[sdiy] probes, clips, and clamps recommendations?

[brianw]

HP may be "better" in some aspects, but not all.

I buy my 'scopes used, partly because I work on vintage gear anyway, but also because it's easier to afford a second-hand 'scope. Before I left Seattle, the guy I was buying from made a decent income repairing 'scopes, and he said that Tektronix is by far designed better for longevity. Parts are made better, and are more interchangeable. This makes it much easier to service an old Tek and keep it running. Meanwhile, an equivalent HP might have some part break because it was not designed to be sturdy enough, and it's also a bespoke part that can't be interchanged with any other parts.

I'm sure HP is much better than Rigol, but I really appreciate the design that goes into Tektronix products.

That said, I'm not sure whether Tek probes have the same advantages as the internal designs of their 'scopes. It might actually be the case that HP probes are better.

Brian


p.s. Someone recommended the following, and I've had good results using the set. It doesn't look quite as extensive as the set recommended earlier in this thread, though.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GNVFL5D


On Jul 24, 2026, at 3:05 PM, Mike Bryant <mbryant at futurehorizons.com> wrote:
> > I think the old Tektronix P6139 is the best probe I've ever used. 
> 
> That reminds me of an 'incident' at HP in the early 80s when one of our r.f. designers tried to order a Tek P6131 probe because the highest performance HP probes weren't good enough.  I think he got it in the end but it caused quite a stink - HP policy was always that Tek was below us in the scope rankings.
> 
> From: Synth-diy <synth-diy-bounces at synth-diy.org> on behalf of grenert via Synth-diy <synth-diy at synth-diy.org>
> Sent: 24 July 2026 16:11
> To: Chris McDowell <declareupdate at gmail.com>
> Cc: SYNTH DIY <synth-diy at synth-diy.org>
> Subject: Re: [sdiy] probes, clips, and clamps recommendations?
>  
> I bit the bullet years ago to shell out for this set, and it has been worth every penny. There are something like 5 different types of clip for pretty much anything you would want to grab.
> https://probemaster.com/9104-electronic-deluxe-test-lead-kit/
> 
> For probing a dense PCB (like SMD), these are nice.  The probes themselves are smaller than ususal, with spring-loaded pogo tips to keep probing if your probing lets up a bit.
> https://www.testequity.com/product/35704-1-6342
> 
> If you have the patience for ebay, I think the old Tektronix P6139 is the best probe I've ever used. Small, durable, flexible cable.  Hold out for a complete set with all of the accessories (clips, hook, short ground, etc).
> 
> Best,
> J. P.
> 
> On Fri, Jul 24, 2026, 7:10 AM Chris McDowell via Synth-diy <synth-diy at synth-diy.org> wrote:
>> This came up in another thread but l wanna ask the list directly: what kinds of probes / clips / clamps tooling are folks here enjoying and would recommend?
>> 
>> I have normal scope probes and normal meter probes. they're anywhere from fine to bad, and I'm always striking precarious poses to get signals I'm interested captured on the scope.
>> 
>> I'm reading about PCBite and tag connect as two examples of "hey this could suck less". Anyone have other favorites or experience with these?
>> 
>> I'm ready to spend a little bit to improve my day to day "let's see what this little fellow is up to" experience.
>> 
>> Cheers,
>> Chris McDowell
>