Inexpen$ive scope recommendations

[Analog Kid]

Saying "I'm a hobbyist" in response to a $400 scope doesn't tell us anything. A ~$400 scope is for the hobbyist market. Professional scopes sell for 10 to 100 to 1000 times as much.

Let me put it this way:
I'm on a limited budget. $200 is my limit.
Yes, I understand pro 'scopes sell for a hell of a lot more.
I don't need a pro 'scope.
And we know that 'scopes in my price range (even under) do exist.
I want to know about those scopes. Not the more expen$ive ones.

I'm quite willing to sacrifice features for reliability and usability.
(IOW I'm trying to avoid buying a POS.)

[Aldo22]

In my opinion, KungFuJosh asked the right question:

please specify what you actually want to use a modern scope for that you can't use your Tek 475 for.

But you didn't answer it.
That would be important to know.

[KungFuJosh]

Saying "I'm a hobbyist" in response to a $400 scope doesn't tell us anything. A ~$400 scope is for the hobbyist market. Professional scopes sell for 10 to 100 to 1000 times as much.

Let me put it this way:
I'm on a limited budget. $200 is my limit.
Yes, I understand pro 'scopes sell for a hell of a lot more.
I don't need a pro 'scope.
And we know that 'scopes in my price range (even under) do exist.
I want to know about those scopes. Not the more expen$ive ones.

I'm quite willing to sacrifice features for reliability and usability.
(IOW I'm trying to avoid buying a POS.)

You still haven't specified what you want to use a new scope to do. What will you use it for?

[mzzj]

Saying "I'm a hobbyist" in response to a $400 scope doesn't tell us anything. A ~$400 scope is for the hobbyist market. Professional scopes sell for 10 to 100 to 1000 times as much.

Let me put it this way:
I'm on a limited budget. $200 is my limit.
Yes, I understand pro 'scopes sell for a hell of a lot more.
I don't need a pro 'scope.
And we know that 'scopes in my price range (even under) do exist.
I want to know about those scopes. Not the more expen$ive ones.

I'm quite willing to sacrifice features for reliability and usability.
(IOW I'm trying to avoid buying a POS.)

Hantek comes to my mind, best feature set and halfway decent build

[Analog Kid]

Saying "I'm a hobbyist" in response to a $400 scope doesn't tell us anything. A ~$400 scope is for the hobbyist market. Professional scopes sell for 10 to 100 to 1000 times as much.

Let me put it this way:
I'm on a limited budget. $200 is my limit.
Yes, I understand pro 'scopes sell for a hell of a lot more.
I don't need a pro 'scope.
And we know that 'scopes in my price range (even under) do exist.
I want to know about those scopes. Not the more expen$ive ones.

I'm quite willing to sacrifice features for reliability and usability.
(IOW I'm trying to avoid buying a POS.)

Hantek comes to my mind, best feature set and halfway decent build

Thanks, but a bit outside my budget (price typically > $200, plus shipping).

[Analog Kid]

You still haven't specified what you want to use a new scope to do. What will you use it for?

Fair question, I guess.

Mainly simple stuff. Looking at recurring waveforms (e.g., square waves, pulses). Not trying to use as a logic analyzer, like tracing computational signals. Good triggering essential, but not so much history display (i.e., memory depth).

Measuring voltage levels of pulses (current project: MOSFET driver that the sim says should be producing ~270 V. pulses).
I find this very difficult to do with my Tek 475; would like the added display of values on-screen.

Not much more than that at this point. Since I don't mess w/RF, bandwidth isn't a huge issue. (Burn that bridge when I come to it.)

[mzzj]

Thanks, but a bit outside my budget (price typically > $200, plus shipping).

https://www.ebay.com/itm/224799532799 175 USD with free shipping.
Or the model with 25MHz arb gen 199 USD with free shipping?

[Analog Kid]

Thanks, but a bit outside my budget (price typically > $200, plus shipping).

https://www.ebay.com/itm/224799532799 175 USD with free shipping.

Hmmm, interesting. Thanks.

[KungFuJosh]

I would avoid Hantek. I think the Instek that Dave linked to you is a phenomenal value for the money. The seller doesn't take returns, but eBay will get your money back if there's a problem. I have absolutely no need for one of those scopes, but I'm still tempted to buy one.

I would offer them $150 or so: https://www.ebay.com/itm/168556406211

A good product used is better than a brand new piece of shit.

[Analog Kid]

Well, speaking of triggers, I pulled the trigger on the Hantek suggested above.
I opted for the DSO2D15 (higher BW plus AWG), total of $192.99 incl. shipping.

More 'scope than I need but I can grow into it.

I hope I'm happy with it ...
I did watch parts of that comparison video.

Seems the Hantek is right in the middle of those three.
Plus is the built-in AWG, what the guy says is excellent software remote control, and flexibility.
Downside apparently is inaccuracy of low voltage (<1V) measurements.
But he says that might be fixed in a future firmware release.

[EEVblog]

Did that bnc connector from CH2 take a hit?
Might explain price…

Does look a bit odd, but it's possible it's just the light/angle?
When I sell scopes I always include a close up side angle of the BNC's.

[Analog Kid]

When I sell scopes I always include a close up side angle of the BNC's.

Excellent idea.

I used to sell a lot of stuff on eBay in the early 2000s, mostly successful, profitable sales.
Sometimes stuff I literally picked up off the street, cleaned up and refurbished. (A lot of film camera gear.)

I always included closeup pictures of the worst parts of the item, showing breakage, corrosion, or other damage, so the buyer would know exactly what they were bidding on.

[EEVblog]

I would offer them $150 or so: https://www.ebay.com/itm/168556406211

I missed the feedback from "past month" on the same scope.
The usual "Perfect experience. Excellent seller. A++++" from a 120 rated buyer. So more evidence it's legit.

[Aldo22]

I did watch parts of that comparison video.

Seems the Hantek is right in the middle of those three.
Plus is the built-in AWG, what the guy says is excellent software remote control, and flexibility.
Downside apparently is inaccuracy of low voltage (<1V) measurements.
But he says that might be fixed in a future firmware release.

This guy has absolutely no idea what he's doing.
He compares oscilloscopes mainly based on their DC accuracy (that's what DMMs are for), and he can't even do that right (completely inappropriate ranges).
The video is 5 years old, and the scope is even older.
There won't be a “future firmware release” for this device.

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/hantek-dso2x1x-models-master-thread/
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/new-hantek-dso2x1x-models/

[KungFuJosh]

You're not wrong, but he seems to have wanted a cheap toy with built-in features more than a useful tool.

I've seen enough Hantek complaint threads to know to avoid them, but maybe he'll have better luck.

[Zucca]

if you want I can sell you my mint (upgraded of course) SDS8(2)04X without probes for $300 shipped to you.
I am planning an upgrade, there is nothing wrong with it. It is the entry scope for low budget guys, excellent machine

[Aldo22]

You're not wrong, but he seems to have wanted a cheap toy with built-in features more than a useful tool.

I've seen enough Hantek complaint threads to know to avoid them, but maybe he'll have better luck.

I wouldn't recommend the Hantek DSO2000 anymore, since it no longer meets current standards.
Now that I have my Voltcraft DOV702 (for the same price, but with a ripple bug), I obviously can’t go back. 
Despite the flaws, the DOV702 is a modern scope.

But Analog Kid has set a price limit of $200, and unfortunately, for that price, there’s still nothing better than the Hantek DSO2000—unless you want a used one.
Or do you know of anything better?

It’s that simple. 

[Peabody]

Several of the engineers here have referred to the hand-held, battery-powered scopes like the Zeeweii as "toys".  As a hobbyist, I think that's completely wrong, and just reflects the normal bias a professional  has in favor of quality kit.  Remember that Dave devoted an entire video to the question of whether an $800 oscilloscope is "overkill for a hobbyist".

For a hobbyist a small portable scope may represent a great value, and be more than capable enough for his needs.  They also have the advantage of not being earth-grounded.  The original $20 DSO138 kit scope may have been a toy, but these scopes have come a long way in the last few years, with support and firmware updates, and in some cases, third-party firmware alternatives.

If you get into photography as a hobby, and ask a professional photographer what tripod you should buy, he will typically recommend a very fancy, self-leveling, carbon-fiber tripod at about $450 - because it will perform very well, and last a lifetime.  But most of his gear will have been, in effect, paid for by his customers.  If you are a hobbyist with a limited budget, overspending on one item means you have to underspend on another, or even do without.

I've used a DSO150, which is not more capable than the DSO138, for about a decade, and have found it to be very useful in many situations.  And it's only single-channel.  Of course it can't handle some needs, but it's my go-to scope for most things.

Well, that's my two cents.  But I want to pose a specific question about the Zeeweii scope to the Aliexpress experts here.  When I go to the Zeeweii factory store, I see two entries for the DSO3D12, one for about US$90, and another for about US$120:

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256805733745083.html

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806932713726.html

They appear to be the same scope, with probes, ect., and with free shipping  Can someone explain this?  And here's the factory store link:

https://www.aliexpress.com/store/1101600990

[KungFuJosh]

I would never limit myself to new or used when on a tight budget. That Instek scope is a $2000 scope for $200. The guy already got good feedback for others of the same model he sold, so that's the way I would have gone at that budget.

If I wanted something more modern, I'd buy @Zucca's scope for $300. I don't have any need for it, and I'd still consider it at that price...not hypothetically. 

[nctnico]

Several of the engineers here have referred to the hand-held, battery-powered scopes like the Zeeweii as "toys".  As a hobbyist, I think that's completely wrong, and just reflects the normal bias a professional  has in favor of quality kit.  Remember that Dave devoted an entire video to the question of whether an $800 oscilloscope is "overkill for a hobbyist".

There is another facet to that and that is buying used. I've managed to get great deals on used equipment / tools in the past with a bit of patience and luck. Some people are too hung up on buying something new and cheap versus buying something durable but used. Again, the GW Instek scope Dave found is a perfect deal for the OP.

For a hobbyist a small portable scope may represent a great value, and be more than capable enough for his needs.  They also have the advantage of not being earth-grounded.  The original $20 DSO138 kit scope may have been a toy, but these scopes have come a long way in the last few years, with support and firmware updates, and in some cases, third-party firmware alternatives.

If you need/want to mess with firmware, you are going in the wrong direction. In the end a piece of test equipment is a tool which should be ready for use, not a project in itself. Like a hammer. Do you want to have firmware updates for your hammer as well?

[PlainName]

Several of the engineers here have referred to the hand-held, battery-powered scopes like the Zeeweii as "toys".  As a hobbyist, I think that's completely wrong, and just reflects the normal bias a professional  has in favor of quality kit.

i have one. It's great for what I wanted it for: something to take out into the field (literally) and see wtf is happening to the gate opening signals, or why the fence power is down, etc. Something neat and compact to take into the loft, be halfway up a ladder, whatever.  But it is a toy and I wouldn't use it on the bench. And, as it happens it's been replaced by my new favourite for mobile work: a Zoyi ZT 703S.

One of the things that pissed me off about the Zeweii is that you can't download any screenshots so need a phone to take a photo of it. Maybe you can now with recent firmware, but another thing is apparently my model can't be updated. So they sold me a FNIRSI under another name. And as if that weren't enough, the UI is a completely weird POS.

Don't know what the answer is to AK's question but any handheld isn't it IMO.

[Analog Kid]

if you want I can sell you my mint (upgraded of course) SDS8(2)04X without probes for $300 shipped to you.

Look, man, do you have some kind of major reading comprehension problem?

I've stated many times here, my limit is $200.

Sheesh. This shit happens all the time around here.

[PlainName]

I've stated many times here, my limit is $200.

Sheesh. This shit happens all the time around here.

Perhaps the problem is that many of those here would have a notional limit yet be tempted to push out the boat just a little bit more. Just look at the TEA crowd. So you might actually be the weird one in insisting your limit is an actual inflexible limit, and many can't envision that 

[nctnico]

I've stated many times here, my limit is $200.

Sheesh. This shit happens all the time around here.

Perhaps the problem is that many of those here would have a notional limit yet be tempted to push out the boat just a little bit more. Just look at the TEA crowd. So you might actually be the weird one in insisting your limit is an actual inflexible limit, and many can't envision that 

I don't call having an inflexible limit weird. I do that all the time. I set a limit for a piece of equipment and then just wait for the right deal to come around. One of my recent purchases is a Festool mitre saw. These are like 1200 euro new. I didn't want to spend more than 500 on one in decent condition. It took a couple of weeks but a good deal came around eventually.

[Sorama]

Topics like these are doomed.
It’s never about what TS wants.