Pomona 5519A Test Leads

[PedroDaGr8]

Yeah, test leads not the most exciting topic in the world but I still felt these were worth reviewing. Walking through Fry's today wasting time and I came across these test leads. I don't really NEED test leads I knew Pomona tends to be high quality. At $13.99 for leads from a quality company I decided to splurge and take the gable.



At this price you aren't getting much more than the leads but thats all I was interested in. The package contains a red and black test lead with matching caps for the probe tips. They are rated as Cat II 1000V without cap. Cat III 1000V/Cat IV 600V with the tip caps. The tips are super sharp and the caps fit snugly without being annoying.





If I had these caps much less likely I kill the zener in my 199. The 18AWG wires are wear-indicating double-layered safety silicone (finally! I have leads that aren't plastic/rubber coated) while the tips and handles are polypropylene with a soft elastomer coating which feels VERY nice in the hands. It reminds me of the soft-touch coating on some smartphones. The leads read 0.06ohms impedence  when shorted on my UT61E. Speaking of, continuity testing using these tips is virtually instant with no signs of a coating. It really reinforces how nice the UT61Es continuity buzzer is.





Also, I should point out the banana plugs are real banana plugs not the typical split metal prongs like on cheaper probes. I know this pic doesn't show it very well but its the best I could do.




Summary:
First and foremost, I can say these leads are by far the nicest I have owned but they are also the first quality leads I have owned. So I have nothing to compare it to. The cable is double-layered safety silicone which doesn't tangle. One thing I should mention is how LONG they are. At 120cm (4 ft long for us yanks) the length is actually significantly longer than any of my other leads. I could see when using these on a test bench that length is welcome but I think in other situations it is a tad of a drawback. I actually like the caps as they are not cumbersome or annoying; simple to remove and simple to put on. Need I mentioned again that I got all of this for under $15 after taxes and I must say that I am QUITE happy.

[alm]

Pretty sure these are identical to the Fluke TL71 leads, which are indeed nice leads.

[PedroDaGr8]

Pretty sure these are identical to the Fluke TL71 leads, which are indeed nice leads.

I believe you are correct, as I looked at those as well while at Frys and they were $12 more expensive if I remember correctly.

[nanofrog]

Fluke and Pomona are both owned by Danaher.

[retiredcaps]

At $13.99 for leads from a quality company I decided to splurge and take the gable.

If I could get them for the above price in Canada, I would be all over it.  They are double the price at the retail store.

[staze]

Hello - I consider the Fluke twisted guard test leads model TL 175E as the finest I ever had ... - there is a variant TP175 also available.

http://www.fluke.com/fluke/usen/accessories/test-leads-probes-and-clips/tl175.htm?PID=70420

I LOVE my TP175's... but these Pomona's and the Fluke ones are both very nice as well. Good silicon leads are way better than I gave them credit for before owning some. =)

[PedroDaGr8]

At some point I might pick up some of those TP175s to try them out. Next on my list though is picking up some silicone banana wires. Debating buying the wire and connectors from Franky and making my own.

I agree with you completely staze. Silicone wires are surprisingly important. It's a subtle difference at first but the more I use them the more I like them.

[SeanB]

Buy the Fluke TL175's from Frankie, they are quite good leads. He has some good lead sets at a good price, and the parts to DIY are also good. He may be a little slow in responding currently but the service is good and generally the slowest part is the postal system at your end.

[PedroDaGr8]

Buy the Fluke TL175's from Frankie, they are quite good leads. He has some good lead sets at a good price, and the parts to DIY are also good. He may be a little slow in responding currently but the service is good and generally the slowest part is the postal system at your end.

Franky has TL175s? Interesting. So I may get those as well as some DIY parts from him.

[Strammer]

At $13.99 for leads from a quality company I decided to splurge and take the gable.

If I could get them for the above price in Canada, I would be all over it.  They are double the price at the retail store.

Try:

http://www.warwickts.com/5519a-pomona-replacement-dmm-test-probe-set-p1020

They ship worldwide.....just customs to worry about...

[BravoV]

Yep, thats indeed Fluke TL71 but with Pomona label instead of Fluke, good probe.

Photo of my TL71 as the standard accessory for Fluke 287 DMM.

[Lightages]

I have been promising a test lead review for a long time. I have had some health problems and everything is falling behind. I should be able to get something going by the end of this month though.

Having said that, the Pomona/Fluke leads are good buys and I would be happy to recommend the Fluke TL175 and the TL71 leads. They are no my favorite leads but they are well made and reliable. Franky's TL175s are not the same you see listed on the Fluke website. I believe strongly that they are genuine Fluke leads, but are either meant to be sold in China only and/or they are an older variation of the model. I have seen images online at different sites showing these variations, including some Fluke videos.

No matter what leads you get, silicone insulation is really worth the extra expense.

[John Coloccia]

I bought these a couple of weeks ago and have been very very happy.  They replaced my 15+ year old Fluke leads.  Actually, they're much nicer than the leads that originally came with my Fluke.

[kc9qvl]

Had one of the pomona leads fail at the elbow banana plug. Leads were about 1 year old at the time. Meter fell off a shelf and was hanging by the leads. Jacketing was still connected but wire inside let go. Repaired with a straight jack.