Good and fair appraisal Chris. I use similar leads with a couple of my meters. For what I do they are just fine. It is good to have all the different connectors ready for different jobs. Also great to see the Fisher Price ray-gun out and doing it's thing...
I love my Pomona test leads, they are really nice, but those low cost leads look pretty good. I suggest putting a hot soldering iron on the wire to see if it melts, if it does then it’s plasticised PVC not silicon.
I also like Pomona test leads I just don’t like the price. Good tip on using the soldering iron on the cable I wish I had tried that in the video and I will now. Thanks
I also have found some of those soft silicone leads that become sticky with that horrid rubber detitanation after a few years. there are some superb micro grabbers that are really strong and last well.
Hey Chris, I couldn't breath for a minute during the intro... Ok now though. Also, I think Kai is pronounced like before you karate chop a cinder block. And usually after as well. Cheerses!
@@allthegearnoidea6752 Yeah😵💫. Maybe someone will make a DMM Bluetooth connected to your credit card that you have to blow in before you can buy anything...
Hey Chris, just finished watching D-lab's new vid and cleverly, yet subtly, dropped your channel in a witty comment. Will be easy to find, still under twenty comments. Hope you find it witty as well. Cheers!
Nicely tested chris :-D, you gave them way over there rating in voltage and they coped :-D. I'm not saying the leads are safe at 10KV but the insulation can be trusted at 250-500v. I am a tight arse lol, i use mains extention cable on crock clip cables. The insulation is fine for mains and thick enough copper wire for high current measurements without too much error. For me the Cat rating is confusing. If a cable+connectors are rated for X amps and Y voltage insulation, no fancy numbering system is needed. Smashing video chris :-D
The CAT rating isn’t obvious as part of the testing is an impulse load. You could get this if you lived next door to a factory with big electric motors as the motor switch off they can dump a lot of energy back into the grid. If your next door to the factory that energy could get dumped into your meter or probes. So the test equipment has to be rated considerably over the normal working voltage etc. It’s probably not a big worry for me and you but would be important if we were exposed to this risk on a regular basis as an electrician may be. I’m not fussy I like single malt but happy to drink a bottle of bells.
They do look like excellent value, Chris. I'm with you on the horses for courses issue. For my hobby activity these look fine. For ICs I'd prefer purpose-made clips, but, again, not at Pomona prices.
You can actually get a basic probe from Pomona for around £20. There are many other excellent lead manufacturers out there and I do buy the good stuff for my professional use. But sometimes good enough is good enough. If I was doing more micro electronics and smd I would probably buy some needle probes. Thanks for watching and comments.
That's the thing with Pomona/Probemaster/Fluke, one pair of those will get you more than one pair of cheaper leads plus extra attachments. Personally I feel safer with a name brand for higher energy stuff so went the Pomona route for a couple of meters that arrived with no probes. I also bought a box of Hirschmann accessories, I was quite surprised to see the CAT ratings/voltage limit warnings on some of those accessories from even a top quality brand like that. Made me rethink using grabbers on rectifier anodes..
I think some of the CAT testing calls up specific clearances and separation and these simply cannot be achieved using the smaller style of probe. I certainly do appreciate the quality of the Pomona leads and In my professional capacity wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them. But for hobby use I think some of these benefits are perhaps overrated. But basically I’m just tight!
They are just fine for someone tinkering around inside transistor radios etc, but they would have been frowned upon in what I used to do! 500v to 1000v sometimes and 300v DC, no chance of me using them on that equipment. 😳 To be fair, I didn't have that voltages to often, but when you had to measure it, you had to have the right meter and leads. Though for me, they would do fine for working in the shed, if they stand 500v AC they will be double what I need. 🙂 Oh, I broke a lead, I will need to get another, I don't think a glued together lead would meet with your approval 🙄 🤪 EDIT: I am only measuring 12 to 36 volts DC at the moment, so a glued together lead will work fine. I do have silicone ones, but I am to lazy to look all over the shed for them! 🤣
All my professional equipment is both calibrated and subject to periodic inspections. I would have any concerns working with these at 1000V but it depends on the potential fault current of the circuit.
Getting goosed by HV current doesn't always travel from one hand to the other. A colleague forgot to discharge (via chicken stick) oil filled caps (~7KVDC) on a non-interlocked RF valve amplifier used for testing. The current traveled from his hand (on the anode) and then rocketed out of his steel toe boots into the concrete. I walked him immediately to the nursing office for exam, even though he resisted. Whats even worse is high frequency RF shocks and deep tissue burns. It will jump out at you because you are a good human capacitor/resistor to ground. Seen that too. Stay safe brothers, use caution, no drinking or smoking of herbs on the job.
I tend to need a drink just to get started these days. I work with AC and DC tractions systems for the day job at 500vdc and 25Kv with the circuit breakers set at 2500 amps so I’m pretty careful. but accidents can happen to even the most diligent. If you cannot take the knocks don’t play the game. Yes had a few minor HF burns normally when playing with TIG welders. I will do my best to stay safe and you best wishes regards Chris
