New vs used Siglent equipment? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: nirvdrum
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: December 22, 2020, 10:15:07 pm
content: Apologies in advance if this a inflammatory question. I've been searching through the forum and couldn't find much prior discussion. In a nutshell, I'm a hobbyist looking to build out a home lab. I'm trying to strike the balance between doing things on a budget and not buying equipment I'll come to regret. I have a Siglent SDS 1104X-E I'm pretty happy with and think I'd like to stay in that family of products. I've seen some pieces of Siglent equipment come up on Amazon Warehouses in supposedly very good condition, but I'm not familiar enough with Siglent to tell whether it's worth taking the risk. E.g., I recently saw a "very good" condition SDG1032X come up for $257, which is a pretty good savings over the normal price of $359 (or current sale of $319). Is the equipment reliable enough where I'm unlikely to ever need to make a warranty claim? Or should I just budget to buy new from a reputable retailer? Alternatively, if I did need to make a warranty claim, does Siglent make that frustrating to the point where it's not worthwhile?

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 23, 2020, 05:25:11 pm
content: SDG1032X is a good little AWG and never had problems with any sold here in NZ.$319 is the standard price and has been for some years.The only thing to be wary of with 2nd hand AWG's is if a previous owner has connected its output to some powered circuit and damaged the AWG output amps. Some repair info is here on the forum if you hunt for it.These units are a good pairing with the X-E DSO's.If it's from Siglents Amazon shop you should have some buyer protection however you need research this.I have serviced Siglent products however for warranty repairs Siglent require proof of purchase documentation to honor warranty.https://siglentna.com/service-and-support/warranty-information/

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 23, 2020, 09:25:37 pm
content: Test it, if it doesn't work you can return it to Amazon for free. Generally it will be fine.

author: Benta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 23, 2020, 09:56:31 pm
content: Just a general view on this:I'm really leery of buying used test and measurement equipment. You've no idea of the what the previous user did with it. And getting it recalibrated certainly carries more costs than what you believe you save.

author: nirvdrum
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 05, 2021, 07:59:01 pm
content: Thanks for the feedback everyone. The item arrived and looks virtually brand new, although it's missing the calibration certificate. The power-on count was at 3, so I'm guessing it's a case of buyer's remorse. I need to contact Siglent to see what the warranty start date was.Is there anything in particular that I should be testing for? I've hooked it up to my scope and it looks fine to me. I ran all the self-tests and those passed. Are there any other smoke tests to run or demon cases to test?

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 05, 2021, 08:18:32 pm
content: Just ensure it's running the latest firmware:https://siglentna.com/service-and-support/firmware-software/waveform-generators/#sdg1000x-seriesPossibly I can give an indication of the manufacture date from the SN#.The full code minus the last 3 numbers is all I need.Like this: SDG1X****R*xxxEnjoy.

author: nirvdrum
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 15, 2021, 05:11:41 am
content: Thanks for the offer, tautech. The SN# is SDG1XCAC4R0xxx.

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 15, 2021, 06:50:10 am
content: Quote from: nirvdrum on January 15, 2021, 05:11:41 amPM me the full SN# and your email and I'll try and get the factory Cal cert for it to send to you.

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 19, 2021, 09:59:05 am
content: Quote from: nirvdrum on January 15, 2021, 05:11:41 amCal date: 2020-03-10

author: DriftlessNet
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 23, 2022, 07:07:34 am
content: Quote from: nirvdrum on January 05, 2021, 07:59:01 pmSorry for reviving an older thread, but I am about to follow the same path as you did nirvdrum. Like you I also think there is some small benefit sticking to the Siglent brand, especially since I have a Siglent scope and do plan to take advantage of the bode plot capabilitiesI see Amazon warehouse has a few used "Very Good" condition SDG1032X in stock and hope they are also buyers remorse type of units. I did buy my Siglent scope used from Amazon warehouse some months back, and it came in basically brand new condition, so I am comfortable rolling the dice again. With Amazon's money back policy I am not too worried about getting stuck with a defective unit, at least in the short term.What I am wondering though is if you could provide feedback now that you have owned and used your SDG1032X for what appears to be 18-months now. Are you still happy with it or now after some time wish you would have chosen something different?