advice on HP Agilent E3648A bench power supply

[Ronald5256]

Hi all i am new to the forum and am just setting up a lab i was looking for a bench top power supply and was offered a HP Agilent E3648A is this a good power supply to start out with ? thay go for around £800 on line (google) so it sees like a good deal for £150
the spec seems ok but advice is welcome thanks lots 

[oldrose]

Simple answer is yes, its a good deal and a fine power supply.

New you'd be spending more to get a made in china supply with it's interface and build quality issues.

You've made no mention of the condition, reliability of the seller or test/return policy so all comments are added with that caveat.

As you're just setting up a lab spending the smallest amount possible until you really understand why you need feature x is a good idea. One you know you need a power supply with a certain number of Volts or amps or programmability then you'll be convinced of the value of individual supply. For the first one, a couple of amps up to 20V seems reasonable so the Agilent is probably overkill in terms of features but you'll use it for a long time. If you can afford the 150 quid without sacrificing on other equipment like a multimeter or 'scope, go for it.

[Ronald5256]

Thanks for the advice i have had a good look at it and it seems to be in good nick no marks and is so cleen it is like it is just out of the box it is 20v 5amp max and after looking at the vids dave has put out is seems like more power than i will need to get going but i see it as a good investment in the long run i have most of the kit as i work in the mobility trade /dc motors/power modules/and the like so i see it as a side step to start to work with lower voltage gear i have some fluke gear 110/87 but i am on the look out for a good scope.