Swapped out my old DMM leads for silicone ones after a stupid mistake last week

Used to just use the cheap test leads that came with my Fluke, figured they were fine for panel work. Then I accidentally left a set lying on a hot engine cowling during a annual inspection and the insulation melted right off in like 2 minutes flat. Anybody got a go-to brand that actually holds up to shop abuse without breaking the bank?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_christopher10d ago

Fluke leads are good but that soft PVC insulation just can't handle heat. For engine bay work you want something with silicone jacketing all the way through, not just the wire itself. Pomona makes some solid silicone leads that hold up way better than the stock ones, they're around $25-30 a set. Another option is picking up some Probe Master leads, they're a bit more but the silicone they use is thick and flexible even in cold weather. I burned through a set of cheap Amazon leads in one afternoon doing exhaust work, never again. Just make sure whatever you get has the silicone molded right into the boot, not a separate piece that can melt off.

hannahsingh10d ago

@the_christopher is spot on about the silicone molded into the boot. I had a set of cheap silicone leads from Amazon where the boot was just a separate piece slid over the wire. First time I used them near a soldering iron it shrank right up and left bare wire exposed. The Pomona set I picked up after that has been through hell - dragged across concrete floors, dipped in solvents, left in the sun for hours. No cracking, no melting, no issues at all. The Probe Master ones are nice too, but I found the Pomona leads have a better feel for fine work like probing connectors on a pin grid. You really get what you pay for with test leads, and that lesson cost me a nearly new Fluke meter when a melted lead shorted something out.

gavinb973d ago

Dragged across concrete floors" reminds me, @hannahsingh, my cat once dragged my Pomona leads under the couch and I found them a week later still fine.