Cheap but Decent Quality SMD Grabber Probe Suggestion. - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Mechatrommer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 18, 2012, 08:32:45 am
content: can you give suggestion? from site that can ship international, esp China (cheaper shipping to my place), USA based suggestion wont hurt, it will give me some idea. i bought cheapy grabbers from ebay china, no problem with it, unless other people will skeptic at its performance just by looking at it... here..$0.25 each from ebay.i'm looking for better looking and quality, but not that expensive type. i saw tektronix grabber, but i read some problem still, with it. and its monotone, sigh... i wish there are colorful version of it (blue yellow etc so i can see which channel i'm probing easily)http://www.ebay.com.my/itm/TEKTRONIX-SMT-SMK-SMG-KlipChip-GRABBERS-CLIPS-Pkg-20-/110516943041?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19bb52b8c1$2+ each averge excl shipping, item price is ok.pomona also selling some at a fortune $30, $100 each! not in my budget. i wish there are clone for em.http://www.tequipment.net/PomonaGrabber.asphttp://www.tequipment.net/Pomona5830.asphttp://www.tequipment.net/Pomona6311.aspso i wish they are colorful, within maybe up to $10 ($10 will make me think twice though), decent looking quality, good rating (up to mains probing?) even if they are monotone like tektronix or hp grabber i will consider if the price is right. also you can give your favourite smd grabber (use or wish) suggestion (regardless of what i like or not). or maybe what i'm looking for is under another name, so suggestion please. thanks.

author: caroper
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 18, 2012, 09:23:11 am
content: I got a set of these and am happy with them:https://www.adafruit.com/products/401Nine colours and gold plated contacts. They work out at about US$2 each plus shipping.I ordered several other things (including the EXTECH that Dave Reviewed) to spread the shipping cost.I see they are out of stock but I will probably get another set with my next order if they are back.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 18, 2012, 11:54:36 am
content: Those DX hooks are useless for SMT. My experience is that those cheap EZ-hook clones suck and don't have enough force to hold on to something. I would either get the real EZ-hooks (expect to pay something like $2 each) or those Tek SMG50s. Both are nice, but you will have trouble with pitches smaller than 50 mil. You would need the clips in your last picture for the finer pitches, but those are very expensive.

author: cybergibbons
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 18, 2012, 12:29:26 pm
content: I was looking for very small clips for probing SMD packages - EZ-hooks just aren't small enough really (but I still like them for most tasks).The Pomona clips are just too expensive for hobby use, but then I found these on Rapid:http://www.rapidonline.com/Cables-Connectors/Smd-Test-Probe-Set-17-2576/?sid=eddb3cc1-59a7-4c7d-b952-dabe77e396eeThey were £33 when I bought them, and I got two sets. They have been very useful.

author: Mechatrommer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 18, 2012, 12:38:27 pm
content: duh! where's thehttp://catalog.e-z-hook.com/category/test-hooks?just now, its gone. luckily, the browser still on. thanks guys, keep it coming. i will make decision in due time.the hook (U) type (round shape body), i dont think it can grab smd on the pcb surface well, or have to be in horizontal position which is difficult if the pcb is populated with big things (my imagination), but i guess no issue with protruding leads. i think the clip (small alligator) /scissor/plyer type is much better both with smd on the surface and smaller pitched ic imho.with clone i have its no problem grabbing 1mm pitched ic, but cannot directly adjacent one another, the plastic cover is too big for that, but not the hook, the hook is ok, except not durable, i have to keep bending it with small plier to make it better at grabbing. surface smd grab is also good, when the hook is in good shape.the long thin type like tektronix one is better i think with 1mm pitch ic grabbing. but i saw a review (cant find where anymore) that sticky when pushed, the hook stuck inside etc. hp and ez-hook also seems decent (thin long nose/body), but again monochromatic, will be my last option. adafruit colorful seems good too, not sure the fine pitch performance. i'll kiv. are all of them rated to probe mains/offline voltages?i'll look into that cybergibbon, closer and closer to what i have in mind. thanks people!26TH March 2012 EDIT:Pintek's Clips:http://www.globalmediapro.com/dp/A26RV6/Pintek-BP-256N-IC-Clip-set-2-pcs/

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 18, 2012, 12:41:09 pm
content: The EZ-hook probes are available as a set of 10 different colors.

author: Short Circuit
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 18, 2012, 12:47:55 pm
content: Those Pomona microgrippers are excellent, put expensive indeed.These stacknovus nano clips come close; only their axial actuation makes them much harder to use.http://search.digikey.com/nl/en/cat/test-and-measurement/test-clips-grabbers-hooks/2294774?k=nano%20clip

author: Mechatrommer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 18, 2012, 01:01:57 pm
content: at the very least, it can do something like this (and including grabbing smd resistors lead with no problem on pcb surface):i wish it could measure mains voltage (40V max)i think 1mm pitch is the limit, smaller than that price rises exponentially.thanks alm for clarifying the ez-hook colors, i need to look more closely on it.short circuit: i think that one will do as well. $7 in digikey.

author: alank2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 26, 2014, 02:10:12 pm
content: I'm bringing this thread back!I just ordered a Saleae Logic16 and it came with E-Z-Hook XKM grabbers which was a nice bonus which I didn't know about. I've been a fan of E-Z-Hook products for awhile and I think they probably do OEM for a lot of companies.I ordered a 20 pack of HP/Agilent grabbers off of eBay yesterday for about $23 shipped which isn't too bad. They look like they might also be XKM's that are OEM'd too.