Decent leads for a bench power supply and alligator clips

Like many others, I use alligator-clip leads at work to connect a bench power supply or electronic load, and I felt like replacing mine. Of course, I could make my own leads—and I do use some—but I was feeling a bit lazy. I searched AliExpress, found what looked like a decent option, ordered it, and decided to share my impressions.

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I ordered not only leads, but also alligator clips for making my own cables with a larger cross-section. They arrived in a regular envelope.


I’ll start with the large alligator clips. I ordered a pair; they’re sold individually or in pairs, and a red-and-black set costs $3.49 - link
A quick note: the seller has listings with several different clip options, and some options appear in more than one listing. Prices vary between listings, so pay attention. For example, one listing may offer both large and small clips. Ordering both types from that listing could cost more than ordering the small ones from one listing and the large ones from another.

So, these clips are rated for 100 A. I won’t claim they can actually handle that current—I have no way to test it—but my gut feeling is that they probably can’t.


I think this design will be familiar to anyone who browses products like these from time to time.


They open quite wide, but they felt a little too soft to open.


The thing is, I’m used to alligator clips that look exactly like these, which came with my 40 A electronic load. The new clips open about one and a half times more easily, which, in my opinion, isn’t a good thing.


At a glance, the clips look identical, but on closer inspection the differences are quite noticeable.
For starters, the plastic on the old ones is sturdier. When I removed it, I immediately noticed that the metal is noticeably thinner, and there’s less of it overall—the sides are simply narrower.
They also differ in weight: the new ones are lighter, although that’s harder to judge because the old ones have a cable soldered on, and I also reinforced them with extra wire.


Both are magnetic, but in practice, at least with the old ones, that hasn’t caused any problems.
Measuring the metal thickness confirmed what I suspected: 0.62 mm for the old ones and 0.45 mm for the new ones. So much for identical looks in the pictures...


I ordered the second pair for homemade leads. I already have some good cable and banana plugs, enough for two sets, which is why I ordered two pairs of clips.
There are several options on the product page. For some reason, I liked “Type 2”; a set costs $2.31 - link.
They’re rated for 20 A. There are also 30 A and 50 A versions, but those are better suited for connecting batteries than for lab use.


The outer covering is made of a soft material that feels like silicone—almost too soft. The clips themselves are fully covered, which is handy: there’s less chance of them getting into something they shouldn’t.


They’re only weakly magnetic—I’d even say they’re barely magnetic at all.
They’re designed to connect using banana plugs, but there’s nothing stopping you from soldering the wires on instead.
The tip is flat. I’ve used pointed ones before, so I’ll see how these work out.


When I tried opening them, and especially when I removed the insulation, I realized they’d probably be awkward to use. Here’s why.
1. The clips are extremely stiff. Yes, you can open them fairly wide, but it’s awkward.
2. The insulation is extremely soft, and combined with the stiff clips, it makes them hard to open properly.

Even taking this photo took some effort. When I tried to spread the jaws wide, the clip kept trying to twist in my hand—and that was without the insulation. With the insulation on, it’ll twist even more.


The leads themselves are what I originally planned to order. The alligator clips shown above were more of an add-on, “just to have.”
I noticed this listing because it had a lot of reviews, many of them positive. A red-and-black set costs $3.92, but shipping is extra. I ordered three sets; they came to about $13.34 in total, or $4.45 per set - link


They even look quite neat. The wires are very soft, almost like ropes, and for a while I actually thought they had silicone insulation.
There are no markings on the wires at all, so they're just colored wires, nothing more.


The stated length is 1 meter. Including the connectors and alligator clips, they come out a little longer, so yes, I believe the wire itself is 1 meter long.


By the way, regarding the specs, everything is listed on the product page, and that's what I'll be comparing them against. I didn't check whether the wire is copper, as removing the insulation proved difficult, but based on indirect signs—the flexibility and resistance—I think it's quite plausible.


The banana plugs and alligator clips are a little longer than a matchbox. The insulation on the clips is short; personally, I find that convenient. The clips themselves are moderately stiff. I'd prefer them softer, but they're clearly more convenient than the ones I showed earlier.
I liked the banana plug design, at least for now. The contact section has a spring-steel insert, fits tightly into the socket, and makes good, stable contact.
What's more, the design lets you connect another set of wires, which is certainly handy.


The insulation felt and seemed like silicone, but it's actually just ordinary plastic insulation that melts easily under a soldering iron. They never claimed it was silicone, unfortunately.


When choosing these, I read the reviews carefully and came across resistance measurements—not with an ordinary multimeter, but with a milliohm meter. There was also a voltage-drop measurement using an adjustable power supply.


1, 2. I took the same measurements, and the result surprised me—not because it was good or because it matched someone else's measurements, but because even the difference in resistance between the black and red wires was the same :)
Yes, the black wire has slightly lower resistance than the red one. I didn't test the other two sets; I simply don't see the point.
3. But the voltage drop when connected to a bench power supply is somehow different. Another buyer measured a drop of 0.1 V at 3 A; I got 0.225 V at 6 A. I suspect the other commenter’s measurement error, since my power supply is more accurate.
4. Just out of curiosity, I measured the drop on my usual cable, with a cross-section of 1.5 mm² and a length of about 75 cm. I was surprised to find it was higher; I suspect the old banana plugs are to blame.

So the manufacturer specified 18 AWG, which according to the table has a resistance of about 20.9 mΩ per meter. We got about 18 mΩ, but the wire is a little over a meter long, and I measured at the banana plug and alligator clip rather than directly on the wire. So based on the measurements, it's closer to 17 AWG, equivalent to 1 mm². That's why I think it's most likely stranded copper inside; steel of this cross-section would simply be stiffer.


And now, as always, the conclusions.
1. First, the large alligator clips. Not bad, but compared with the ones that came with the electronic load, they're noticeably more basic, even though they look the same. I doubt they'd handle 100 A, but I think they'll manage 50–60 A without any problems.
2. The small alligator clips. These are a mixed bag: they seem reasonably well made, but I think they'll be awkward to use because of the stiff spring and overly soft insulation.
3. The wires. I have no complaints at all: everything matches the specs—cross-section, resistance, length. The alligator clips are reasonably convenient, and the banana plugs are genuinely convenient. If they also had silicone insulation, they'd be perfect. Overall, I definitely recommend them.


That's all for now. I hope this was useful. Links to alternative options are welcome, and perhaps someone has links to good banana sockets for power supplies and electronic loads.