Finally my power supply and DMM are here.

[scumbagatheist]

Meh...I'll just build my own when I finish my CE course and use my ChinaCo. (not literal) PSU as a backup or to charge car batteries.

 

[csshih]

Show me a compact $60 supply with digital display and free shipping. Majority of the ebay ones are big, old, high shipping. Old may = reliable but even some of those cheap new ones have a warrantee

ever put one of those old ebay switchers on a scope?

digital display? try putting on of those on a decent multimeter?

 

[Bionic-Badger]

Show me a compact $60 supply with digital display and free shipping. Majority of the ebay ones are big, old, high shipping. Old may = reliable but even some of those cheap new ones have a warrantee

I'll take proven reliable over warrantied any day. Also just because the Chinese shippers receive "free" subsidized shipping from their government doesn't mean you also receive that same benefit when shipping back your "warrantied" power supply.

 

[scumbagatheist]

BB, I totally dig what you're saying. What I believe it comes down to is a combination of factors; Ignorance of true accuracy and availability, and convenience.

That's the most logical answer I can deduce. I wish I had the skills, currently, to build my own, so I knew, for a fact, how accurate and well built it was.

As it was, I picked mine based on multiple, independent reviews, and after seeing a series of photos of the inside of my model, side by side, with the equivalent Mastech model. I even watched oscilloscope tests of YouTube of the model before making my choice.

An informed consumer is a hemorrhoid-free consumer.

 

[TheDukeAnumber1]

I'll take proven reliable over warrantied any day. Also just because the Chinese shippers receive "free" subsidized shipping from their government doesn't mean you also receive that same benefit when shipping back your "warrantied" power supply.

Even in the event of needing to ship it back, it still comes out costing less. In the unlikely event that the "proven reliable" one is defective or damaged, you just might be SOL and have paid more.

 

[Speedy78]

I need to get me something capable of 10A plus. My 3A isnt cutting it anymore. That fine adjustment will come in handy. Mine doesnt have it and I have to be very carefull when driving diodes.

 

[Bionic-Badger]

BB, I totally dig what you're saying. What I believe it comes down to is a combination of factors; Ignorance of true accuracy and availability, and convenience.

Always good that you did your research. I've got supplies like that and they're pretty nice. I especially like that they're small and easy to set up wherever I need them. The price is relatively low so you can also buy multiple PSUs as needed.

Keep an eye out for old electronics tools though. Though they may be older, they're often far more capable, and can be a real bargain too.

Even in the event of needing to ship it back, it still comes out costing less.

That also depends on what your time is worth. Do you wait weeks to ship a bulky item like a power supply back to China for a replacement -- via the cheapest method to save on shipping -- only to wait another few weeks for them to ship you back a new one? If you need something faster you'd probably end up buying a new one just to get by.

I hate replacing products via warranty. It means the product I bought failed and I have to waste my time forcing the manufacturer to honor their agreement. That means calling them up, or filling out forms, packing up the product, negotiating shipping, etc. It's a total pain in the ass. Fortunately, for some products like mice and RAM, I've been able to receive an advanced RMA or an outright replacement, but even then I'd really just rather have the product be inherently reliable -- the product I bought.

Don't get me wrong, I like the cheap digital power supplies too. They're portable, have nice readings, etc. I just never bought them with the warranty as a feature. Also the digital power supply I have doesn't come close to the industrial strength supplies that are sold from university surpluses in terms of power delivery, etc.

Those new electronic tools also don't have those cool knobs!

In the unlikely event that the "proven reliable" one is defective or damaged, you just might be SOL and have paid more.

Usually what happens is that if something is reliable for long periods it remains reliable (assuming components don't have known lifetimes). Especially for products such as old electronic tools, they're replaced because inventories are being replaced with newer stuff, not so much because something died on the job.

Those old tools were usually the best of the time -- expensive electronic tools built to last and probably only sold decades later because they were still working great, but the lab got a new equipment budget. So unless something is DOA or has a known lifetime on it, there's a pretty good chance you're going to do well with the ol' reliable -- and get some quality industrial-strength features and capabilities to boot.

 

[Cyparagon]

If you can see the voltage readout with a value other than zero, I can pretty much guarantee it works. Volt-meters don't lie.