Fluke are so expensive

Sep 30, 2022 Last reply: 3 years ago 5 Replies

My 20 year old Fluke Scope-meter is ready for a battery change, RS and Farnell want £140 for a replacement, but Best Battery UK have a 3000mAh NMH replacement for £22. Both batteries are made in China and have the same designation.


Well you pays your money etc. Be aware of course that the unbranded may well be fine, but on the other hand may be forgeries. Brian

Looking at the illustrations they appear to have the same Chinese manufacturer.....but one never knows.

So the question is: do you reckon the cheaper one will last 6 times shorter than the official one?

I'd be happy to take that bet. Maybe not if I was in some kind of metrology situation where I need everything calibrated and certificated, but otherwise it's just the equivalent of a phone battery and no reason why it should cost that much.

If you reckon it's dubious, the pack appears to be just some NiMH cells tabbed together (if this is the one, others are similar):

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you could just get some cells and make your own.

Theo

I will buy the cheaper battery, shouldn't affect the calibration. Those adjustments are inside the unit.

No indeed, I remember some years ago buying a so called Sony battery pack, certainly it looked like the older one but was noticeably lighter, but with that lightness came a reduction in the capacity. They had fitted C sells with a packing piece instead of the original DO ones. It was the first time I'd seen this sort of thing. It was way back in the 80s. I'm a bit wary of buying batteries since then. No idea where the dodgy one originated. Brian

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