Looking for Multimeter Probes

[Ordinaryman1971]

Not sure if you want Agilent branded Pomona's but here is an ebay listing:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Agilent-Multimeter-Test-Leads/173873311605?hash=item287ba82f75:g:CJQAAOSw9m9cjBf2

[H713]

I'm probably the only guy on the planet who dislikes the Probemaster probes. I have two sets of them, and every time I try to use them I get frustrated. The probes themselves aren't too bad, if a bit bulky, but the leads are awful. Yes, they are the very definition of a wet noodle. That is part of the problem, the other part being that it is very rubbery- almost sticky. This creates multiple problems, not the least of which is that they are a dust magnet, but there's a bigger issue.

I have never had meter probes that tangle the way the Probemasters do. I really loved them at first, but after about a week they started to really annoy me.

I'm a big fan of the Fluke probes- they feel quite nice, and I find the lead wires are about the perfect blend of flexible and slippery so they don't tangle so much. I have yet to try the Pomona probes, but I have really liked every Pomona test lead that I've used so they're probably next on my list to try. They already get points in my book for being a little bit narrower than the probemasters, which I find to be excessively wide- this is rather annoying when working on power amplifiers with power transistors that are buried in a heatsink.

That's just my $0.02. In other words, they aren't my favorite product. They are extremely well made and feel great to use, and they are razor sharp. If it weren't for the lead wires, I would probably like them a lot more.

[tooki]

That’s silicone wire for you. The solution is actually really simple: first, give them a good cleaning with soap and water. Shake them off and let them air dry. Then apply talcum powder (baby powder is fine). The stickiness goes away, replaced by silkiness. (This is how silicone test lead wire is shipped from wire companies.)

[0culus]

Yep, silicone insulation is worth the trouble. If you accidentally hit it with your soldering iron, it simply shrugs it off.

[2N3055]

I'm probably the only guy on the planet who dislikes the Probemaster probes. I have two sets of them, and every time I try to use them I get frustrated. The probes themselves aren't too bad, if a bit bulky, but the leads are awful. Yes, they are the very definition of a wet noodle. That is part of the problem, the other part being that it is very rubbery- almost sticky. This creates multiple problems, not the least of which is that they are a dust magnet, but there's a bigger issue.

I have never had meter probes that tangle the way the Probemasters do. I really loved them at first, but after about a week they started to really annoy me.
..............

I have precision Probemasters (with pogo tips) and their cables are GREAT compared to Pomona precision probes (sold as Fluke too). Those have worst silicon cables, because they are SO THIN. They are like wet thread.  After trying those, Probemaster cables are joy to use..

[PixieDust]

Thanks guys, I'm going with a couple of Probemaster sets.

[Corner]

I personally like these Brymen silicone leads the most: https://www.tme.com/au/en/details/pp-bm10a/test-leads-sets/brymen/pp-bm-10a/, the handles are very comfortable to hold, and the tips are gold plated.

I have a couple of sets of Probemaster leads, really don't like how they feel in the hands.

I also have Fluke TL175, TL71 and TL75 leads for my Fluke meters, TBH the TL75 are the most comfortable to hold out of all of them, but I use TL175 the most due to obvious reasons.

[edigi]

The Brymen probes are probably the best value generic probes.
Probemaster has a great variety of excellent specialist probes.
I have one of the micro-tip variants.

My only complaint is the packaging: It does not have seal (I think it's common in the US) and I've got a probe that looks like a refurbished one although seller sold it as new...

Some of my silicone probes are from Aliexpress. The leads of those are not near as flexible as the Brymens or Probemasters, although they are OK otherwise.

[JonM]

I have a significant collection of Probe Master probes and am very happy with them. If you are in the US I suggest buying them direct. Recently I saw a Probe Master kit being sold on Amazon for US$10 more than Probe Master sells it for and there was a shipping charge. I believe that Probe Master ships for free in the US (or at least they used to). As someone else mentioned, they often supply a discount coupon for your next order so you may not want to buy everything in one shot.

[Martin72]

In edigis post I see this:



But when I click on it, this appears:



 

[tooki]

That’s a forum software/server bug that’s been vexing everyone.

[PixieDust]

Probes arrived today. Ordered direct, shipping wasn't cheap to Australia, but anyway. Decided to risk it and get the retractable sheath version. No complaints. They retract with little resistance and the connectors on the multimeter are very snug, so no chance of them popping out due to the retractable sheath. Very happy. Time to play.

[capacitor_explosion]

+1 probemaster