one set I use for a multimeter. I got it a few years ago from EEVblog member Free electron. They are great but the stuff does not "glide" . Most times I have a whole bunch of testleads on my desk (4 benchmeters, a handheld DMM, a few scope probes, and leads to a powersupply od other gear) And if I used silicon for all those leads I am afraid it ends in a big knot.

I have an other set that came with my Agilent DMM, it is about the same age as the other set but the probes are to sticky to hold. The stuff is falling apart. Beside that both cores are broken just befor the bananas, It is just mega-crap. Besides that the common jacket from this +450 dollar DMM broke in 2 parts  last week (I do not even use the Agilent leads for that DMM) I turned a new better one on my lath.

I really like this DMM, it is still within specs but it is the last Agilent I will buy. The battery loader died months ago, I had to replace the nimh after a year. To bad Keithley does not make handhelds. (my benchmeters are Keithley)

[HiTech]

Nothing beats the Muller alligator clips I use. Their spring tension is consistent as are the mating of the jaws & teeth. The Radio Shack clip leads are garbage also and the cheap vinyl covers are slippery in one's fingers. Junk!

[Rick Law]

Isn't it better to buy better quality clips from a reputable supplier and then wire/solder it as you already do? That is what I do. For my short (1 foot) test wires I buy clips from Rapid, and use 3A wire to link them with, I have it in many colours. For longer test leads I use 5A+ flexible test lead cable. No point using the cheap ebay stuff so many of their clips simply are crap let alone the wires as you have observed.

I am a smoker.  Why is that related?

When I return to play with EE as hobbyist, I set myself the parameter that each time I buy some toy to support my hobby, it must come out of my smoking budget so I can reduce my then heavier smoking.

The Hanktek 6022BE was a 10 pack carton of cigarette that didn't get into my lungs.
The UT61E was another carton.
The bluetooth module was half a pack.
The cheap alligator clip is a whole pack of 20 relaxing smokes, all for a mere couple of 10x bag of bare clips with boots (red/black)...

Now, loosing that pack may be good from some perspective, but each time I get some new equipment (with the corresponding cigarette reduction), my wife keep re-telling me the story: a friend of hers got her husband to try to stop smoking, and got so fed up with his agitation from withdrawal that she went got him a carton and tell him to smoke the damn thing as much as he likes.

I think she is sending me a message that if I upgrade my scope or something, she would have bashed my work-bench to bits by the 5th pack of "saved" cigarette.  A cheap Owon scope delivered would be around 30 to 40 packs, there about...

So any of these "extra spending" must be measured by how much withdrawal I can take.

Excuse me, gotta run, need a smoke break...