where to buy inexpensive test lab supplies?

Ebay, Amazon.

If I am in "December stock-up mode" I first scan the discounters like MPJA and Jameco. Also Harborfreight for the occasional electronics gizmo. Then Mouser because while their search engine is mediocre prices are often a little more favorable than Digikey's. But when I need to find something right now and preferably in the next 10 seconds it's always Digikey.

Also, don't forget "maker scene" outlets such as Sparkfun because if they have something it's often a good deal.

I like this place..

Jamie

If your time is worth zero, buy cheap ones on eBay or maybe AliExpress.

Try buying one set of those test leads, and see the difference for yourself. One of the best fourteen buckses I ever spent.

A solder sucker lasts me probably 5 years. You seem to be trying to do some fairly difficult stuff--do you really have zero budget for supplies, or are you just being terminally cheap?

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

Anywhere you can.

Seriously.

Some of the local "electronics stores" are outrageously priced when it comes to components, etc. So, I mail-order those from Digikey.

OTOH, they (apparently) don't keep upgrading the prices on items unless they make a new purchase. So, something that has been sitting on the shelf for YEARS will often have an old, LOW price!

I've been exploiting that to purchase Kester solder that sells on Digikey for ~$50-$65 at a local, no-shipping-required price of $35! Of course, you need ot be "eyes on" to see these prices...

Consider buying some test lead wire and MAKING leads (if you're just making leads for DMM's, etc.). I've done that many times in the past when I wanted longer leads than I had available. Or, when I wanted a higher quality (flexible) wire, etc.

DigiKey, like Mouser, Allied, and Newark, is OK for components like resistors, capacitors, transistors, and ICs but expensive for about everything else. Jameco, B.G. Micro, Circuit Specialists, and Marlin P. Jones can be good for other stuff. MCM Electronics is owned by the same company as Newark but is more oriented toward repair and carries a lot of parts and tools for that.

I've bought test leads twice, and both times, several had bad continuity, so check their resistance before use. Don't buy Harbor Freight soldering irons or anything not UL listed. If the iron's barrel turns blue, it's a bad design that will probably burn out in a few months or make your hand uncomfortably hot. Radio Shack irons and suckers are OK, but sometimes MCM and Marlin P. Jones have cheaper ones with more features, like power adjustment or temperature regulation. BTW Radio Shack has a 45W iron that also sucks solder, about $15. It works really well on single-sided boards, OK on double-sided ones, but it doesn't quite have enough power for more layers than that.

Like Phil, I buy only the Soldapullt model by Edsyn, these last on average about ten to fifteen years in my shop. The knockoffs sometimes only last a few weeks, and one broke after the first suck!

Better quality tools cost more than the cheap ones - you just can't get around that easily.

John :-#)#