Side by Side Comparison of: SIENOC vs Elenco vs Vilros vs Ajax Scientific vs Amazon

Bought this as a basic meter to use on job site, where I didn't want to worry about my good meter. Works just as well as my other meter and has a tone for continuity that is a big plus for an inexpensive meter.

This meter has been very useful in both Arduino related projects and other items around the house.

Cheapest multimeter I have ever seen, and works well. Nothing fancy, but most people don't need that anyway.

For general home use this is a terrific bargain. The unit itself is small, but its LCD display is big and bright. Highly recommended.

This is good as far as the basic model functions are concerned. Best value for the money and gives a good start for beginners and amateur.

Elenco TL-6 Alligator Lead Set, 10-Piece, 14 inches are good quality alligator test clips that are great for testing equipment that requires less that 2 or so amps to run as they are not heavy enough to use for higher current ,but are great for my testing uses.

These seem to work fine, and 5 stars seems reasonable as long as you set your expectations. As others have mentioned, they're very low-current wires. They're great for testing LEDs and circuit boards. If you need something for A/C power applications, then these aren't the droids you're looking for. They took 3 or 4 weeks to get here (don't remember exactly), but I knew they were coming from China and they arrived within the time period that Amazon said they would. So far I haven't found any duds, but at this price, even if one turns out to be bad, that's OK.

All mine work well, wire is a bit on the thin side, so keep that in mind depending on your intended use. For something like an arduino board they work very well. The insulated covers over the alligator clips are a nice touch especially when using on a small/cramped prototype board/solderless breadboard.

Unlike the other type which I reviewed, these are much less flimsy. They're a thicker gauge and they also actually have ratings printed on the wires which instills a bit more confidence than the unmarked, super tiny SE TL10 also sold on Amazon. Their resistance is also slightly lower.

Other reviewers have complained of workmanship. My batch we're perfect.Yes, they are not for carrying a great load. And for me, measuringAmp loads to LED strings, etc, just perfect.The spring in the connecting jaws is very strong for the small size.

So many of us have too much free time these days. We spend it re-designing the wheel. Well if you're an electronics hobbiest, you'll need some main leads to piggy-back components together. These double alligator leads do the trick. This is a set of 10 - 14" double ended leads rated to 600V on 20AWG wire. They have small jaw alligator clips pefect for fitting in tight spaces and even hitting individual components on bread board. Not much more I can say about them other than they work and I like them.

Works well for a small home use VOM

My son used this for his science fair product with good success. It measured accurately for the tasks and it was repeatedly reliable. The build quality is a little on the cheaper side; however, this was to be expected for a $10 device.

Great for the money. Does everything and more for my arduino projects.

If you are an electrical engineer this is probably not adequate for you, but if you occasionally need to check voltage or continuity, this does the job.

Not worth purchasing - wire is so fine it will not carry much current. Wire gauge was not included in advertisement, but if needed to carry more than one amp for more than about 30 seconds, then they need to be doubled or tripled up. They are fine for most electronic testing, but do not work well for automotive troubleshooting applications. First time I used them I was troubleshooting a lighting circuit on a motorcycle. I thought the lead was defective and tried several others all with the same result. I then tested each lead with an ohm meter. Each lead had continuity, so I tried again using a different test lead. I discovered my test was positive, but the lights were just glowing and the lead was getting hot. I ended up using 5 leads to get normal operation of the circuit (about 1 amp on a 12 volt DC circuit), but the leads were overheating and extended operation of the circuit would result in certain failure of the test leads. I do not know the wire gauge of these leads, but will be buying more leads with a minimum of 20 gauge wire. These leads will work great on micro-electronics.

These are obviously not industrial grade, and will burn up (empirically verified) at around 3-4 amps. But, industry is not the purpose of these alligator clips. These are for tinkering.So often I've been working on small electronic projects and realize I need an alligator clip and cant find one anywhere. These are affordable to get in mass quantity and are great to store around the house.While they are not industrial grade, their build quality is actually quite nice. The rubber casing doesn't feel cheap or smell weird, the rubber shell around alligator mouth feels nice, and the metal just indicate that its cheap or anything. The heads are crimped on and I haven't had any continuity issues as of yet.I would definitely recommend these to anyone that need some alligator clips.

Ok, you didn't really expect to get lab grade cables at this price. But, for cheap cables, these are pretty good. The leads are soldered to the alligator clips, the wire is multi-stranded and the insulating covers not too slippery. You won't be thrilled beyond belief with these. But, you also won't feel ripped off.

With modern components, it is hard to come up with any good reason to keep alligator clips around the lab. But for whatever reason, they seem to enjoy routine use for quick hookup of power, etc when prototyping. The Elenco isn't the overall best example of alligator clips that I have - certainly I've paid much more money for very high quality clips with heavier gauge while, and stronger jaw springs. But I keep buying the Elenco since the price is great, and they do work quite well. If I recall correctly, I have at least 5 sets of this model. Take that as a recommendation - price is right, they hold up, and I like them enough to keep buying them!

They are good for doing things like measuring the current going through a resistor. In fact I got these to make doing that in my EE labs a little easier. We use the myDAQ box and protoboard, and have to take screen shots of the digital multimeter in the software to show the current we are measuring. That is nearly impossible when trying to hold one lead on a wire and the other on the end of a resistor. These allowed me to do set up the circuit to measure the current, and the current was the same with the two wires attached to the circuit that was measured just holding the leads in place without them. So for things like that they work well. I knocked them down a star because they are not the easiest things to open, but once they are in place they do not slip off the leads, the resistor or the stripped end of a wire.

I needed a few test leads with alligator clips, and stumbled on these on Amazon. I like that they are color-coded, and have alligator clips on both ends. Just what I was looking for, to help me do simple circuit testing and troubleshooting. The clips seem to hold well, but I took off one star because the ends were only crimped, and not soldered. So far, so good, but my experiences with these sort of things suggest that soldering makes for a more durable connection. The clips are fairly small, but hold well, and are insulated.

Works fine.

Purchased for son's science project - work just fine thank you.
However, after a month, the display started to go bad - not related to battery, just started to drop portions of LCD characters.
It's inexpensive and worked fine during the time period needed, but definitely not a robust unit.

Seems to be o.k. for amateur with infrequent use. Appears fragile, may not be suitable for use by a professional.. Biggest drawback is directions, etc. are entirely in Chinese. If you need instruction you will have to get it from the internet.

Bit light weight but it works. At this price - S'Ok

I have bought and have been using several of these alligator clips for my science classroom (students were learning about electrical conductivity). The first ones I received were thicker and worked very well so I ordered several more. However, the new ones I received do not work as well. The cords are thinner and seem a bit longer, which I would have no problem with, except most do not conduct electricity as well, some do not work at all, and although I bought them "New" it is very obvious that some have been used, fixed, and resold.Overall, they aren't great but they do work.

You really get what you pay for. I got 2 yellow, 2 green, 2 white, and 1 black wire that actually worked.2 red and 1 black wires were broken upon arrival.The alligator clips aren't very good, one has already gotten itself jammed open after about 15 minutes of using it.Can't beat the price, even with broken wires is worth it.

It's cheap. You get what you pay for usually. This is no exception. They are very thing wire with cheap clips on then end, and flimsy clip insulators. If you want a cheap set of alligator clips for home use, or projects go for it. If you are doing any kind of automotive work, or higher amp work, keep looking.

I ordered these Elenco TL-6 Standard Alligator Lead Set, 10-Pieces and I am only somewhat satisfied with my purchase, because these are a product that is not that easy to find elsewhere other than online. One problem is the assembly. The wire is minimal gauge and is stripped and folded back, then crimped onto the alligator clip. I removed one star, as this is a poor connection for any electrical use other than a test bench application where you can test the lead as you are using it for continuity and this crimp would not continue to make good electrical contact in an installation use over an extended length of time. The wire appears to be 24 gauge approximately. I plan to undo the crimp and solder the wire to the clips, this will cost me some time and this review a star. I have purchased Elenco products now for years, I have not yet rated one of their products this low. Three Stars.

Some reviewers had complained about continuity and unsoldered connections between the wire and clip. I order one set of these and checked continuity and all passed. I also examined the connection between the wire and clip and found it soldered. Looked like a decent solder to me.I have only two complaints. First, the boots are exceptionally slippery making it very difficult to open the clip. Second, while measuring continuity I found the plating (or possibly a lubricant or hydrophobic coating to prevent rust?) on the outside of the clips sometimes didn't conduct. If I actually clipped them to my Fluke meter, there was always continuity without having to fiddle with them.

There was a problem with these not being shipped in the box they were supposed to be in. But, after many problems finding out how to inform Amazon and getting them not to charge me twice, it was cleared up.These items are not anything great. But, if you don't have the time to make your own with some gator-clips and wire, then these are the way to go. The price isn't excessive and adding it to an order of other things makes for no extra cost in shipping. If you need some of these, and don't want to take the time to purchase the materials and making your own, then buy these.

Bought this because of the great resemblance with my old Mastech M-838 (which I damaged by leaving it too close to a soldering iron).
Sienoc DT830D LCD is cheaply made. The black probe was broken (no contact). I am using it with my old probes.
The new probe wires are thinner and the plastic connector have sharp edges compared to more round and smooth edges of the old probes.
I do not like it but have no time or desire to return it and search for another one at this time. Will use it until it dies and throw it away.
If you have time to do some research and more money buy something else.

I was excited to see if the cheapest dmm I could find would work for checking battery voltages, AC voltage, continuity, and very simple Arduino projects. Looks and feels even cheaper than expected! The unit powers on but doesn't function... no voltage readings, continuity even with leads removed. A working unit even if not so fast or accurate might provide good utility in the sub-ten-dollar range.

You get what you pay for. Simple as that.

I've spent some time looking and ended up buying these because of the price and they were the shortest ones I could find.But I think I shouldnt have been so cheap and spent a couple bucks more on different ones.The clips are pretty small and difficult to use. Like I don't think you'd be able to clip these onto anything the first try. The clips are too small for the sleeve so they slip around like crazy. Gets a little annoying..

Bad connections between thin copper wire and the alligator clip due to a crimp connection, as opposed to a soldered connection. Not able to buy good quality alligator clips and make my own test leads anymore! You can't beat a soldered wire to clip test lead! All of mine wore out....after about 30 years!

The quality was poor. Two out of 10 were an open circuit. The wire gauge is really small. I tore apart the open circuit ones, and found a crimpted connection on a short stripped wire end. The stripped part was not in the crimp, so only insulation had any pressure on it. I've bought other Elenco cables and was ok with the quality, but this product was poor.Nobody seems to make good quality alligator jumpers, it looks like I'll need to buy some silicon wire and alligator clips and make my own.

The ends are so slippery that it is extremely difficult to use without the head of the clip sliding out of the plastic protection.This makes it hard to open up the clips big to fit them onto a battery or other bigger piece of electronic equipment that I need to use them for. They get two stars because there are so many of them, the price was cheap, and they are not broken. I would not recommend these, if you use them professionally. The next time, I will spend a little more and purchase my next set in a store, so that I inspect them before purchasing.

Ok so I received these leads to complete some testing on solar lights that were not working well in my yard. When I first attached the leads to see if the solar cell were generating any voltage or enough to recharge the batteries I was surprised to find they were dead. However I was sure they were producing some activity in full sun, so I proceeded to check the leads for continuity. To my surprise only three of the leads were actually connected to the alligator clips electrically even though the wires were firmly crimped to the clips. The fact that there was not one drop of solder on any of the clips was immediately evident. Obviously none of these leads were subjected at the point of manufacture to a simple continuity test before being sent out. I guess for the price this was not surprising Unless you are willing to disassemble the wires and solder them on you run the risk of having to throw these leads out. I did fix them all, but I think you would be better served buying from a more reliable vendor. I will say they came direct from China sooner than was forecast. So unless you enjoy tearing these apart and reworking them I would pass.

The protective clip covers are very slippery and slide around when you try to open the clips. I read in another review that the Elenco set has soldered connectors, but these are just crimped on.

Did not meet my expectations. The iinstructions were not in English.

no display on dc volt. reads wall receptacle ac apparently but DCV display just goes blank and gives no reading on a 1.5 volt battery, 9 volt battery or a 12vdc CCTV transformer. Replaced unit with a recently bought a PYLE PDMT38 and all three "test" items read normally on that unit. "chimes" on continuity barely beeps.
Symptoms act like a dead battery but three different new ones,( 9.6vdc on other meter), did NOT resolve Direct Current measurement, no readout.
read other reviews, but disassembly didn't change anything.
Bought for automotive circuit repair and I've been using this type of equipment for over forty years, retired ELT.
this one is junk, I can't trust it. and the test leads are short, flimsy, don't fit the PYLE unit or any other test equipment I own.

After I set the voltmeter to the 20 volt setting I used it to monitor an unusual drain on my car battery. The digital display said 6.3 volts and I thought this can't be right. So I tapped the back of the DT830D and the reading jumped to 11.1 volts. I tapped it again and the reading jumped to 12.4 volts. I don't think that I can trust this thing.

As far as shipping is concerned it was right on time. I have been too busy to return it.

These clip leads are actually 0.6 ohm resistors! And, the tiny, tiny wires are not soldered to the alligator clips. After corrosion sets in, the resistance will be even higher. Chinese Junk (pun intended).

Too cheep, they work but oh so poorly. The alligator clip rolls around in the vinyl jacket making it very difficult to open and grip something. Seems the clip doesn't seem to have enough flat spot where we squeeze to open them allowing the clip to roll around. Pretty useless, I threw them in my junk wire bin for emergency or scrap what ever comes first. I will now buy some quality leads, lesson learned.

Bought those thinking there are no way you can mess up alligator leads, well I was wrong. Only 3 out of 10 had a contact between the two clips. One of which was very flaky. I opened of of those and they are not soldered.

These are the worst alligator clips I have ever used. I tried to use it to my solar car and the solar car didn't work. I tried different motors and they still didn't work! If anything, buy something more expensive than this garbage. Sorry for being kind of cruel, but I sincerely hate these alligator clips. PLEASE NOTE: I write honest reviews. I do not get free items, but I write honest reviews. I also am not a bot, and this is my actual opinion of these alligator clips. Thank you for taking the time to read my review and I hope you have a good shopping experience. :)

I bought 2 sets of the clips with price in mind and the brand name of Elenco - started testing zener diodes in a test jig using the clips to insert each zener diode into the circuit to check the zener voltage of each diode tested and nothing happens - I pulled out an ohmmeter to check my connections and found the clips were open. pulled the insulator off the alligator clip and bingo - the wires are just crimped into the end of the alligator clip. At first the connection is ok, but put a little tug or wiggle on the wires and they lose contact - VERY SHODDY WORKMANSHIP AND N0 QUALITY CONTROL, but you get what you pay--- cheap price, cheap product.. I am seriously wondering how these clips were branded Elenco - previous merchandise supposedly manufactured by Elenco was top notch quality. I can solder mine - all 40 clips to the wires, but this is definitely MADE IN CHINA at its worst - looks like RADIO SHACK is getting back another customer - my time is valuable and the cost in repair materials just made these alligator clips VERY, VERY, VERY expensive. Won't return them - takes too much time and effort - - - BUYER BEWARE

Some of these clips are an open circuit. Of the ones that do work, they only work if you're careful, they're hard to clip on compared to other alligator clips I've used. The reason is that they are poorly designed in my opinion. When you squeeze the lever they rotate inside the insulating jacket (rather than opening). The jacket isn't narrow enough and or the clips themselves are too narrow. My 8 year old son was unable to use these. Others here mentioned that the jacket/boot is too slippery and that's part of the issue too. If you pull off the jacket and clip them, the clips themselves are so narrow that they just rotate between your fingers rather than opening. Maybe tiny, strong and skilled fingers can use these but my fingers would have to develop a new skillset to use them and definitely a child under 10 years old couldn't use them. Overall, this really slows down clipping things on/off and defeats the purpose of using these. Also, the wire gauge is low so I wouldn't expect them to be used for anything over 100mA without the heating issues mentioned. I don't have an accurate measurement but I estimate that the resistance in one of these is between 0.5 and 1 ohms so at 100mA you can expect up to 100mV and 10mW drop in just one. If you cranked that up to say 1Amp you'd be looking at 1V drop and 1Watt which is a heating element (hmmm....maybe Elenco could market these as low cost heaters).