How much does brand matter with regards to oscilloscopes?

[Michael]

Hi - I'm looking at getting an oscilloscope for myself. Prices range
drastically for oscilloscopes - from nearly free for 70s era
equipment, to tens of thousands of dollars for really nice stuff.

The name brands (Tek, Agilent, etc.) seem to (not surprisingly) always
be the most expensive. Are they really that much better? I mean, for
example, I ran into this scope: http://www.tequipment.net/OWONEDU5022.html
(25MHz, color LCD, USB, battery powered, 2 channels, $368). An
equivalent scope from a better known brand would I suspect be well
over a thousand dollars.

Are the name brands worth the cost? Do you get what you pay for?

Thanks!

-Michael

 

[Anthony Fremont]

Hi - I'm looking at getting an oscilloscope for myself. Prices range
drastically for oscilloscopes - from nearly free for 70s era
equipment, to tens of thousands of dollars for really nice stuff.

The name brands (Tek, Agilent, etc.) seem to (not surprisingly) always
be the most expensive. Are they really that much better? I mean, for

The older ones were. The low end models from them all now come from China
it seems.

example, I ran into this scope:
http://www.tequipment.net/OWONEDU5022.html (25MHz, color LCD, USB,
battery powered, 2 channels, $368). An
equivalent scope from a better known brand would I suspect be well
over a thousand dollars.

Yeah, I've wondered about those scopes. I'm anxious to hear some reports.
I've heard one so far and it was positive, they bought the $329 special.
They did say the dual-scan screen kinda sucked when viewed off-angle. I'd
go with a higher end model if you can afford it and get a TFT screen, much
prettier.

I bought a Rigol DS1102C (100MHz, color TFT, USB etc). I'm really happy
with the performance, the fan is kinda loud though. From reading manuals,
reviews and looking at screen shots of Tek, Goodwill, etc. I think I got the
best of the bunch for the money. The firmware is stable, does math well,
and when using the math functions the way they are displayed on the screen
is much more useful and professional-looking IMO. Rigol makes the low end
Agilent scope so I figured they'd still be in business in a couple of years.
Tech support by e-mail from China is incredible (not that I use them allot,
just a couple of questions).

Are the name brands worth the cost? Do you get what you pay for?

On the low end, I'd say you're still paying something for the name. For
example Tek wants over $1000 for a monochrome low end scope. The Rigol I
got cost $1000, but was color and much higher bandwidth. It has amazing
triggering and DSP filtering capabilities. They both are made in China.
Tek does have a nice warranty though.

I'd still recommend having a decent analog scope for a "second opinion"
sometimes.

 

[Tester]

The older ones were. The low end models from them all now come from China
it seems.


Yeah, I've wondered about those scopes. I'm anxious to hear some reports.
I've heard one so far and it was positive, they bought the $329 special.
They did say the dual-scan screen kinda sucked when viewed off-angle. I'd
go with a higher end model if you can afford it and get a TFT screen, much
prettier.

I bought a Rigol DS1102C (100MHz, color TFT, USB etc). I'm really happy
with the performance, the fan is kinda loud though. From reading manuals,
reviews and looking at screen shots of Tek, Goodwill, etc. I think I got the
best of the bunch for the money. The firmware is stable, does math well,
and when using the math functions the way they are displayed on the screen
is much more useful and professional-looking IMO. Rigol makes the low end
Agilent scope so I figured they'd still be in business in a couple of years.
Tech support by e-mail from China is incredible (not that I use them allot,
just a couple of questions).


On the low end, I'd say you're still paying something for the name. For
example Tek wants over $1000 for a monochrome low end scope. The Rigol I
got cost $1000, but was color and much higher bandwidth. It has amazing
triggering and DSP filtering capabilities. They both are made in China.
Tek does have a nice warranty though.

I'd still recommend having a decent analog scope for a "second opinion"
sometimes.

This unit is very good for the money. They have a return policy. Why
not try it?

 

[Michael]

This unit is very good for the money. They have a return policy. Why
not try it?

Well for one thing, I realized shortly after posting that it seems not
to have a FFT function...

-Michael

 

[David L. Jones]

Hi - I'm looking at getting an oscilloscope for myself. Prices range
drastically for oscilloscopes - from nearly free for 70s era
equipment, to tens of thousands of dollars for really nice stuff.

The name brands (Tek, Agilent, etc.) seem to (not surprisingly) always
be the most expensive. Are they really that much better? I mean, for
example, I ran into this scope:http://www.tequipment.net/OWONEDU5022.html
(25MHz, color LCD, USB, battery powered, 2 channels, $368). An
equivalent scope from a better known brand would I suspect be well
over a thousand dollars.

Not really, look at the specs.

Are the name brands worth the cost? Do you get what you pay for?

Yes and no.

A *free* 20 year old scope can easily be better than a $1000 brand new
one.

Yes, the good brands are almost always worth the extra $$$$, when it
comes to a digital scope, you do get what you pay for.

Even Agilent are now re-badging the cheaper Chinese models like Rigol.
You can buy an exact same Agilent 3000 series scope from Rigol for
less.

Although I have not seen one, that Owon unit would fall into the
"suspect" category, I'd be very surprised if it has the performance
(and firmware stability) of other "budget" (but fairly well known)
models like say a Rigol or Goodwill. But the Owon is cheap because of
the specs, only 25MHz analog bandwidth and an effective single shot
bandwidth of around 10MHz (100MS/s / 10). That's pretty awful these
days. But if it suits your needs and that's all you can afford then
it's "worth the money". The big names don't really offer anything with
that low a performance.
I'm curious to know how the Owon performs though.

When it comes to digital scopes, bandwidth, sample rate, and big
memory do not come for free, the more of each you want the more you
will pay.

Old analog scopes on the other hand give unbeatable bandwidth/$$$, but
if you need a digital scope then you will have to pay for it.

Dave.

 

[Anthony Fremont]

Well for one thing, I realized shortly after posting that it seems not
to have a FFT function...

The Rigol does. www.saelig.com has the Owon scopes as well:
http://www.saelig.com/miva/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=PSSA002&Category_Code=
This (PDSxxxx model) is a better model than the EDUxxxx versions I believe.

I bought my Rigol from Test Equipment Solutions Today. Took about 10 days
to get it. Also the Rigol is only about 6" deep (same as the Owon PDS
models), and I really like that feature.

 

[Eeyore]

Hi - I'm looking at getting an oscilloscope for myself. Prices range
drastically for oscilloscopes - from nearly free for 70s era
equipment, to tens of thousands of dollars for really nice stuff.

The name brands (Tek, Agilent, etc.) seem to (not surprisingly) always
be the most expensive. Are they really that much better? I mean, for
example, I ran into this scope: http://www.tequipment.net/OWONEDU5022.html
(25MHz, color LCD, USB, battery powered, 2 channels, $368). An
equivalent scope from a better known brand would I suspect be well
over a thousand dollars.

Are the name brands worth the cost? Do you get what you pay for?

Most ppl will tell you that Tek scopes are simply very good. Well designed,
reliable, durable, accurate, good facilities etc....

The older HPs seem to be popular too.

Then again it all depends on what you need !

Graham

 

[Anthony Fremont]

Most ppl will tell you that Tek scopes are simply very good. Well
designed, reliable, durable, accurate, good facilities etc....

The older HPs seem to be popular too.

Then again it all depends on what you need !

Well he wants opinions. You should tell him yours. IIRC, you didn't
like the Tek DSO you've been working with.

 

[Eeyore]

Well he wants opinions. You should tell him yours.

I have a Tek 465B. An old classic.

IIRC, you didn't like the Tek DSO you've been working with.

Not for what I'm doing with it right now. I'm sure it would be great for other
stuff. That's why I asked him to elaborate.

Graham

 

[Terran Melconian]

Are the name brands worth the cost? Do you get what you pay for?

I think there's more spread in quality with the lesser known brands -
there's potential to get a good deal but also the potential to be very
sad.

Goodwill's GDS2000 got a bad review here a couple months back:

http://groups.google.com/group/sci.electronics.design/msg/eaf1ae487fad9449

I wouldn't want to pay $1k and end up with something like that.

On the other hand Rigol DS1000 has gotten good reviews from Anthony
Fremont in various places. I would not buy an "off brand" unless I had
an opportunity to handle one myself prior to making the purchase or
unless the particular model in question had gotten good reviews.

 

[John E.]

I would not buy an "off brand" unless I had

an opportunity to handle one myself prior to making the purchase or
unless the particular model in question had gotten good reviews.

Or unless they had a very good, clearly stated, no questions asked refund
policy (which I've yet to find...)

 

[Anthony Fremont]

Or unless they had a very good, clearly stated, no questions asked
refund policy (which I've yet to find...)

I think it was 1 month ROR on my scope, it's not going anywhere. I
took the chance on the Rigol because they made the low end HP scopes. I
figured they were a safe bet.

 

[Anthony Fremont]

I think it was 1 month ROR on my scope, it's not going anywhere.
I took the chance on the Rigol because they made the low end HP
scopes. I figured they were a safe bet.

BTW, I would recommend that the OP download the manuals from the various
manufacturers and look at them. Paying careful attention to screen shots.

The Rigol blew away the others with the "cleanliness" and professional look
of the display. No unnecessary use of bright background colors with text on
them for labels etc.... The fonts look good, the math function displays
position themselves on the screen sensibly. The triggering options and
filters are absolutely amazing compared to any analog scope I've ever used.
Deep 1M sample buffer too, 400MS/sec. Of course a larger full VGA screen
would be nice, but hey you have to draw the money line somewhere. ;-)

 

[Jim Yanik]

Or unless they had a very good, clearly stated, no questions asked
refund policy (which I've yet to find...)

IMO,small companies may have an excellent product,but after-sale service
and parts support may be lacking compared to a big company.

and you may only have one service point in the entire country,or deal with
"authorized service centers".
Or you may have to send it out of the country!