t pin size

are these a good "girth" for back probing?  

www.staples.com/Staples-10819-CC-Nickel-...MlZ-BdhoC6ksQAvD_BwE

actually, office max is a lot closer to my house than staples.  they have 3 different t pins.  the only meaningful difference in spec i can see is that one pack is 2" and the others are 1.5".  is 1.5" long enough for most things?  i'm guessing shorter is also thinner...

www.officedepot.com/catalog/search.do?Ntt=t+pins

edit:  looks like the only ones local are the brass looking ones that are labeled "chrome" color and are 2" in length.  good enough?

edit redux:  my local walmart has these.  only 1.75".  good enough?

www.walmart.com/ip/Dritz-T-Pins-40-Count...illmentIntent=Pickup

last one i swear:  amazon.  looks like they ahve all sizes covered, but there is uncertainty of what kind of "High-Quality Metal" they are using.  does it matter?

www.amazon.com/Mr-Assorted-T-Pins-Blocki...ZR190&srpt=SHARP_PIN
 

I don't think it matters as long as they are conducive. I got mine at the local supermarket, work just fine. If you are unsure I would get a variety pack just to be safe. 

That box from Amazon will do the trick.
I personally prefer back probes over T pins, these are the ones I use every day. I have others, as well as some T pins, but these are my favorite.
 
www.aeswave.com/uMicroBackProbe-Minimum-...onnectors-p9481.html

Second the uMicroBackProbe set. They're the only thing I use to backprobe any more.

i like that design because there is less "unsprung mass" to put torque on the connector socket and deform it. but i don't like how the insulation goes nearly all the way to the tip. i'd think that would make it quite a bit thicker and cause more stress on the weather seals as you're pushing past them.

The insulation really doesn't get in the way. It's just heat shrink tube, you can strip it back.

aes wave doesn't say on the web page whether those are shrouded male or unshrouded female banana connections. which is it?

DapperZapper wrote:

aes wave doesn't say on the web page whether those are shrouded male or unshrouded female banana connections. which is it?

They're shrouded female. See the attachment for a similar example.

I personally bought these T-pin varied sizes:
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M4O1TKD/ref..._title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

and I custom made my own pins by buying the 2mm banana along with the 3mm banana female & male plugs. I don't use the male plugs since the females are what will be needed for any test lead wire. I have used the male plugs to make extensions to jump to ground, etc. The way I make my pins were similar to this guy on Youtube: