Pomona 6342 Precision Electronic Probe,Gold

I have a drawer full of unused test probes that came with the various multimeters that I own. That's because I invariably purchase a set of these Pomona 6342 test probes whenever I get a new multimeter. These probes are easy to use, make good solid contact every time, don't damage the solder joints, and allow me to accurately probe surface mount chips and other components with down to 0.3mm spacing (maybe smaller!). If you need to probe PCB's with surface mount components on them, you NEED a set of these probe leads.

I love these as my general probe tips. The tips are sharp, and the spring tips are amazing! I'm sure it helps keep the tips sharp, and it feels gentler on whatever I'm proving instead of hard stabbing at it.

These are awesome probes! Much much easier to probe on SMD components. The tips are sharp enough to get a little bite into solder and thin enough to easy allow me to probe on 0201 passives or specific pins in a 0.5mm pitch QFP or QFN IC. The spring action in the tips is super handy as I can press down on them just a little bit and then even if my hand wavers a little the tips don't come off of what I'm measuring as easily as non-spring probes. The wires are super flexible, which makes them feel a bit cheap, but I do like that they're easy to move even when it's a little bit colder.I wouldn't feel comfortable sticking these probes on normal AC power line voltages, everything feels a bit thin and delicate even if they are rated for it, but for low voltage probing of smaller components they're excellent.

These probes seem like good quality. I was a little surprised how much smaller they are in all aspects when compared to the standard-sized probes that were included with my Fluke 87-V multimeter. See attached photo for size comparison. The probes have gold-plated pogo pins that retract smoothly under pressure. They retract about 0.25 inch in total leaving just the sharp pointed tip exposed when fully retracted. The round part of the probe tip (not the sharp end) is 0.030 inch diameter and should be able to easily probe surface mount parts with 0.050 inch pitch. Probing finer pitch parts may be challenging.The probes come with rubber caps to protect the tips (and you) when not in use. The probe leads are quite a bit smaller in diameter (0.086 inch) than standard silicone leads. As such, these probes need to be handled with more care than full-sized probes.Pomona makes quality products.

Pricey - yet, expensive.Pomona is a good name.Their cables combine a sense of quality and confidence.Still, you may have to sell a kidney to afford them.I'm not sure how they go about their material selection.They come up with cables that are flexible and durable.Cheaper brands can do the same job - but, they feel rigid and more plastic.These are more rubbery.They aren't very long.The probes themselves are small.The tips are tiny.For precision, small contact - low current applications - they'll get the job done.Keep them away for high current measurements.There isn't enough probe tip surface to handle an arc... it'll simply vaporize.They are geared more for small scale contacts with the flexibility to get into tight spaces.Good quality.They have the insulated shield on the banana plug.Older meters may not support the shield.You can get a Pomona adapter for them if needs be.

Have you ever tried getting some cheaper probes for your multimeter from overseas, thinking that well, it's just probes, what a difference does it make? Well, when you get those cheap knockoffs made from Chinesium, there metal isn't even conducting, wires crimped around insulation and "copper", you have this empty feeling in your head: What was I thinking?If you're measuring small stuff, these are the absolute best thing you can get. Soft silicone wires, tight plugs, good handle to keep the tip in place, springy probe tips that can be changed. Good stuff and even though you only 1 for the price of 6 knockoffs, you only need one set that works.Stop wasting money buying cheap lookalikes probe sets! Get a pair of these and get on with your life.

One Pomona 6342 probe set - Grey wires, 90 degree meter plugs, small handpieces with red and black markings, and replaceable, spring-loaded, gold plated probe tips.I'd insert a link to the datasheet, but it looks like it'll be edited out. Either way, it can be found easily via searching for "Pomona 6342 datasheet" -- it's the first result in my searches.This is a replacement probe set; the previous set [same thing] worked really well for a year and a half or so of daily use, but there's a slight design flaw -- the probe wires themselves tend to break at the end of the handpiece where the strain relief ends.[6 month update:]Still working fine. I'm being a little more careful with the probe wires; don't know if it'll make much of a difference in the end.

I never realized how much I needed these before I got them. I'd been screwing around with normal-size meter probes on tiny surface-mount parts for a long time, and it was always a pain to hit the correct pins an no others. In contrast, these super-fine-point probes make it easy! The points are very sharp, and the gold plating means that almost no pressure is required to make a solid connection.Note: the title currently says that these come in a pack of four, but I received only two.