Decent probes from... ebay? somewhere else?

[bronson]

Anyone have favorite source for inexpensive oscilloscope probes?  100+ MHz would be nice.

Why new probes?  Well, I was happily scoping along with my DS2072 with stock probes...  They're fine, but the clip-on hooks have a crummy sliding action.  They're always binding up and slipping off the wire or post that they're trying to probe.

So, I figured I'd fix this once and for all and sprayed some dry lube inside one of the hook barrels.  It felt great.  Slid wonderfully, grabbed tight, totally fixed!  Then, a few seconds later, it started performing the original Robocop vat of acid scene.  The plastic turned gray and started sliding around...

Looked at my can of dry lube.  The solvent is acetone?   ffffffuuuuuuuuu.

Scratch one scope probe.  Only consolation is that it's cheap Rigol kit.  If I'd done that with my other probes, that would be a 5X costlier mistake.

So, where should I buy the replacement?

I already ordered http://www.buyincoins.com/item/26836.html but, yeah....  Not expecting a lot there.

[kg4arn]

I have purchased several probes from Probemaster and they are good quality and value for money. 

http://www.probemaster.com/index.php?cPath=1&osCsid=54074add698eead11f41a4fcb4a827ce

[David Hess]

I have not had any problems or complaints with the cheap Aidetek 100 MHz and Texas 250 MHz probes available on Ebay which I have tested up to 300 MHz.  If you do not have a flat reference level pulse generator to test the transient response of your probes though, you may want a more reputable manufacturer.

I would not mind finding a good source for switchable x1/x10 probes that include the readout pin but Probemaster is the only source I know of and I find their price too high compared to just using separate x1 and x10 probes.

http://www.davmar.org/probes.html

These have been recommended to me before:

http://www.pmk-gmbh.com/en/products/
http://www.testproductsintl.com/

[bronson]

Are the Probemasters really made in the USA?  If so, and they're good, $160 for a 3-probe kit plus case ain't bad at all.

(my policy is, if something is made in the USA/Europe and less than 2X the price of Asian alternatives, I'm obligated to buy it)

David, those microline PMKs are cute!  Any idea if they're available in the US?  Found them for sale in Germany and Australia...

Edit: these look similar, and I love Pomona stuff, but $315 for a passive probe is too much for me: http://www.amazon.com/Pomona-6551-Microline-Oscilloscope-Bandwidth/dp/B005T959BM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397584168&sr=8-1&keywords=microline+probe

I actually like the non-switchable probes.  It's not unheard of for me to accidentally one when fiddling with the connection and start wondering why things look slightly different.  Not a big deal but I tend to just leave them on X10 99% of the time.  I'm happy to plug in a different probe the few times I need every last ounce of resolution.

[David Hess]

Are the Probemasters really made in the USA?  If so, and they're good, $160 for a 3-probe kit plus case ain't bad at all.

The Probemaster kit with readout probes starts at $209.00 which would be 5 times what I paid for much faster probes.

(my policy is, if something is made in the USA/Europe and less than 2X the price of Asian alternatives, I'm obligated to buy it)

I am usually more concerned with the quality and customer service but in increasingly many cases, those have dropped because the product is imported and relabeled anyway.

David, those microline PMKs are cute!  Any idea if they're available in the US?  Found them for sale in Germany and Australia...

They are and the prices are good but I have not found a US source.  I find an increasing number of parts, accessories, and test equipment now that is EU or foreign only.

I actually like the non-switchable probes.  It's not unheard of for me to accidentally one when fiddling with the connection and start wondering why things look slightly different.  Not a big deal but I tend to just leave them on X10 99% of the time.  I'm happy to plug in a different probe the few times I need every last ounce of resolution.

The switchable probes are fine at 100 MHz and below although I would prefer to have the readout (and probe button if I could get it) function.  x1 probes are really only good to about 30 MHz anyway so having dedicated x1 and x10 probes is not much of a sacrifice.

[bronson]

That's true, the readout adds $50 or 25% to the price.  As much as I love my 2465, for that difference I'll skip it.

You paid $42ish for 3 fast probes?  $15/probe?  Where??

The probemasters include the carrying case and accessories too.  They look pretty nice.  Sure beats getting another crappy vinyl envelope!

Yeah, I like the probe button a lot.  Not something that can mess you up if you flick the wrong switch, and saves you from the tedium of keeping track of little colored rings.  No idea why it never seemed to catch on.

Huh, a 3 probe kit seems really odd...  who has a 3 channel scope?

[David Hess]

That's true, the readout adds $50 or 25% to the price.  As much as I love my 2465, for that difference I'll skip it.

You paid $42ish for 3 fast probes?  $15/probe?  Where??

I paid not much more than that for 2 faster probes with the x10 readout pin made by Texas.

Yeah, I like the probe button a lot.  Not something that can mess you up if you flick the wrong switch, and saves you from the tedium of keeping track of little colored rings.  No idea why it never seemed to catch on.

We might be thinking about different things.  On my Tektronix oscilloscopes, the probe button grounds the readout signal and the DSO can be configured to do a number of different things in response.  My analog Tektronix oscilloscope use the probe button function to identify a trace on the CRT.

Huh, a 3 probe kit seems really odd...  who has a 3 channel scope?

They do not include 3 of the same type of probe and there is always the trigger channel.

Many old analog oscilloscopes can use the trigger as a third input channel but I doubt that is what Probemaster was thinking of.

[bronson]

Yep, that's what I was thinking of: a little button that makes the trace jump.

No idea why it doesn't seem to have caught on.  Seems cheap and useful.

[David Hess]

Yep, that's what I was thinking of: a little button that makes the trace jump.

On my 2440, the probe identify push-button can be set to automatically setup the display, step through a programmed sequence, or set the trigger level to 50%.

No idea why it doesn't seem to have caught on.  Seems cheap and useful.

Nobody makes the probe cable with the third conductor.  Heck, I cannot even buy probe cable by itself.

[bronson]

Oh, I can make the trace jump with only two conductors and a resistor.

Whether I can do it cheaply and aesthetically over the entire voltage range... that might take some thinking.

[linux-works]

I feel confident with used tektronix probes.  many can be found NOS in bags.  rough handled ones are to be avoided, but new old stock is great.  250mhz probes for $50 each is not hard at all, brand new, tek branded.

[David Hess]

I feel confident with used tektronix probes.  many can be found NOS in bags.  rough handled ones are to be avoided, but new old stock is great.  250mhz probes for $50 each is not hard at all, brand new, tek branded.

The problem with this is that we reached "peak NOS probe" long ago.

[Shock]

Tequipment sell many different types of probes cheapest being Elenco P2E 100MHz  for $20 and P3E 250MHz  for $26.
Not tried them but you might want to check them out, they have got to be better than buying random Chinese fakes.

[David Hess]

Tequipment sell many different types of probes cheapest being Elenco P2E 100MHz  for $20 and P3E 250MHz  for $26.
Not tried them but you might want to check them out, they have got to be better than buying random Chinese fakes.

I recognize some of those probes as being OEMed by the same cheap Chinese manufacturers so buying name brand is not always a solution.