I figure that most people use the test leads that come with their digital multimeter or other test & measurement instrument.
Most of the time you get just-okay PVC-jacketed test leads, sometimes you get better ones, such as when you buy a premium meter or special kit.
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I’ve been testing out a Fluke 279 FC thermal imaging multimeter (currently $1200 via Amazon). This is their higher priced 279FC/iFlex kit, which comes with an iFlex current clamp and upgraded test leads, TL175.
So what is so special about these Fluke TL175 TwistGuard test leads – so special to justify a whole post about an accessory that most users take for granted?
Well, they’ve got these built-in test shrouds that you can retract just by twisting the probe housing a certain way. They work brilliantly well.
Normally, test leads with probe shrouds have removable pieces that are easy to lose. With these shrouds being built-in, you can’t lose ’em. The lock and unlock mechanism might loosen up with time, but I don’t get the feeling that it’ll ever brake.
Plus, the wiring is made with silicone jacketing, making the test leads more flexible and extreme temperature-resistant than PVC-jacketed test leads.
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What surprises me is that you can buy these test leads for just under $25. It’s a good upgrade, if you’ve been dissatisfied with your current test leads, for not that much money, at least considering the prices of basic PVC test leads.
Safety Ratings: CAT II 1000V, CAT III 1000V, CAT IV 600V, 10A maximum
You get the higher safety ratings when the tips are shrouded. Also note that the very ends of the tips are uncovered.
The purpose of the shroud is to limit the exposed length of probe, resulting in exposed length of 0.16″ or 0.75″ (4mm or 19mm).
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I’ve written about Silicone vs. PVC test lead wire insulation before. In case you don’t have time to check out that full post, here’s what I said are the benefits of silicone-jacketed test leads:
Silicone-insulated test leads are more flexible, more heat and burn resistant, more chemical and solvent resistant, and less sensitive to environmental temperatures.
With PVC test leads, the only benefit seems to be the slightly lower cost.
Thank you to Fluke for unconditionally providing the test sample.
Mike
Just FYI – If you order through Amazon you will most likely receive the ‘global’ version of these leads. They aren’t counterfeits, but they are not intended for sale in North America and are considerably different than what is intended for sale here. They’ll have hard plastic strain reliefs instead of rubber, hard and fragile probes, cross cut plugs instead of lantern plugs, stiff this-can’t-really-be-silicone insulation on the wires, and bulk packaging instead of being carded.
Stuart
Are you certain?
If that’s the case, I’d consider TEquipment to be a safe place to order them from: http://www.tequipment.net/
Brian
From Amazon or eBay you could get either the Chinese market or the US one, the Chinese is lesser quality but not by much. You can tell by the colors on the probe. Lowe’s sells these leads also. This is what the Chinese market TL175 looks like: https://www.instrumart.com/assets/Fluke-TL175-Test-Leads-500a.jpg
They also have a probe set of these that work with the TL224 or any other banana plug to banana plug cable. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005HA7CI6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I prefer the TL224 style leads because you can easily use soo many different probes and clips as well as it’s easier to replace the worn part instead of replacing a whole set.
These are also available in the TL175E which includes the screw-on “lantern tip” or banana plug.
Stuart
If it doesn’t look like this: http://en-us.fluke.com/products/all-accessories/fluke-tl175.html , I’d return them. I wouldn’t have assumed there are different variations for different regions.
Brian
Correct, there are reviews on Youtube about them. Still silicone, still has the wearguard but the twist function (supposedly) isn’t as smooth and positive locking and it “feels cheap.” They aren’t junk but they aren’t the same premium leads.
Fluke has several Chinese market products, the DMMs are great values from eBay.
Eric
It’s always a possibility with Amazon, even if the product is sold directly by Amazon. The problems is that they commingle their inventory with the inventory of all the 3rd party sellers that stock their product in Amazon’s warehouses for prime shipping. So while the product that Amazon bought is probably legit one of the other sellers could have mixed in some knock offs, factory seconds, or in this case a product with the same model number that is intended for a different market. It’s why you’ll see a lot of people recommend not buying things like lithium ion batteries from them, you can never be sure that your not getting a fake.
fred
I’ve been happy with Test Equipment Depot.
They do free shipping on orders over $75 – and claim to be a Veteran-Owned small business – but I have no way to verify that,
http://www.testequipmentdepot.com/fluke/accessories/test-leads-probes-clips/twistguard-test-leads-tl175.htm
Michael
A buddy at work got a set to replace a broken set. He has been very impressed