Which to choose: Agilent 34401A or Keysight 34410A more expensive $170? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: dophuc
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 21, 2023, 03:25:34 pm
content: Hi everybody,Currently I am using GW-instek 8255A 5 1/2 desktop multimeter which is still quite good, recently in my area there is a store selling Keysight 34410A multimeter for about $500 and Agilent 34401A for about 330 $, both are used but appear to be in good condition, no accessories included. I want to change from 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 but am a bit confused by choosing between 34410A and 34401A because 34410A is a bit over budget, is the functionality of 34410A worth the extra $170 to buy ? Can anyone give me some ideas, thanks a lot.

author: coromonadalix
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 21, 2023, 03:50:49 pm
content: 34410 a right away, schematics available, some parts too, cloned vfd's tooway faster than 34401 in acquisition speedsok fan is slightly annoying to hearyou have usb and lan AND gpib on it, more options than 34401athe 34401 and 34410a share the same voltage reference, pretty darn stable over timehad 3x 34401a and 1x 34410a sold all the 34401a ....

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 21, 2023, 04:12:40 pm
content: 34410 has two displays, so you can also see the "statistics" of what is being measured - i.e. min/max/mean and standard deviation (a.k.a. noise).

author: Kleinstein
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 21, 2023, 06:45:42 pm
content: The 34410 is more related to the newer 34461 than the older 34401. The long term stability may not be as good, as also the ADC gain contributes, not just the common LM399 reference.I am not sure about the AC part though - having digital RMS for AC would be a plus (much faster settling).

author: Veteran68
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 21, 2023, 09:49:23 pm
content: If that's USD and it's a working unit, that's a steal on the 34410A -- jump on it! The going used price I'm finding is $750-$1200 USD for used models.The 34401A price isn't bad but not unusual to find for that. Still a great meter, but I'd not pay much over that for one unless it was truly mint condition. I paid $280 (shipped!) to a fellow eevBlog forum member about 2.5 years ago for a near mint Agilent 34401A that I'm very proud of. I'd love to find a 34410A for $500.

author: GigaJoe
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 22, 2023, 02:20:06 am
content: 01A ws 8255A - another digit , more accurate and one more digit in stat and output (7.5 in overall)if you visually take info ( using display and dont use it as acquisition device , collecting samples for a long time ) not much difference between 01 and 10 would be in my opinionaddin stretched budget i would go for 01 but see below about versions ...10A vs 01A - a bit more modern; AC much wider range up to 1Mhz , much faster digitizing data, 40K in 4.5 mode. ( if you ever need such speed or capability to acquire it)01A has a lot of revisions and internal firmware versions non upgradable. 10A - i think you can download the latest update.IMPO - if 01A has all red connectors i would stay away - it a first revision, if front panel rounded buttons - i would grab it as it closed to the latest revisions. all between need to look more details.

author: dophuc
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 22, 2023, 06:02:48 am
content: The selling price mentioned in #1 is USD, after reading the function description 34410A, 34401A and consulting the opinions of you here, I have decided to buy the Keysight 34410A. The seller commits that the machine has not been repaired, works well with all functions. I will update with more information once I receive the item, it is expected to take a few days to ship. Thank you very much.

author: DeepLink
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 22, 2023, 06:53:35 am
content: I have both, but 95% of the time I use the 34401AWhy?Instant on and no fan noise are the main factorsI usually don't need the display or the better AC specIf I do need to see trends, I always log data to my computer and work with them in Excel

author: Veteran68
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 22, 2023, 12:49:25 pm
content: Quote from: dophuc on August 22, 2023, 06:02:48 amThose look clean, and are the latest 34401A design too. Curious how much they want for the 34465A.Wish I had a source like this here, but the US market would double the price on the higher meters I'm sure. You're in Vietnam? We contract with a team over there, it's tempting to ask them if they can arrange to buy one for me and ship it or just bring it when they come to the states again.

author: dophuc
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 23, 2023, 04:39:16 am
content: Quote from: Veteran68 on August 22, 2023, 12:49:25 pmThat 34465A costs about 750 USD. Yes, I'm in Vietnam, here sometimes you can buy items at very good prices from groups discussing multimeters on Facebook, which seem to be much lower than the price of similar items sold on Ebay and many other places.

author: TheSteve
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 23, 2023, 07:06:39 am
content: Great deal on the 34465a, I vote for that.

author: Veteran68
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 23, 2023, 02:29:48 pm
content: Quote from: dophuc on August 23, 2023, 04:39:16 amFor $750 I would be ALL OVER that if I could swing the logistics.

author: coromonadalix
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 23, 2023, 02:35:57 pm
content: witch one of the latest model had the spear 3 mcu failing ?? the 61 or 65 ? or both ?

author: dophuc
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 26, 2023, 02:32:47 pm
content: I have just received the Keysight 34410A today, the condition is clean and pretty good. Total cost including shipping is about 480USD after bidding with seller. Quick test some functions work properly. The fan is a bit noisy but I will try to bear it because I am very satisfied with it for now.

author: Veteran68
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 26, 2023, 05:23:44 pm
content: Very nice, I'm jealous!But I can't complain really, I got a nice deal on a very clean Agilent 34401A a few years back, and just this week saved $240 on a brand new in box Siglent SDM3065X. Both bought here on the forum.

author: dophuc
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 26, 2023, 05:41:11 pm
content: Quote from: Veteran68 on August 26, 2023, 05:23:44 pmI also saw that Siglent SDM3065X and really liked it. Congratulations on buying a brand new item at a great price.

author: simba15
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 31, 2023, 02:21:57 pm
content: Did the Seller of the Meters make a post in the Buy/Sell?I could have sworn that they made for sale post with lots of meters including Agilent and Keithley. It seems it is gone.Am I crazy?

author: Veteran68
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 31, 2023, 03:42:32 pm
content: Quote from: simba15 on August 31, 2023, 02:21:57 pmThey did but wouldn't answer questions in the forum. They only wanted to do business over Facebook it seemed like, which felt sketchy to me. So were probably banned and threads removed.

author: simba15
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 31, 2023, 03:57:40 pm
content: Ahh, I understand.I will inquire with the author of the thread.Thanks for solving my insanity. (spent 10 min with the search engine)