Holly Cow !! India copied Agilent HH DMM design !!

[Kiriakos-GR]

Gentlemen, put on your seat belts, and take your pills before you click on those links... 

Place of Origin: Maharashtra India

http://www.weiku.com/products/3100946/Digital_Multimeter_6K3.html

http://wk101636290.company.weiku.com/

http://www.motwane.com/applications.aspx?cat=89

[Wartex]

OH NOES, SOMEONE RIPPED OFF SOMEONE ELSE'S DESIGN! FIRST IN HISTORY! NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE!


/pffffffffffff

[zaoka]

You never know, maybe third party company makes those meters.

If you look closer than Agilent 1253 looks almost the same as Hioki 3801 (which is made 7-8 years ago).

[Kiriakos-GR]

One thing that I am not aware of, is for how long the blue Agilent are out there ?

Still those Indian production is very fresh, and they hide very well the technical specs !!
Ok they are low budget 6000 counts the most, but even so they can fool you from the pictures. 

http://www.alibaba.com/product-free/108988618/Digital_Multimeter_6K3/showimage.html

[Mechatrommer]

maybe a cap within a cap inside. who knows. appearance can be deceiving.

[EEVblog]

Not surprising.
Escort are one the ones who designed and manufactured the Agilent meters before Agilent bought them out, and they licenses them to every man and his dog.
Agilent buying them only meant that improvements and changes did not get passed on to the other makes, but they could legally make the meters and improve on them themselves.

Dave.

[Achilles]

I guess they just copied the design because the think it's modern and trendy and people like that.....
At least on the pictures it looks like one of those cellphone-dummys for the phone shops. Plastic and edgy.....
Let's see when there is a orange version ...would be interesting from the inside, but I don't expect much from a low-range DMM as clone for a High-End DMM....

[Kiriakos-GR]

Let's see when there is a orange version

If this ever happen, I will paint my DMM RED ... 

[Achilles]

If this ever happen, I will paint my DMM RED ... 

Hehehehe, or do what Agilent is telling you:
Put some freaky Manga-Stickers on it


....No honestly I would like to see what's inside of the Copies. Let's have a look. I still wait for my Agilent (Germany is celebrating its reunion today->no delivery), but if the Indian thinks aren't expensive I may have an look on one (not for serious work).

[Kiriakos-GR]

Well India is a very large country, just the local population is enough as customers, so to support 10 or 50 local brands that can manufacture low cost instruments.

But as long they do not consider Europeans or Americans as customers,
anything related to safety - quality - electrical (regulations) it will be non existent.

The same thing happens with and the 98% of the Chinese companies.
It took me some time, until to realize that when a Chinese DMM is under tear-down and review,
the manufacturer feels Terror !!   LOL
Their words must be : Oh Shit !!   

And so it best, in order the European to avoid getting scammed, to select items with known past.

Personally, I like to investigate the market as hobby, and I am trying to find if there is any "New and worthy" Asian manufacturer,
who worth's to become famous because of his products.
So far, total darkness ahead .... 

Know exclusion the UNI-T ,  that looks to be the Chinese Gossen so far .. LOL :-)   

[Achilles]

Yeah, it is crazy how people are working in Asia. Well, if one loses his arm on a lathe, there will be another one for the work....so step one...put out all that safety stuff that just makes the machine so slow .

I wouldn't consider to work with a cheap and untested Tool on Dangerous places. Doesn't matter if I want to measure high current with an asian dmm oder work on a rooftop with some cheap-brand safety equipment.....

But in fact, there are some really good chinese brands (not particular in electronic) I own some chinese photo hardware which is even better in built quality than their european counterpart.....

But some Asian-Market-Only stuff wouldn't be the best choice I guess .....

[Kiriakos-GR]

The major problem in China, still is that the state does not set any standards like laws or directives,
on the manufacturers who makes DMM.

I have see in the web page of a such company to show-of as honorable documents :
a) The paper that they had register their business name.
b) The paper that they had register in the local tax office
c) The paper that all the workers are insured ..

Hell Yes ... I can start my own factory in China too, and blow Agilent sky-high ..   

[Ferroto]

Hell Yes ... I can start my own factory in China too, and blow Agilent sky-high ..   

The standard of living in china is rasing. This is causing alot of manufacturers to start moveing out of china. Personally I'm looking forward to it as it'll fix the balance of trade.

[Achilles]

Yepp, a progress in standard of living really would be necessary, but they have a looooooong way.

There was just an article in our local newspapers about Apple and their Ipod factories, which give a little more than the minimum tarif in china, but the workers have to let go of their breaks and work a lot longer just to keep the production of the phones as high as possible.
There was a comission looking at that and said it improved slightly, but it's still horrible.... they were calling the workers as "iSlave" which pretty much brings it to a point.....
Apple here, Apple there..... I think it's not an uncommon issue.


(Written on my Mac with somehow mixed feelings after the article...)