diff --git a/src/net/http/client_test.go b/src/net/http/client_test.go
index 0fe555af38..df2a670aee 100644
--- a/src/net/http/client_test.go
+++ b/src/net/http/client_test.go
@@ -60,13 +60,6 @@ func pedanticReadAll(r io.Reader) (b []byte, err error) {
 	}
 }
 
-type chanWriter chan string
-
-func (w chanWriter) Write(p []byte) (n int, err error) {
-	w <- string(p)
-	return len(p), nil
-}
-
 func TestClient(t *testing.T) { run(t, testClient) }
 func testClient(t *testing.T, mode testMode) {
 	ts := newClientServerTest(t, mode, robotsTxtHandler).ts
@@ -827,12 +820,12 @@ func TestClientInsecureTransport(t *testing.T) {
 	run(t, testClientInsecureTransport, []testMode{https1Mode, http2Mode})
 }
 func testClientInsecureTransport(t *testing.T, mode testMode) {
-	ts := newClientServerTest(t, mode, HandlerFunc(func(w ResponseWriter, r *Request) {
+	cst := newClientServerTest(t, mode, HandlerFunc(func(w ResponseWriter, r *Request) {
 		w.Write([]byte("Hello"))
-	})).ts
-	errc := make(chanWriter, 10) // but only expecting 1
-	ts.Config.ErrorLog = log.New(errc, "", 0)
-	defer ts.Close()
+	}))
+	ts := cst.ts
+	errLog := new(strings.Builder)
+	ts.Config.ErrorLog = log.New(errLog, "", 0)
 
 	// TODO(bradfitz): add tests for skipping hostname checks too?
 	// would require a new cert for testing, and probably
@@ -851,15 +844,10 @@ func testClientInsecureTransport(t *testing.T, mode testMode) {
 		}
 	}
 
-	select {
-	case v := <-errc:
-		if !strings.Contains(v, "TLS handshake error") {
-			t.Errorf("expected an error log message containing 'TLS handshake error'; got %q", v)
-		}
-	case <-time.After(5 * time.Second):
-		t.Errorf("timeout waiting for logged error")
+	cst.close()
+	if !strings.Contains(errLog.String(), "TLS handshake error") {
+		t.Errorf("expected an error log message containing 'TLS handshake error'; got %q", errLog)
 	}
-
 }
 
 func TestClientErrorWithRequestURI(t *testing.T) {
@@ -897,9 +885,10 @@ func TestClientWithIncorrectTLSServerName(t *testing.T) {
 	run(t, testClientWithIncorrectTLSServerName, []testMode{https1Mode, http2Mode})
 }
 func testClientWithIncorrectTLSServerName(t *testing.T, mode testMode) {
-	ts := newClientServerTest(t, mode, HandlerFunc(func(w ResponseWriter, r *Request) {})).ts
-	errc := make(chanWriter, 10) // but only expecting 1
-	ts.Config.ErrorLog = log.New(errc, "", 0)
+	cst := newClientServerTest(t, mode, HandlerFunc(func(w ResponseWriter, r *Request) {}))
+	ts := cst.ts
+	errLog := new(strings.Builder)
+	ts.Config.ErrorLog = log.New(errLog, "", 0)
 
 	c := ts.Client()
 	c.Transport.(*Transport).TLSClientConfig.ServerName = "badserver"
@@ -910,13 +899,10 @@ func testClientWithIncorrectTLSServerName(t *testing.T, mode testMode) {
 	if !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "127.0.0.1") || !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "badserver") {
 		t.Errorf("wanted error mentioning 127.0.0.1 and badserver; got error: %v", err)
 	}
-	select {
-	case v := <-errc:
-		if !strings.Contains(v, "TLS handshake error") {
-			t.Errorf("expected an error log message containing 'TLS handshake error'; got %q", v)
-		}
-	case <-time.After(5 * time.Second):
-		t.Errorf("timeout waiting for logged error")
+
+	cst.close()
+	if !strings.Contains(errLog.String(), "TLS handshake error") {
+		t.Errorf("expected an error log message containing 'TLS handshake error'; got %q", errLog)
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/src/net/http/serve_test.go b/src/net/http/serve_test.go
index 00230020e7..0c76f1bcc4 100644
--- a/src/net/http/serve_test.go
+++ b/src/net/http/serve_test.go
@@ -1400,27 +1400,28 @@ func TestTLSHandshakeTimeout(t *testing.T) {
 	run(t, testTLSHandshakeTimeout, []testMode{https1Mode, http2Mode})
 }
 func testTLSHandshakeTimeout(t *testing.T, mode testMode) {
-	errc := make(chanWriter, 10) // but only expecting 1
-	ts := newClientServerTest(t, mode, HandlerFunc(func(w ResponseWriter, r *Request) {}),
+	errLog := new(strings.Builder)
+	cst := newClientServerTest(t, mode, HandlerFunc(func(w ResponseWriter, r *Request) {}),
 		func(ts *httptest.Server) {
 			ts.Config.ReadTimeout = 250 * time.Millisecond
-			ts.Config.ErrorLog = log.New(errc, "", 0)
+			ts.Config.ErrorLog = log.New(errLog, "", 0)
 		},
-	).ts
+	)
+	ts := cst.ts
+
 	conn, err := net.Dial("tcp", ts.Listener.Addr().String())
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("Dial: %v", err)
 	}
-	defer conn.Close()
-
 	var buf [1]byte
 	n, err := conn.Read(buf[:])
 	if err == nil || n != 0 {
 		t.Errorf("Read = %d, %v; want an error and no bytes", n, err)
 	}
+	conn.Close()
 
-	v := <-errc
-	if !strings.Contains(v, "timeout") && !strings.Contains(v, "TLS handshake") {
+	cst.close()
+	if v := errLog.String(); !strings.Contains(v, "timeout") && !strings.Contains(v, "TLS handshake") {
 		t.Errorf("expected a TLS handshake timeout error; got %q", v)
 	}
 }