Power Probe??

[johninct]

I have been asking a lot of questions lately about expanding my electrical diagnostic tools. My next question is about Power Probes 1,2 3 4 or the Hook? Which one to get and why? I already have jumper leads and want to upgrade. I will be working on older stuff, no air bags computers etc. Is the Snap-On EECT900 better? Which one can load a circuit? Thanks..

 

[2ndGearRubber]

No info on the EECT900, I have a Power Probe 3. It will not load a circuit, that's what Load-Pro leads are for, which I would HIGHLY recommend. They're $50 on amazon. If you are not working on stuff which requires module communication to function, it's nice to have. Turn on washer fluid pumps, lights, fans, etc. Direct hook off the battery means no swapping the test light, tool does all of the work.


I have moved away from the PP3 in recent years. For instance on a power window motor, there may be a 3-wire connector instead of 2. One wire is a communications line, without which your power/ground inputs do nothing. No more unplugging and manually jumping power and ground in. I have moved more towards the old-fashioned test light, and scope use-age, followed by the meter, then Power Probe. Load-Pro leads will work on anything with banana jacks, so they do work on both scopes and basic volt meters. That said, if you are currently using jump wires as regular tools, you will be very happy with the power-probe.

 

[Danglerb]

PP and Load Pro are items that pay for themselves in ONE use. As for which number PP, latest best, oldest still ok and cheaper, read the specs.

 

[LXCam]

I bought a PP3 a couple years ago thinking it would be handy. I rarely use it as I got tired of dealing with the leads especially packing it up after use. I know how petty that sounds but you did ask for an opinion.

 

[Bobioz1]

I bought a PP3 a couple years ago thinking it would be handy. I rarely use it as I got tired of dealing with the leads especially packing it up after use. I know how petty that sounds but you did ask for an opinion.

I know what you mean about the cord hassle. I clipped one of my PP3s cord to 6’. Love it.

 

[plinker]

I use my PP3 often for checking for power and ground, also for testing trailer lights. It beats using jumper wires for the most part. I have used it for componet testing on heavy trucks as well (hydraulic coolers, aux. lights, ete...).

The plain old test light and multi meter get more use now, but I wouldnt want to not have a PP3.

One gripe with the PP3 is I'd rather have a banana jack instead of the alligator clip for the ground lead.

 

[Bobcat753]

I have a PP3 and love it. I also primarily use it for strobe lighting/ LED lighting on vehicles. To me it seems a lot more professional to pull out and use the PowerProbe than a small 12V battery and jumper leads for testing/installing lighting on customers trucks.

 

[joetech]

I just bought a Power Probe 4. I know very well I can do everything that the Power Probe can do with a multi meter but it seems much handier and faster than dickering around with multi meter leads, along with the direct connection to the battery it's a no-brainer. I've seen what others say about the Load Pro and that does seem complementary.

FWIW I haven't gotten my Power Probe yet but I'm looking forward to using it to track down some electrical problems on a Chevrolet Express 3500.

 

[FSrepair&fabrication]

I use a power probe 2 and 3 on a regular basis. for basic 12v testing on equipment and trucks its darn handy. The 2 that I have will hold power or ground if you click the button where the 3 is spring loaded and will not stay if you dont hold it down but the 3 has a screen so you can read voltage where the 2 just has a red and green light to indicate power and ground. Being able to push the button and walk around to check lights is handy but so is the screen. so depending on the job I pull out one or the other, or sometimes both on a complex job. If you plan on diagnosing electrical systems you really need a power probe, multimeter, test light and test leads. They all have their place and when things get serious and you need to impress you can pull them all out at once. Nothing better to distract the customer from the fact that you dont know WTF youre doing than a bunch of fancy tools lol.

 

[fastbike02]

I use my pp3 all the time its my goto test light! makes alarms and radio installs simple

 

[usdemt]

I used the PP3 for almost 10 years before I got a short in the cable. I upgraded to the SO Multi Probe and love it. I do emergency vehicle uplifts so I use it mainly for positive and negative testing and for powering lights and changing flash patterns. One thing that sold me on the Multi Probe over a PP3 or 4 is that you can latch the power on the tip so I can program light heads without holding down a button. The other big thing is it is higher amperage and adjustable circuit breaker. I can set the internal circuit breaker and use it to train down shorts without going through 15 fuses. I think the Multi Probe is 30 amps and the PP3 ks only 5 or 10 maybe? But dont quote me on that. The last thing is I like the resistance meter available built in. I dont use the AC voltage but the other features it offered over any PP made it worth it.

 

[cbrxfr67]

We used to sell PP but had some beef with them over the hook development and cut ties. Anyways, I got the last one on the shelf and love that thing. Lost tons of sales not having product but I cant control that.
There's one offered by autel that is copied by some other chinese mfgs. That one I tried and had so so luck with. Alot of customers brought them back unhappy. I'd stay away from that turd.

 

[stioc]

PP3 user here. I love mine. I most recently used it to check the state of the battery using min hold feature...to see how low the voltage drops during cranking.

 

[American Locomotive]

The PowerProbe 3 is one tool out of many you will need to do proper diagnostics. I recommend you get yourself a traditional test light and a decent standalone multimeter as well.

 

[original_chisel]

FSrepair&Fabrication Quote: " ..Nothing better to distract the customer from the fact that you dont know WTF(rance?) youre doing than a bunch of fancy tools.."

You are so right! toss in a Fluke 88V in that bunch and now you've really floored 'em.