Best Multimeter Test Leads

[@PapasDino]

I should have bought stock in Probe Master considering all the test leads I've bought from them over the years! Worth every cent...thanks John!

[@OrbiterElectronics]

Hi Dino, So you must be a Probemster aficionado then :) .. To be honest my friend I've only had my Probemaster kits for about 6 months or so. But I'd heard and read such good reviews about them that I just had to have some. Cheers John

[@tookitogo]

@@OrbiterElectronics How are you feeling about the Probe Masters now, several years later?

[@tookitogo]

FYI, if you like the fine-point sprung-tip Pomona 6341/Fluke TL910* probes shown, you should try the Probe Master equivalent, the 8150/8151: they too come with an array of tips, have the same lovely grips as the regular Probe Master 8000 series, and are more durable than the Pomona/Fluke ones, which have a reputation for fragility. I have the 8151 and love them. *Fluke bought Pomona back in 1999, which is why most Fluke probes are also available under the Pomona brand.

[@OrbiterElectronics]

Thanks Antonio 👍.. Since making the video I have purchased quite a bit of Probe Master stuff as it's nice to use. I think I have around 7 various lead sets, & many tip attachments/clips too. Cheers friend 👍 John

[@davidlegault9745]

Hi John, quite a variety of probes you have there. It looks like Fluke's quality control didn't extend to the probes, probably checked the meter and then threw in a set of probes. The best slip guard I found is being scared to death of slipping and getting a nasty shock. I even have a screwdriver in my toolbox with a nasty bite out of it where I slipped - a great reminder - maybe I should frame it and hang it over the bench. Stay well my friend. Regards, Dave

[@OrbiterElectronics]

Hi Dave.. Hope your doing ok 👍 That's what I thought as soon as I opened the Fluke box. I can't Imagine Flukes thinking concerning their leads. I mean why let down a well known brand with some nasty looking & poorly operating leads. Plus I know I'm not the only one who has received such poor quality ones too so It's not a new thing. What I can say though, is that I've never had an issue with the many new Agilent leads/probes I've owned over the years. In fact I've not even seen some of the cheapest leads with the amount of flashing left over as these Fluke ones had. I was really surprised. I wish now I'd had the camera going as I was first opening the box. As highlighting them in that condition would have been a good thing I think. Anyway rant over :) Take care my friend John

[@sdgelectronics]

Thanks John. I see you like to collect only the finest equipment like me...

[@OrbiterElectronics]

Hi Steve, I do indeed.. Only when I can though. Its a bit of a bad habit when your not a millionaire 🙁 Cheers mate, John

[@WaltonPete]

Thanks John. I believe most of the Tenma test equipment is actually rebadged Uni-T stuff so the test leads ought to be the same.

[@OrbiterElectronics]

Hi Pete, Agreed mate, I think I've had meters from the likes of UNI-T, Mastech & Tenma previously that have used the same or at least very similar looking leads. Cheers John

[@TheChipmunk2008]

I've noticed something John. The test probe leads that come with multifunction testers as used by electricians usually have truly AWFUL plugs on the leads. The probes are usually high quality, the cable is double insulated silicone, nice and flexible. But the inner bits of the 4mm plug are basically those cheap chinese ones made of thin sheet metal bent into a plug shape. I think it's deliberate so you have to replace them every year or 2

[@TheChipmunk2008]

Oh and the GS38 probe shrouds are designed to roll away and get lost.

[@OrbiterElectronics]

@@TheChipmunk2008 Hi Mate.. That sounds strange. Can't say I've ever noticed that, but I only have one multifunction meter (Fluke 1653B.) And that has excellent leads and 4mm connectors. They're actually better than the ones on my Fluke 289 etc. Maybe I just got lucky with them though. I don't understand why manufacturers would do something like that especially If their meters were to be used in industrial environments, as even with good leads you'd say they would need to be replaced perhaps every couple of years. Health and safety and all that. Yes you'd think they'd design those GS38's with a square collar or something wouldn't you. Cheers friend John

[@sdgelectronics]

@@OrbiterElectronics the ones on my 1654 were also pretty good. I can't vouch for other brands though

[@zx8401ztv]

A frend of mine (r.i.p) used to love calibrating oscilliscopes for some odd reason. One day he came down stairs with a really sad look on his face, my mate john wondered why the sad face. He said "I've blown the scope up" or similar as i wasn't there. John repaired the scope and between them the term "Ball Point Probe" was created lol, yep the probe slipped and Bang!!. I use mains cable as it's free and a nice low resistance so less error checking resistances. Those sharp probes look like sewing needles, i've used them for probes too :-D And the bad joke of the day:: Those leads are probe-ub-lee not fake :)

[@TheChipmunk2008]

I have some needle point probes I made myself from tiny tubing and (believe it or not) lancets for a glucose meter that had gone out of date. I use them for accessing the test points on Wago connectors and piercing insulation in certain circumstances.

[@zx8401ztv]

TheChipmunk2008 Now they would be really sharp, much better at getting through wire insulation than sewing needles :-D. And the out of date needles were not wasted :-D Wago connector, i don't know that one, google time :-D

[@TheChipmunk2008]

@@zx8401ztv It's more useful on LV stuff (electronics rather than electrical)... I dabble in both... but definitely the 'knife shape' of the lancets help with 're-healing' of the insulation. I do a lot of data and telecomms in my day job as an electrician, that's where they come into their own for injecting tone or test signals

[@OrbiterElectronics]

Hi Harv, .. Mains cable? Lol. I suppose its great resistance-wise but unless its the single strand stuff it would be bending all over the show, and knowing me I'd do the same as your mate did. BZZZZT 😯 Good name for some new probes there mate.. Probe-u-lee's.. Haaaa Cheers Harv John

[@geoeconomics5629]

Probe Master makes the best multimeter test leads

[@OrbiterElectronics]

Agreed, they are excellent leads. I find that the likes of Fluke & Keysight test leads are very good quality also 👍

[@tookitogo]

@@OrbiterElectronics I have all three of these brands, and I prefer the Probe Master. The actual contact resistance of the Flukes’ tips just cannot compete with the Probe Masters’ gold. On a Fluke meter, any probes work well for continuity testing (they clearly invested a lot in the hardware and firmware design). On lesser meters, the Probe Masters’ low contact resistance markedly improves continuity tester performance. You know how on meters with completely unlatched continuity, the beep is always scratchy? That scratchiness simply goes away with the Probe Masters.

[@OrbiterElectronics]

@@tookitogo Yes tip coatings go a long way to improve contact issues, any oxidisation especially on cheaper leads causes all sorts of issues. Before buying my first Probe Master leads, I used to use a lot of Keysight Leads etc, mainly because they came with my meters. Plus I liked the design and feel of the Keysight stuff along with the attachments they had available at the time so I bought more. That was before I noticed that after a couple of years (like 2-3 years of very light use) the Keysight probe material began to degrade & fall apart, as if it had been left out in the sun but it hadn't (Polymer Degradation I believe it's called.) Anyway that was the end of my love for Keysight probes, & the start of my Probe Master appreciation. I still love Fluke/Pomona probes & leads etc.. but I think the Probe Masters overall are the best. Even after a lot of use they seem to be standing up pretty well. I must admit though.. I don't exactly abuse my leads, as they're not exactly super cheap 👍🏻

[@sukhoi3535]

High quality test lead give more Accurate reading?

[@aurthorthing7403]

You should have checked the resistance of the cheapo leads. Also, check the wires with a magnet to see if they are ferrous metal or pure copper.

[@michaelmorrison7632]

Some of the Fluke meters are now made in China. The quality is terrible. Be cautious. I also ordered some "Fluke" meter leads from a Chinese distributor. They arrived and looked authentic. I used them for a while and started to detect some small differences from my older truly authentic Fluke leads. They felt more noodly like overcooked spaghetti and I played my hunch and cut and stripped one to have a closer look. Sure enough, I discovered that the number of stranded conductors in the lead was less than half that of the truly authentic Fluke 10 amp leads. Not only a fraudulent sale but a dangerous sale. There is no way these leads would have carried ten amps safely. I have learned over and over that the Chineese have no ethics when it comes to trade . (Or ethics in anything really) They are out to cheat you in every way possible and they have no compunction about theft of design or theft of cash. Steer clear of anything Chiinese. The only reason an Apple phone is of decent quality is because the Chhineese use them to spy on the West and to figure out the best way to ship fenatnyll into the U.S. to kill Americans. Especially Ameerican kids.

[@GadgetReviewVideos]

I love my probe master kit leads. I was curious one day and measured all the leads with a mili-ohm meter and to no surprise the probe master had the least resistance, but I don’t own any Agilent leads.

[@keen2461]

Missed the main characteristic: their resistance! No matter how nice or comfortable test leads are, if the in-serie resistance is not good.

[@OrbiterElectronics]

If lead resistance was too high there would likely just be a fault with the leads, however the lead resistance is not normally a given value & not even reported on any manufacturers datasheets, mainly as no leads are the same regarding their resistance values. When there is a necessity for precise resistance readings.. one would normally account for this by nulling out the leads from the result, either by pressing the REL button on the meter or taking a kelvin measurement.

[@MWest-ry9gw]

@@OrbiterElectronics Exactly !

[@felipechan9654]

Good say sir, where can I purchase a set of probe master probe, its not available in Amazon?

[@OrbiterElectronics]

I order mine from Probemaster directly. Just be aware of the shipping costs.

[@user-nx9cr5of6p]

Хороший, интересный обзор, спасибо 😊 👋👍

[@OrbiterElectronics]

Спасибо за комментарий дружище 👍🏻

[@uK8cvPAq]

Been meaning to get some new ones for my meter, they're in shockingly bad shape (literally!).

[@OrbiterElectronics]

If you're in the UK and your considering the Probemaster probes.. only order one set at a time. I made the mistake of ordering multiple items and got stung for import duty LOL 😯👍

[@uK8cvPAq]

@@OrbiterElectronics How much did they sting you for?

[@OrbiterElectronics]

@@uK8cvPAq IIRC it was for two packs of probes which is over the UK base import threshold I believe.. The Duty charge was £22

[@geezer2tech154]

Those Fluke leads are likely fakes or what Fluke calls "not an approved Fluke design" (see two comments from Fluke below the video) I think it is highly unlikely that Fluke would sell authentic leads with the flashing exposed. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rXXEf4Wfr6qbgZI I think that Pomona (A Fluke owned company), Fluke, Probe Master, and others (besides Agilent) sell those modular style leads that you like.

[@OrbiterElectronics]

Yes, I would have thought the same regarding the excess flashing. So they may well be the 'not approved' ones, however in there favour they do have the Fluke specified 'heavy duty strain relief on probe & plug ends' which is what is specified by Fluke. I'll never know 100% I guess.