Fluke 8506A- What would be a fair price?

[tatel]

Looking to buy a Fluke 8506A for AC volts. I see wildly varying prices en eBay, say, from about $300 to $4500.

I guess $300 ones would be probably junk, but asking for $4500 looks crazy?

I would like to get some owner opinion about the right price range.

[joeqsmith]

I never located a company that would align one and calibrate, no mater the cost.

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/some-old-school-instruments-showing-how-its-done-(hp-3325a-and-fluke-8506a)/

[tatel]

I never located a company that would align one and calibrate, no mater the cost.

If I'm getting it right, a guy would go for one in the lower range, isn't it? And be ready to fiddle...

[Roehrenonkel]

Hi tatel,
 
wouldn't pay more than 300,-.
It's old, heavy and hot!
But it's build like a safe.
And it has 7.5 digits (only in 20V-dc range).

Good luck

[joeqsmith]

I never located a company that would align one and calibrate, no mater the cost.

If I'm getting it right, a guy would go for one in the lower range, isn't it? And be ready to fiddle...

Considering the product has been out of production for decades, no parts available, no alignment, no calibration (maybe a sticker company out there), is it worth anything to you?  Assuming seller offers no warranty or returns,  can you willing to just give them your cash?   Do you have the skills and equipment to repair it?  If custom parts are bad, are you prepared to buy a second unit for parts?   

When buying used equipment,  refurbished = cleaned, working = no smoke when turned on.  Typical comments like "we don't have the expertise to check it" don't concern me.  I get worried when they say "we had our techs look at it..."  Red Flag!!!   Last thing I want is some wannabe opening up precision equipment.

It's like the people who write me asking for the "best" meter.  Best is how YOU define it and fair is what YOU are willing to pay.   

7.5 digit Keysight with GPIB, extended warranty and three year calibration is USD 5,523.00. 
https://www.keysight.com/us/en/product/34470A/digital-multimeter-7-5-digit-truevolt-dmm.html 

6.5 digit is about $2000 USD. 
https://www.keysight.com/us/en/product/34465A/digital-multimeter-6-5-digit-truevolt-dmm.html

I bought my 34401A brand new from Hewlett Packard when it first came out and its been a rock star.   It's over 30 years old now and cost me about $1000.   I had it in for calibration, plus report one time.  I think that was about $150.   Say $1200 w/tax and shipping, or $40/year cost of ownership.    I would have no problems buying another new Keysight.   

[tatel]

wouldn't pay more than 300,-.

Good luck

I guess I'll have to get it from the US so that will be perhaps not an easy task.

Considering the product has been out of production for decades, no parts available, no alignment, no calibration (maybe a sticker company out there), is it worth anything to you?  Assuming seller offers no warranty or returns,  can you willing to just give them your cash?   Do you have the skills and equipment to repair it?  If custom parts are bad, are you prepared to buy a second unit for parts?   

Yep. I think it could be worth something. And quite some more in work/parts/time/whatever, I guess. I got last year a 3456A for 250, shipped. It seems I got lucky. I could try and wait for a bargain, or I could pay some more than 250, hoping to get one in similar condition than 3456A, "pronto". I don't "need" it. Just a hobbyist. We will see.

It's like the people who write me asking for the "best" meter.  Best is how YOU define it and fair is what YOU are willing to pay.   

Well, after reading the thread you pointed to, I'm not willing to pay $300 for a dead one. Nor $4500 for one of these from alltest. I can't really picture myself resurrecting one of these from a dumpster. I can't even picture myself finding one of these for free. Looking for a "used" one, meaning it turns on and seems to work. That could be a nice springboard.  I'm absolutely not in a hurry.

7.5 digit Keysight with GPIB, extended warranty and three year calibration is USD 5,523.00. 
https://www.keysight.com/us/en/product/34470A/digital-multimeter-7-5-digit-truevolt-dmm.html 

6.5 digit is about $2000 USD. 
https://www.keysight.com/us/en/product/34465A/digital-multimeter-6-5-digit-truevolt-dmm.html

I bought my 34401A brand new from Hewlett Packard when it first came out and its been a rock star.   It's over 30 years old now and cost me about $1000.   I had it in for calibration, plus report one time.  I think that was about $150.   Say $1200 w/tax and shipping, or $40/year cost of ownership.    I would have no problems buying another new Keysight.   

I have been looking at 34465A. At that price range, there would have to be some real need, so I would go for a new one. But, being a hobbyist, that's not really my thing. B869s is more than I need. I have it as a current, accurate device that can be sent to a lab for cal/adjust. Anything over that is just insane lust. The Bible tells us the flesh is weak I add, mine is weaker.

It would be nice to get a "working" 8506A for, say, less than $450, shipped. Is that a pie in the sky?

[joeqsmith]

It would be nice to get a "working" 8506A for, say, less than $450, shipped. Is that a pie in the sky?

I wouldn't be surprised to find shipping from USA to be more than half that.   So, you're looking for a good working one for say $200.   Plus someone willing to ship it.   

Does that seem pie in the sky to you?

[tatel]

It looks barely possible to me. Either I'll have to wait for a bargain, or to reckon my flesh is getting even weaker, or I'll have to live without it. Not the end of the world in any case.

Anyway, even if I was looking more about how much should one expect to pay, depending on the condition, this has been quite clarifying, so thank you very much.

[AVGresponding]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/296838472056

[m k]

Tank like construction, but inner plastic parts are brittle.

So for bad shipping a cargo plane goes through heavy weather and only few modules are present when brittle module slot holders are off.

[tatel]

Thank you very much for the head-up, but I already know quite a bit about this one.

Please see @joeqsmith definition, some posts before, about what "refurbished" means. This one was even below that, but of course seller said "it works perfectly". It suddenly turned out, Ohms were not working "since last time it was turned on some months ago".

Since they have increased the price, perhaps they have fixed it now. If any of you are interested in it, please go ahead. You'll probably be offered to close the deal outside eBay. Happy I didn't. You have been warned. It could be good enough for a guy skilled in repairs.

Even if it's new price still falls where I would be comfortable, I really hate people with too bold a face. I wouldn't even take an elevator with this people. This one isn't for me, period. I'll have to wait, I guess. But thank you anyway.

[tatel]

Tank like construction, but inner plastic parts are brittle.

So for bad shipping a cargo plane goes through heavy weather and only few modules are present when brittle module slot holders are off.

Yeah, it looks, to get one of these on decent condition is not an easy task. But I already knew it, so no complaints here. I hope it will be just a matter of patience.

[joeqsmith]

Tank like construction, but inner plastic parts are brittle.

So for bad shipping a cargo plane goes through heavy weather and only few modules are present when brittle module slot holders are off.

Having had one apart and seeing how many of the rails had been replaced over the years,  I'm not sure how to pack one to survive that trip.  If you pull it apart and pack everything separate, you assume the person buying has enough skills to reassemble it.  That alone would seem like a deal breaker if you were selling it as working.  Maybe some sort of injection foam to lock it together in a cardboard box, then place that into a wooden box.  Cost would end up being more than the OP wants to pay.     

[dietert1]

It makes a difference whether one wants an instrument to do certain measurements (e.g. urgent fix of automated industrial setup) or one wants to learn something by studying it. Maybe that can explain the large price span. We have two 8502A units (a predecessor). Unless you have a bus extender, they are a bit difficult for maintenance. Some test points are accessible, but everything is pretty tight inside.
https://www.rosenkranz-elektronik.com/en/measuring-device/130438/8506a
They offer with warranty and their price seems to be average.

Regards, Dieter

[tatel]

Good to finally have an idea about how much one of these would cost with warranty. Thank you very much.

[AVGresponding]

Thank you very much for the head-up, but I already know quite a bit about this one.

Please see @joeqsmith definition, some posts before, about what "refurbished" means. This one was even below that, but of course seller said "it works perfectly". It suddenly turned out, Ohms were not working "since last time it was turned on some months ago".

Since they have increased the price, perhaps they have fixed it now. If any of you are interested in it, please go ahead. You'll probably be offered to close the deal outside eBay. Happy I didn't. You have been warned. It could be good enough for a guy skilled in repairs.

Even if it's new price still falls where I would be comfortable, I really hate people with too bold a face. I wouldn't even take an elevator with this people. This one isn't for me, period. I'll have to wait, I guess. But thank you anyway.

In this instance, it doesn't matter what Joe, I, or you think "seller refurbished" means. Ebay defines what it means in this case, and if the item doesn't meet the criteria, "The item has been restored to working order by the eBay seller or a third party. This means the item was inspected, cleaned, and repaired to full working order and is in excellent condition", it's perfect grounds for requesting a partial refund. Ebay will side with you on that, always.
Worst case scenario, seller cuts off their nose to spite their face and accepts a return for a full refund (postage at their expense).

[Roehrenonkel]

Hi tatel,

Rosenkranz is open to offers (worked for me).
But i guess they will not sell it for 300,- Euros.

I have a 8506A-CT with broken Thermal-converter.
As soon as i get a 8.5-digit meter i'll get rid of the Fluke.
You need a good rack for it (~12kg)!

Ciao4now

[tatel]

In this instance, it doesn't matter what Joe, I, or you think "seller refurbished" means. Ebay defines what it means in this case, and if the item doesn't meet the criteria, "The item has been restored to working order by the eBay seller or a third party. This means the item was inspected, cleaned, and repaired to full working order and is in excellent condition", it's perfect grounds for requesting a partial refund. Ebay will side with you on that, always.
Worst case scenario, seller cuts off their nose to spite their face and accepts a return for a full refund (postage at their expense).

100% agree. It looks, seller also agrees. At least I think so, because when I just said to him about the same you say now, he just refunded me without asking, before sending the device to me...

Even if they fixed it, I can't trust them anymore (not that I trusted them so much before) and I very doubt it's in "excellent condition" now. From the emails I received, they did nothing but to turn it on and check there were no apparent errors.

Of course getting a refurbished 8506A for less than €300 had to be too good to be true, so I did close the deal inside eBay, not outside as suggested by them.

That's the reason I asked for orientation about prices to begin with.

[joeqsmith]

Thank you very much for the head-up, but I already know quite a bit about this one.

Please see @joeqsmith definition, some posts before, about what "refurbished" means. This one was even below that, but of course seller said "it works perfectly". It suddenly turned out, Ohms were not working "since last time it was turned on some months ago".

Since they have increased the price, perhaps they have fixed it now. If any of you are interested in it, please go ahead. You'll probably be offered to close the deal outside eBay. Happy I didn't. You have been warned. It could be good enough for a guy skilled in repairs.

Even if it's new price still falls where I would be comfortable, I really hate people with too bold a face. I wouldn't even take an elevator with this people. This one isn't for me, period. I'll have to wait, I guess. But thank you anyway.

In this instance, it doesn't matter what Joe, I, or you think "seller refurbished" means. Ebay defines what it means in this case, and if the item doesn't meet the criteria, "The item has been restored to working order by the eBay seller or a third party. This means the item was inspected, cleaned, and repaired to full working order and is in excellent condition", it's perfect grounds for requesting a partial refund. Ebay will side with you on that, always.
Worst case scenario, seller cuts off their nose to spite their face and accepts a return for a full refund (postage at their expense).

In my experience, sellers often have no way to fully test what they are selling.  Especially as we start looking at higher end equipment.  They may feel it is working because they ran a few simple tests, but in my experience it is rare to get anything used that is actually 100% functional.   

One way to avoid problems, negotiate seller shipping the product to the factory and have them calibrate.  If they find a problem, seller covers all costs for repairs and shipping.   If no problems are found, buyer pays for the calibration and shipping costs.   Old equipment, like this Fluke, I think you are SOL.  The factory won't service it, and as I mentioned, I am not aware of a company that will, that I would trust.       

Personally, I have no problem trying to do the repairs myself but even this can be problematic.   You have to somehow build trust between seller and buyer.  Getting them to understand you are not some wannabe hack that is going to destroy their equipment and then want a refund takes time.   Normally, I will not even remove a screw unless the seller agrees to it.  I will send as much information as possible to show the problem.  It's always worked out and I have had sellers provide me with parts to do the repairs (lots of custom parts in high end equipment).

Buying used junk is always a gamble and adventure.   

[tatel]

Hi tatel,

Rosenkranz is open to offers (worked for me).
But i guess they will not sell it for 300,- Euros.

Yeah, I also guess it won't happen.  . Anyway, information about rosenkranz from @dieter1 and you are quite useful to me. I really was at a loss after that Italian fiasco. At least now I have something to compare against. Thank you very much.

I have a 8506A-CT with broken Thermal-converter.

Too bad. Sorry to hear that. It must have been disappointing to you. At least it's what I'm interested in. If I got it right, CT models are the most difficult to get replacement modules? I'll have to look for some documentation on these CT devices.

As soon as i get a 8.5-digit meter I'll get rid of the Fluke.

I wish you good luck on that. Should I be able to get a thermal transfer module replacement, I could be interested. Please let me know.

You need a good rack for it (~12kg)!

No problem, I purchased a couple boat anchors in the last months, so the rack/cupboard I'm planning will be able to cope with all

[dietert1]

I remember renewing most of the caps in our two instruments. Don't know whether that would be included for "seller refurbished".
If one wants meaningful measurements, a more recent instrument is recommended. Both our Keithley 2700 and 3706 were a very positive surprise at about 500 € and 1100 €. I think the 3706 is the most stable instrument we have and compares well to 8.5 digit meters that cost much more. It got binding posts on the front panel and a scanner plugin.

Regards, Dieter

[m k]

They offer with warranty and their price seems to be average.

Regards, Dieter

I've always wondered how that warranty thing works.
Radwell warranties practically everything, no matter how fringe.

[tatel]

In my experience, sellers often have no way to fully test what they are selling.  Especially as we start looking at higher end equipment.  They may feel it is working because they ran a few simple tests, but in my experience it is rare to get anything used that is actually 100% functional.   

One way to avoid problems, negotiate seller shipping the product to the factory and have them calibrate.  If they find a problem, seller covers all costs for repairs and shipping.   If no problems are found, buyer pays for the calibration and shipping costs.   Old equipment, like this Fluke, I think you are SOL.  The factory won't service it, and as I mentioned, I am not aware of a company that will, that I would trust.       

Personally, I have no problem trying to do the repairs myself but even this can be problematic.   You have to somehow build trust between seller and buyer.  Getting them to understand you are not some wannabe hack that is going to destroy their equipment and then want a refund takes time.   Normally, I will not even remove a screw unless the seller agrees to it.  I will send as much information as possible to show the problem.  It's always worked out and I have had sellers provide me with parts to do the repairs (lots of custom parts in high end equipment).

I not just 100% agree on that, but actually do about the same as you, with similar results

Buying used junk is always a gamble and adventure.

That's a good part of the fun IMO

[AVGresponding]

Thank you very much for the head-up, but I already know quite a bit about this one.

Please see @joeqsmith definition, some posts before, about what "refurbished" means. This one was even below that, but of course seller said "it works perfectly". It suddenly turned out, Ohms were not working "since last time it was turned on some months ago".

Since they have increased the price, perhaps they have fixed it now. If any of you are interested in it, please go ahead. You'll probably be offered to close the deal outside eBay. Happy I didn't. You have been warned. It could be good enough for a guy skilled in repairs.

Even if it's new price still falls where I would be comfortable, I really hate people with too bold a face. I wouldn't even take an elevator with this people. This one isn't for me, period. I'll have to wait, I guess. But thank you anyway.

In this instance, it doesn't matter what Joe, I, or you think "seller refurbished" means. Ebay defines what it means in this case, and if the item doesn't meet the criteria, "The item has been restored to working order by the eBay seller or a third party. This means the item was inspected, cleaned, and repaired to full working order and is in excellent condition", it's perfect grounds for requesting a partial refund. Ebay will side with you on that, always.
Worst case scenario, seller cuts off their nose to spite their face and accepts a return for a full refund (postage at their expense).

In my experience, sellers often have no way to fully test what they are selling.  Especially as we start looking at higher end equipment.  They may feel it is working because they ran a few simple tests, but in my experience it is rare to get anything used that is actually 100% functional.   

One way to avoid problems, negotiate seller shipping the product to the factory and have them calibrate.  If they find a problem, seller covers all costs for repairs and shipping.   If no problems are found, buyer pays for the calibration and shipping costs.   Old equipment, like this Fluke, I think you are SOL.  The factory won't service it, and as I mentioned, I am not aware of a company that will, that I would trust.       

Personally, I have no problem trying to do the repairs myself but even this can be problematic.   You have to somehow build trust between seller and buyer.  Getting them to understand you are not some wannabe hack that is going to destroy their equipment and then want a refund takes time.   Normally, I will not even remove a screw unless the seller agrees to it.  I will send as much information as possible to show the problem.  It's always worked out and I have had sellers provide me with parts to do the repairs (lots of custom parts in high end equipment).

Yeah, there's a lot of room for give and take, if you can build some trust with the seller. The confrontational route is the lazy way, in many respects, but as a reaction to the (imo) equally lazy description, it may be justifiable. I'd argue "seller refurbished" would be a more difficult thing to defend than "used", in the event of a buyer discovering issues after the fact, and certainly if there's faults listed up front, or it hasn't been completely tested (whatever the reason), it makes a nonsense of the description. At that point, it really should be listed as "parts only/not working".

Buying used junk is always a gamble and adventure.

That's a good part of the fun IMO

I reckon we can all agree on that!

[joeqsmith]

While I find most sellers are not technical, they are not out to try and screw buyers over.   If it's a high dollar item, I will contact the seller long before making an offer, if just to get a feel for if I think I can work with them. 

It's not uncommon that a seller will offer some sort of warranty, or trial period for high end equipment.  Normally this has been enough time to fully inspect the equipment.  I have had sellers extend this time if we are working through a problem.   

Ebay will side with you on that, always

Reading stories from sellers dealing with buyers who steal parts, swap bad parts for good....  I'm not sure if sellers can even leave feedback on buyers anymore.  It doesn't make buying used equipment any easier.  Trying to explain you are not some beginner, know it all, wannabe to someone who has been burned may take some doing..