SALE (AU/NZ): Multicomp Pro MP710086 (Owon P4305 rebadge) at element14

[plurn]

For Australians and probably New Zealanders, thought I would point out a particular bargain at the sale at au.element14 if you are looking for a linear power supply.
Multicomp Pro MP710086 1 Output, 30 V, 5 A
https://au.element14.com/multicomp-pro/mp710086/dc-power-supply-1ch-30v-5a-150w/dp/322741902?

This is a pretty much a rebadge of the Owon P4305 from what I gather except that the MP710086 also has a USB port.

It is currently AU$146.08 plus gst, though if you use their 15% off code it is AU$124.17 plus gst, $136.587 inc gst.
  EDIT: looks like the 15% off code might not apply for this item. From the rules "Any further discount (special pricing, quote discounts, discount vouchers, etc.) is not applicable on this promotion (products ending in ‘02').". Seemed to work with my order (I ordered a bunch of things and got the 15% off on everything) but there is still time for them to tell me there was a mistake and cancel it. It is still a good price without the extra 15% off.

Not saying it is the best power supply but it is a bargain at that price considering the Owon P4305 goes for prices such as AU$435.60 (inc GST), €140.00, and the MP710086 for over $300 plus gst.

This is only for items in stock in Australia with item code 322741902. Once the Australian ones are gone the deal is over so get in quick.

There are other bargains in their fire sale here https://au.element14.com/fire-sale?ICID=I-HP-LB-FIRE-SALE-MAR24-WF3616377

Eg if you want something a bit higher end, there are gw instek power supplies with a decent discount too. I mainly paid attention to power supplies so worth a look for other things.

discount code from here:
https://au.element14.com/un-offer-3456110-h1-24?ICID=I-AT-PROMOS-UN_OFFER_H1_24_AU_FY23-WF3456110#

AUAOV24Q2W

Check out reviews of the Owon P4305 and the Multicomp Pro MP710086 if you want to research it.

Just ordered one so hope it is ok.

[JimboJack]

i grabbed a pair of the 30V 5A , upgrade from a simple analogue psu, they do have the USB, thought it was some mistake why there was 3 different prices .... didn't see the discount code... aus express post as well.  the OCP OVP has the issues on power on spike. for the price you cann't go wrong.

[plurn]

... thought it was some mistake why there was 3 different prices ...

I finally figured that out. Originally thought it might be different versions of a product but it is not. Every time they make a discount on an item, they append a 2 digit number to its item code as a new item code and keep the old item around. So for example they will have item code 3227419, then another item with a discount 322741901, then if they do another discount it will be 322741902. Probably some discount codes only show up in the applicable location eg au.element14, uk.farnell, etc.

A number of times I have put items in my cart then found the same thing for less and swapped it in the cart. If your time is free it pays to look thoroughly for higher priced stuff or when buying large quantities of an item.

[johnboxall]

Nice spot with the sale. Note that some home-brand element14 things often do not have Australian regulatory compliance mark (and ship with a UK or EU plug IEC cable). This isn't a reflection on the equipment, just that some places can't use mains-powered gear that doesn't have the mark.

[JimboJack]

These ship , with AU, EU and UK plug with a sticker covering the mains input 200-250V only

[5U4GB]

Wow, that's even cheaper than the other universal cheapie, the Korad KA3005x.  How is it noise-wise?  That's the one thing that annoys me about the Korad, even with a fan mod it's still rather noisy.

Speaking of which, they also have Kora... uh, Tenmas on sale at less than half the usual price.

[5U4GB]

EDIT: looks like the 15% off code might not apply for this item. From the rules "Any further discount (special pricing, quote discounts, discount vouchers, etc.) is not applicable on this promotion (products ending in ‘02').". Seemed to work with my order (I ordered a bunch of things and got the 15% off on everything) but there is still time for them to tell me there was a mistake and cancel it. It is still a good price without the extra 15% off.

They let me use the discount code just for this item and I've received the order confirmation, so unless they've got some last-minute undo capability it looks like it'll work.

[plurn]

" ...How is it noise-wise?  That's the one thing that annoys me about the Korad, even with a fan mod it's still rather noisy. ..."

In terms of audible fan noise, from reviews of this and the similar MP710087 (60V 3A) and Owon P4305, it has a variable speed fan though it ramps up very quickly without much load and is quite noisy and annoying, prompting ideas of modifications. Don't know if it is better or worse than the Korad in that respect.

https://youtu.be/qXPs7rKjmg4?t=551
https://youtu.be/qXPs7rKjmg4?t=644

https://youtu.be/IbGax79w-RQ?t=776
https://youtu.be/IbGax79w-RQ?t=1871

https://youtu.be/IOYGMjjj688?t=1270

[5U4GB]

Thanks, I eventually found a few videos that mention it but didn't go into too much detail.  The variable-speed fan is good, with the Korad even if I'm sitting there soldering up something or otherwise not powering the device I'm working with I've still got that noisy fan running, so silence on low load is better than nothing.  One of the videos I found had a teardown which showed a sensible design rather than the Korad giant-alu-block-over-the-airflow layout, so that's also a point in its favour.

Edit: Ah, I saw Robert's one which you've also linked to, but in his case he wedged it in between his scope and his massive-heat-generating test load which possibly wasn't the best setup for optimising cooling fan operation.

In any case I've ordered one, the fire-sale price and extra 15% discount make it a no-brainer, just waiting for after Easter to see if they ship it with both price reductions applied.

[5U4GB]

element14 Shipping Confirmation - Order XXXXXXX - PO 31/03/24 01.01 AM

Your order XXXXXXXXXX has been shipped

It worked, the order shipped with the double discount applied!  Thanks @plurn, maybe I should have ordered two at that price.

[5U4GB]

Arrived this morning.  The packaging was interesting, first an element14 box, then inside that a Farnell UK box with a totally different order number on the label and that looked like it had been resealed, and then finally an open-box Multicomp box.  I wonder what the story behind all that is?

[plurn]

Don't know - but at least they triple boxed it - should have arrived safely that way. Maybe they are just reusing boxes to safely package delicate equipment? Maybe the multicomp box was opened so they could pop an Australian power cable into it?

I have quite a wait for mine. Ordered a bunch of stuff including from overseas stock and selected the single shipment option so it won't ship till it all arrives in Australia.

[5U4GB]

Maybe they are just reusing boxes to safely package delicate equipment? Maybe the multicomp box was opened so they could pop an Australian power cable into it?

I thought that might be the case until I saw the CEE 7 and UK cables in there alongside the AU one, much better than the usual wrong-country cable and a dodgy adapter plug.  It's possible the Farnell original had the EU and UK cables and the AU one was added in Australia, which would explain the open box.

There was a significant dent in the Farnell (second) box that carried through to the Multicomp (third) box but there's foam packing in there that prevented it going any further.  However there was nothing on the first (element14) box so it was definitely repackaged at some point after being originally shipped in the Farnell box.

[Psi]

It is a pretty good deal.

Here you can see the NZD price for all 3 versions, ordinal price. first discount(01) and current discount(02)

And you can use the 10% voucher code in the email to get it down further to NZ$140.68 (plus gst)

[indeterminate]

Mine arrived today , voltages are spot on.
I suggest you open it up and add sum extra sleving to the 240v wiring and serial cable that passes to close to the mains filter board.

On mine the single insulated 240v cabling from the filter board to power switch touches the sharp end of the transformer retaining bolt and is cable tied to LV wiring
and from the filter board to transformer is only single insulated and cable tied to LV wiring.

There is a ribbon cable that connects the USB/serial port to the front PCB
the ribbon cable passes very close to the rear of the 240v filter board

Other than that it looks good , just need to test noise.

[plurn]

Just checked the listing and price is now down to AU$95.23 ($104.75 Inc. GST) - and that is not counting the 15% discount - wow. Was tempted to order another couple for a minute there but realised I don't really need them.

There is also a TENMA 72-2685 Bench Power Supply, Linear, Adjustable, 1 Output, 30 V, 3 A for AU$43.37 ($47.71 Inc. GST). No idea about it's quality - just a basic low end power supply but claims to be linear. Possibly another bargain.

[Anthocyanina]

i got one of these from a contest at element14. the current reads 5mA under what it really is. anyone else experiencing this? thank you!

[plurn]

i got one of these from a contest at element14. the current reads 5mA under what it really is. anyone else experiencing this? thank you!

Have not received mine yet but apparently MP710086/P4305 can be calibrated:
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/increase-accuracy-of-owon-p4305-dc-power-by-self-calibrating-in-hidden-menu/

[5U4GB]

Just checked the listing and price is now down to AU$95.23 ($104.75 Inc. GST) - and that is not counting the 15% discount - wow. Was tempted to order another couple for a minute there but realised I don't really need them.

I'm still showing the previous price for the MP710086, but the $95 one for the more minimal MP710503.  Could there be a glitch in what's being displayed?

[dietert1]

A year ago we got two of those at OWONtechnology.eu for 140 € each, i think including VAT. We got them with RS232 yet without USB interface. Those supplies are 1 mV resolution, something rare. Ours got modded to really provide that accuracy, see this thread:
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/inside-the-owon-p4603p4305-linear-psu/msg2268585/#msg2268585

Regards, Dieter

[plurn]

Just checked the listing and price is now down to AU$95.23 ($104.75 Inc. GST) - and that is not counting the 15% discount - wow. Was tempted to order another couple for a minute there but realised I don't really need them.

I'm still showing the previous price for the MP710086, but the $95 one for the more minimal MP710503.  Could there be a glitch in what's being displayed?

I am still seeing AU$95.23 ($104.75 Inc. GST) for MP710086 with order code 322741902 as pictured in my post #15. Tried with two different browsers both logged in and logged out.
 
For MP710503 I am not seeing $95 but rather AU$53.77 ($59.15 Inc. GST) - see attached image. I ignored that one previously as it did not mention linear - not sure if it is or not and I am not interested in switch mode. If that is linear then that is perhaps another bargain.

There could definitely be a glitch in what is being displayed as you mention. Their site has become a bit of a mess lately. Lots of missing or incorrect or just screwed up search attributes so it is sometimes difficult to find things or to narrow down searches. Who knows what else is wrong with their site.

[5U4GB]

Ah, yeah, getting the extra-cheap price now, I was seeing one of the other listings for the MP710086 at higher prices.

I'm sure that a week after this offer expires I'll suddenly discover a need for a second one :-).

The MP710503 appears to be a Korad KA3005D rebrand, so it'd be linear, just not as fancy as the Owon rebrand.

[Anthocyanina]

i got one of these from a contest at element14. the current reads 5mA under what it really is. anyone else experiencing this? thank you!

Have not received mine yet but apparently MP710086/P4305 can be calibrated:
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/increase-accuracy-of-owon-p4305-dc-power-by-self-calibrating-in-hidden-menu/

ooh, cool, thank you!

Edit:

after much fiddling with the current calibration and all 5 of my multimeters in series since i don't have a very trustworthy meter, i got what to me is an acceptable result.

from 0 to 3mA there is a 5mA offset that the supply doesn't read. from 3 to 10mA there is a 5mA offset correctly reported by the supply's meter. from 10 to 18mA the set point is a tiny bit off from what the supply's meter reads, going back and forth from +1mA to the actual reading i get with my meters, which is the same as the set current.

from 18mA to 3.25A the reading and the set point agree perfectly and they perfectly agree with most of my meters, 2 of which read the same value, and the other 3 reading a few microamps off from each other, and from 3.25A to 5A there is a steady linear increase in current from 100uA to 5mA from what the supply reads, but it reads the same value it's set for, the difference lies in my meters.

before, it was a constant 5mA offset for most of the entire range, and the supply's meter read the same as the set point, so it was off by -5mA. now i'm getting a much more accurate reading across the entire range, and  from 18mA to 3.25A it's pretty much right on target, and since most of what i do is within that range, that's perfect!

[plurn]

Maybe they are just reusing boxes to safely package delicate equipment? Maybe the multicomp box was opened so they could pop an Australian power cable into it?

I thought that might be the case until I saw the CEE 7 and UK cables in there alongside the AU one, much better than the usual wrong-country cable and a dodgy adapter plug.  It's possible the Farnell original had the EU and UK cables and the AU one was added in Australia, which would explain the open box.

There was a significant dent in the Farnell (second) box that carried through to the Multicomp (third) box but there's foam packing in there that prevented it going any further.  However there was nothing on the first (element14) box so it was definitely repackaged at some point after being originally shipped in the Farnell box.

Finally received mine along with a bunch of other stuff I ordered. Pretty much the same packaging for mine. Intact element14 box containing the power supply boxes as well as the other ordered items - there was a big gouge/hole in the farnell box that got through and also gouged the multicomp box. Open box multicomp box. No damage to the power supply. 3 power cables.

I did get the 15% discount for this order. Tried using it again for a later order for other items and it did not allow me to apply it - perhaps single use per customer or it has expired. Tried the other 10% discount and it let me apply it but was later contacted and told I could not use the 10% voucher as all the items I selected were already discounted. Even without that 10% off the items were well discounted so no complaints. So I expect it depends on who reviews your order and how diligent they are as to whether you will receive a discount illegitimately.

[5U4GB]

I wonder if they had a damaged shipment that was partly covered by shipping insurance and are now selling the units at a discount to cover the residual cost?  Seems unusual that they'd have identical damage to two separate units.

[EvgenyG]

Looks like they are selling quite a few other PSUs as well.
Any thoughts on this one? https://au.element14.com/gw-instek/gps-3303/power-supply-3-o-p-3a-30v-fix/dp/274852202
Seems like a very good deal.

[dietert1]

Yes, it's a good deal if you prefer a three channel supply. As i wrote above, we got two of those programmable OWON supplies for about that money. A nice programmable three channel supply seems to be the Siglent SPD3303C, currently on offer at ebay for about € 350 with USB and 440 with ethernet.

Regards, Dieter

[plurn]

Looks like they are selling quite a few other PSUs as well.
Any thoughts on this one? https://au.element14.com/gw-instek/gps-3303/power-supply-3-o-p-3a-30v-fix/dp/274852202
Seems like a very good deal.

Yeah that is a bargain. Original price $737.07 ($810.78 Inc. GST) down to $256.23 ($281.85 Inc. GST) and possibly less if you can get the 15% discount to work. From what I can gather gw-instek seems to be well respected for power supplies and has been around a long time. In terms of reliability and quality of power supply output (low electrical noise, etc) I would expect it to be good. Perhaps a little lacking in features though not everyone needs lots of features.

If you are interested in it, perhaps check the manual and some reviews. I'd want to know if it had good controls and was easy to set voltage and current.  Sometimes power supplies with a single voltage knob and single amp knob per channel can be tricky to set precisely (if that is important to you). Some models have course and fine knobs to make it easier to set. Some have for example a single voltage knob but it can be pressed for course or fine (so it is a digital control rather than analogue). Don't know what the set up is for this model.

This model does not seem to have a lot of precision in read back if that is important to you. So only 2 decimal places for amps.

Then again, even if it is missing features and is difficult to set - it is still a bargain. Can't go wrong at that price.

[Psi]

I have that one (GWinstek GPS-3303).
Got it for NZ$200 secondhand.

The only thing I don't like about it is the update rate for the LED display, it's around 500ms and feels a bit laggy when you just want to change the voltage immediately.
Probably be fine if it was 250ms but 500ms feels a bit annoying. You move the knob and have to wait up to 500ms to see what the voltage is.

[5U4GB]

One thing I liked about the Multiwon was the more extensive display capability, you're getting all the information you need at once on the display.  It's also convenient for keeping an eye on smoke-about-to-escape issues when the line on the current graph has been slowly creeping upwards for the past few minutes.

[EvgenyG]

If you are interested in it, perhaps check the manual and some reviews. I'd want to know if it had good controls and was easy to set voltage and current.  Sometimes power supplies with a single voltage knob and single amp knob per channel can be tricky to set precisely (if that is important to you).

Looks like it has 1 turn potentiometers which means coarse setting for Voltage/Amps. I was thinking about upgrading from TENMA but now I'm thnking, even though the build quality would be much better, the digital V control and the ability to lock front panel is very important to me.
The analog pot with 10 deg per volt setting is too coarse, one silly mistake and magic smoke comes out your DUT Price is a bargain though.

[plurn]

Ok this is just getting ridiculous. They are practically giving them away. AU$62.09 (AU$68.30 inc gst). AU$61.47 with 10% discount.

I ordered another 2 at this price. Note if you get the one with order number 3227419 then since it does not have an "01" or an "02" at the end it is not considered discounted - so you can apply the 10% discount (I was not able to apply the 15% off one - maybe because I have already used it once - worth a try though). It is weird that they reduced the price on the main order number rather than just on the "02".

There is a bunch of other stuff that was further reduced in price today. So worth searching through their stock for items located in Australia. Some other bargain items I found:

cheap multicore solder - various types <AU$21 for 250g
CT-ISO1L Isopropanol 1l ~AU$9
KNIPEX 82 02 200 twingrip pliers ~AU$32
KNIPEX 87 01 125   cobra 125mm ~AU$26
various knipex super knips (electronics flush cutters) for <AU$30
various ender-3 3d printers for <AU$130 - usually over $300. Was tempted by this but not sure how much I would use a 3d printer.

[plurn]

Looks like they are selling quite a few other PSUs as well.
Any thoughts on this one? https://au.element14.com/gw-instek/gps-3303/power-supply-3-o-p-3a-30v-fix/dp/274852202
Seems like a very good deal.

...
Yeah that is a bargain. Original price $737.07 ($810.78 Inc. GST) down to $256.23 ($281.85 Inc. GST) and possibly less if you can get the 15% discount to work.
...

gps-3303 is even more of a bargain now. AU$170.82 ($187.90 in gst). If you get the 2748522 order code version you can apply a 10% discount (or maybe the 15% discount) for about AU$170 inc gst. So less than a quarter of the original price. Even less for the GPS-2303.

[EvgenyG]

TENMA (UNI-T) 25meg arb gen for $174. Are those any good? I am seeing mixed reviews.
https://au.element14.com/tenma/72-3555/function-arbitrary-wf-generator/dp/266718802

[5U4GB]

Is anyone else getting a redirection loop when they click on "Shop Now" on the sale page?

[EvgenyG]

Yep, seeing same.

[5U4GB]

Ok this is just getting ridiculous. They are practically giving them away. AU$62.09 (AU$68.30 inc gst). AU$61.47 with 10% discount.

MeanWell 12V 5A Level VI power bricks for $11, might get a bunch of these to power 12V devices that ship with no-name random wall warts and just toss them all and replace them with the MeanWells.

[Muttley Snickers]

I compiled a huge list of stuff and then realised at the checkout that I really don't need another power supply nor a third soldering station, nor the ten spare tips I had listed to go with it. So just for now I have settled on the Tenma 25MHz AWG as mentioned by EvgenyG. I tried the discount code without success so the final price was $174.71. which I thought was pretty good. Many thanks for the heads up.   

[EvgenyG]

I ended up getting that GW Instek PSU and a smaller Tenma single channel unit.
Also got a few extra banana plug/croc/grabbers and BNC leads, they are on sale and super cheap too.
Was tempted to get that arb gen, but will pass for now. None of the discount codes I had worked, but it was a pretty good deal anyway.
The multicomp pro units appears to be sold out. It was a great deal at 68 bucks, I should have bought one.

[Muttley Snickers]

I was hesitant to grab that Tenma AWG which I knew was just a Unitrend UTG2025A, but figured it was $400 cheaper than the Siglent SDG1032X I was prepared to buy so worth having a play at that price.

[EvgenyG]

I will wait for another mark down, I think there will be more. If they go to $100-$120 mark, I'll get one for myself too.
The PSUs are selling fast now as they've discounted those to ridiculous prices. $31 bucks for a basic linear PSU? Unseen.
Also cheap are multimeters, but I already have too many. Test leads some are like 70c, bought a few, could not walk past.
Weller station yep same here I don't need a 3rd soldering iron lol

[5U4GB]

Yep, seeing same.

Now it's a 404, I've reported it via their web feedback page, lets see if/when it gets fixed.

[Muttley Snickers]

The Tenma 25MHz AWG turned up this afternoon so I did a power up but haven’t had a chance to do any testing with it as yet. I also went back and bought some other stuff including another multimeter for the bench, not exactly what I was after but it looks the part and was a fair enough price with near enough accuracy for my needs.

[EvgenyG]

Wow, that was quick. My order is still being processed even thought I ordered right after you.
Thanks for the hint about the bench DMM, will do some research.

[Muttley Snickers]

Yeah well as you stated earlier, I am also guilty of procrastinating over stuff and forever compelled to do the research, then before you know it the opportunity no longer exists. The time to grab something is when you see it and not when somebody else already has, I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of this stuff turns up on ebay shortly.

[5U4GB]

Several reports in another forum of people getting orders cancelled after they've been OKed because the AU warehouse is now out of stock and the order would otherwise be fulfilled from the UK.  Also be very, very careful about what you get charged on checkout, some people have reported being charged the non-sale amount because the order was switched to the UK.

[EvgenyG]

That sucks I would understand if they cancelled an order that had 10x PSUs and 10x Signal gens - that is clearly a hoarder/scalper. I ordered a bunch of other things along with one Instek and one Tenma PSU, will soon find out what happens.

[Muttley Snickers]

I am pedantic about saving screen shots and printing pages to PDF when purchasing anything online just to make sure there is no funny business ofterwards. I just checked the list of items and amounts and it all adds up so no concerns here. In fact I just received an email indicating that the order has been shipped so they must be working overtime.   

[EvgenyG]

1L of Iso for 8 bucks, wow I should have ordered that, too!!
I also ordered same test leads and grabbers can't go wrong for that price.

[Muttley Snickers]

1L of Iso for 8 bucks, wow I should have ordered that, too!!
I also ordered same test leads and grabbers can't go wrong for that price.

I had planned to buy some better gear but thought I would have a play with the cheaper stuff before spending a fortune.   
I also needed the IPA because I now feel dirty after buying UNI-T and OWON products, a litre bottle for each one I expect.   

I also wanted to take full advantage of their free shipping on orders over $50, it's something that one doesn't really consider until you have to pay it.   

[chubbymonk]

Several reports in another forum of people getting orders cancelled after they've been OKed because the AU warehouse is now out of stock and the order would otherwise be fulfilled from the UK.  Also be very, very careful about what you get charged on checkout, some people have reported being charged the non-sale amount because the order was switched to the UK.

Interestingly seems like my order might have slipped through... I had ordered one of the cheap Tenma supplies (rebranded Korad) on sale and it ended up being shipped from the UK with the sale pricing being charged. Received it a couple days ago and the invoice does indicate the sale order code. 

[plurn]

Not that it matters anymore since these cheap Multicomp Pro MP710086 power supplies have sold out, but the two I just received both have a really annoying and loud transformer buzz that the first one I got does not have (or it is quiet enough not to be noticeable). The new ones are at a slightly different tone to each other. They buzz all the time the main power is on even if the output is off. The buzz is just as loud as the fan is when you short the output.

It is an outrage - for AU$61.47 inc gst I expect perfection - kidding

Other than that, these buzzing ones did not have big holes in the boxes and they had Australian power cords with the other power cords missing. The buzzing ones are from December 2022 batch and the quiet one is from May 2022 I think. It will be pretty rare that I use these two so not a huge issue.

edit: on investigating transformer buzzing, it seems it can be caused by DC on the mains in excess of 0.5V, or too high AC voltage. I have about 0.08V DC so that is probably fine. My mains AC is typically around 243V and the MP710086 is rated for 220V +-10% so these MP710086 are not really suitable for Australian conditions. I tested the power supplies on my variable autotransformer and the buzz reduced at about 230V but not by much. Buzz was still evident at 220V and was acceptably quiet at 210V. My variable autotransformer has its own buzz though so does not really fix the issue. Anyway, I will just live with it. Perhaps they changed transformers between May 2022 and December 2022 and the newer ones are less suitable for Australia.

[EvgenyG]

There's been no changes in order status for 3 days now and I contacted the sales support. They said "there is a discrepancy in your order, a concerned team member will send you an email". The support person would not elaborate further. Very weird No email yet.

[plurn]

1L of Iso for 8 bucks, wow I should have ordered that, too!!
...

You must have missed my earlier post:

...
There is a bunch of other stuff that was further reduced in price today. So worth searching through their stock for items located in Australia. Some other bargain items I found:

cheap multicore solder - various types <AU$21 for 250g
CT-ISO1L Isopropanol 1l ~AU$9
KNIPEX 82 02 200 twingrip pliers ~AU$32
KNIPEX 87 01 125   cobra 125mm ~AU$26
various knipex super knips (electronics flush cutters) for <AU$30
various ender-3 3d printers for <AU$130 - usually over $300. Was tempted by this but not sure how much I would use a 3d printer.

If you need me to help you spend more of your money to get up to the $50 free delivery amount, I highly recommend those Knipex twingrip pliers to anyone that likes quality hand tools and if your interests go beyond just electronics. They have some really cool features. Will be less than AU$29 inc gst if you select the order code 3779553 one and use the 10% discount code. They are typically ~$47 on amazon AU and over $90 in local shops. They have already helped me remove some torx screws that I did not have the right bit for. I expect to get a lot of use out of them.

twingrip videos:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/L4doUWN6-iA

[plurn]

There's been no changes in order status for 3 days now and I contacted the sales support. They said "there is a discrepancy in your order, a concerned team member will send you an email". The support person would not elaborate further. Very weird No email yet.

I've had that with a number of orders from element14. It is really annoying. They rarely reach out so I usually had to follow up with them to find out what was wrong. Even then it is not easy as they don't seem to communicate well internally between support and the Sydney warehouse. The first time I ordered during this fire sale, once all the items arrived in their Sydney warehouse - nothing happened for days after that. I reached out to them and it took many days of them saying - "it will be send today" for them to finally tell me they can't send to "P.O Box as the address and contains Hazardous items which cannot be sent via post" so that was what was delaying it. I even suggested this might be the problem early on and asked them to check with the warehouse people if that was the problem but they would not and kept assuring me it would be "sent today".

That said, at other times their support can be really good. They try to be helpful - just bad internal communication letting them down.

So anyway here are some reasons I have had for delayed processing other than mentioned above:
- ordering an expensive item with credit card without saving the card in my profile - they needed my credit card details again - this was years ago and might not be a problem now.
- I did an order with combined shipping schedule. They thought they received all items in their Sydney warehouse and were about to dispatch then found one item missing and had to reorder it from overseas. It still showed as all items in Sydney though online. I had to contact them to find out why it had not been dispatched.
- I applied a 10% off code when all items had order numbers ending in 01 or 02 indicating they were already discounted and could not be discounted further - they asked if they could remove the discount and charge the higher price which I agreed to.

[Muttley Snickers]

My order from yesterday afternoon turned up an hour ago and I can't believe how quickly they are able to dispatch stuff to another state. 
There were a few items missing but I expected as much when I placed the order as it stated UK stock or similar. I've only had a quick play with the bench meter and at this stage I'm very happy with its operation. I did do some research before purchasing it and indications were that these are okay meters, nothing special but good value at $180.00.   

Also, I'm not used to back ground noise and the fan permanently running on the Tenma AWG is driving me nuts already, something I will need to addresss I guess.   

[EvgenyG]

Amazing. My order is still pending, no email, no nothing. Very disappointed

[Muttley Snickers]

I just ran a quick reference check on the bench meter and it looks to be pretty accurate and in agreement with some of my other meters. Also one of the reasons I bought it was I believe there is the ability to tweak the accuracy through the menu which is a great feature, there is a Youtube video and a thread about a similar model.

[PlainName]

[...] and it ended up being shipped from the UK with the sale pricing being charged.

Why on earth don't they flog that in the UK at the sale price instead of shipping it across the world to do so? Doesn't make sense to me.

[plurn]

Just checking some prices today and it seems like all the discounts have been removed or greatly reduced, even for items still in stock in Australia.  Example that Tenma AWG is now AU$565.81 inc gst. I had a cart sitting around at about $178 and now it has increased to $383. So perhaps the party is over. We had a good run. I'll check from time to time to see if it changes again.
edit: looking further into this, it looks like for items that are discounted, the discount is now 10%

[austfox]

I got lucky. I placed an order last night around 10pm of mainly fasteners which were heavily discounted, and now most of the items I ordered have reverted overnight to standard pricing.

A lot of the '02' firesale items have disappeared, the '01' sale items have moved back to standard discounts, and items that are no longer stocked in the Sydney warehouse have been purged from the website (including reference to the low 'crazy' prices).

At one point, standard pricing, '01' and '02' items all had the same one low price. I placed several orders over the past week, scoring a few nice items such as a Multicomp power supply and bench meter, Atlas Peak meter, and a number of test leads.

[EvgenyG]

I called them this morning and the reason why my order was stuck is a "card authorisation issue". Same card I used for orders many times and now stuck, smells bs tbh. They said order should be delivered in 3-5 days from now. Live chat had no clue all this time. Email was sent but never got a reply. Bad comms

[austfox]

I called them this morning and the reason why my order was stuck is a "card authorisation issue".

Did you need to enter a 6-digit authorisation code sent to your mobile or email address at the time of purchase? I found this extra level of security on higher value orders (maybe $200 or more). Smaller orders skipped this step (at least it did for my stored credit card number).

[EvgenyG]

No, did not have anything like that. Checked my email and phone - nothing. Anyway they said should be fine now. Will check again tomorrow.

[austfox]

I am pedantic about saving screen shots and printing pages to PDF when purchasing anything online just to make sure there is no funny business ofterwards.

That was welcome advice. The late night Friday order that I placed was processed this afternoon... my Firesale $150 order was charged to my credit card today at their regular pricing of $450!

Lucky I took screenshots of all the 33 items that I ordered... I have just sent an email requesting a credit.

Thanks Mutley, without those screenshots there would be no evidence of what prices I was buying at!

[EvgenyG]

Oh wow. I'll get those screenshots asap, too.

[EvgenyG]

Ok, so I called e14 this morning again and was told to wait for an email that should arrive in 2 hours. No email arrived.
I called them again right now, explained the whole situation and asked for an update. After hanging on the phone some time, the sales rep. came back and told me that some of the lines prices changed including the Tenma smaller PSU. I just asked him to remove it from the order. He then said that he'll sent me an updated pdf with the order to double check everything else. I was still hoping to get that GW Instek for $170. Unfortunately the email did not come through again but upon checking the order on their website, all prices went up. GW Instek was now priced at $737 instead of $170. I called back and asked to cancel the whole order. I am not in a position to pay more than a thousand bucks and then wait for a credit/refund which may or may not happen.

Anyway, lesson learned. I will never shop with e14/farnell/newark and will not recommend them to anyone. Once I press "buy now" button, the price is carved in stone, you can't change it.

[EvgenyG]

Lucky I took screenshots of all the 33 items that I ordered... I have just sent an email requesting a credit.
Thanks Mutley, without those screenshots there would be no evidence of what prices I was buying at!

Good luck getting a response! I sent them an email on Friday, no response. Talked to them over the phone and was promised an email 3 times which never happened. E14 - Avoid.

[Muttley Snickers]

Sorry to hear about all the grief and frustration, it's one of the reasons I avoid buying stuff nowadays as customer service has increasingly become customer avoidance.   

On the plus side, I cannot really fault my recent experience with Element 14.   
I got exactly what I ordered for the discounted prices and it was shipped faster than our local pizza delivery, and their communication and correspondence has been faultless. There were issues however, I could not log into my trade account so rang them and was instructed to set up another account so they seem to have a big problem maintaining correct information on accounts, now the whole thing is a dog's breakfast.   

PS: I am really happy with both the AWG and DMM, particularly for the prices I got them for.   

[PlainName]

Once I press "buy now" button, the price is carved in stone

Don't know how it is over there but that's not how it is here (in Blighty). The advert is an 'invitation to treat' rather than an offer, so is basically asking for you to offer to buy. You do that by hitting the 'buy now' button, but that's only half of it. The contract is made when they accept your offer, typically by taking the money.

In your case, the funds weren't yet taken so there is no contract - that would be the card authorisation issue, presumably. Had they taken the money you could sue them for the parts (and win if you aren't in the more than 95% of people that give up because they don't know their rights or how to enforce them). But, unfortunately for you, it didn't get that far and you have no grounds for expecting the parts are the advertised price.

On this subject, just for completeness, there might be a case for suspecting them of 'bait and switch', but since they did fulfill some orders and likely just ran out of stock (and no doubt had appropriate disclaimers in their T&C) that probably wouldn't fly. Or float.

[EvgenyG]

I might have tried that, paid full price, taken all screenshots etc. I could then take it to ACCC/Small claims and perhaps even win after all. I am pretty sure their T&C/Legal has taken care of that scenario already so chances are it could be a waste of time. It is not worth it. They've damaged their reputation and showed how sneaky they are. More than a few people noticed/affected. The word will spread out.

Next time there is a fire sale - just get the units you want in separate individual orders and double check the prices. They will keep one big order on stand by because one item may be out of stock. Ideally - avoid e14 at all.

[thm_w]

Yeah this is fairly common with newark/e14. Their system doesn't seem to reserve stock so while your order is on hold, someone else can come in and buy the stock from under you.

Its not really "sneaky" just poorly designed. Been this way for a while.

[aeberbach]

I dislike E14, more often that not they have gotten my orders wrong or taken longer than promised. To be fair, got my first sale order for a very good price, overnight. But I was also able to order isopropyl alcohol that I am not receiving though the system showed it was in AU stock. 80% off is about the right incentive to use them again

edit: Expectations were lived up to - a neighbour just knocked on the door. Element14 package with a big green sticker "SIGNATURE REQUIRED NOT TO BE LEFT etc" was left at the wrong house today when nobody was home. At least my address was on it.

[EvgenyG]

I am seeing some of the sale items resold on ebay now. Not surprised, but hey that's not fair! I think the only way you can make this sale fair is to restrict warranty transfer/number of units allocated to a single account. But I don't think they will bother. I finally got the email from them, quoting a price change for the line I did not even order. Pathetic.