So I just purchased one of these. Looked authentic, sealed, new in box, yada yada, yada.
It was a Amazon prime buy, I would rather deal with Amazon for returns then eBay. Plus it's a local return shipping and if it's fake then I don't pay for return shipping.
I posted about this in another thread I started and was posted to this thread of fake or not.
He thought I wouldn't open it for return reasons, he didn't know me. I cracked it open and took a look.
I found a few similar items mentioned on hear like the missing sheild on the USB mini end of the cable. Not gold colored coated inside the plastic. Inductors marked with 3 dots, not 220. And so on. CD was also scratched. Another thing that caught my eye is it looked like the test certificate was photo copied, or maybe just a bad laser printer that needs cleaned?
Anyway, I'm far from rich, this is a home hobby. So I just called keysight. Customer service was friendly and had no problem looking up the serial number. She said it was from the Malaysia plant, shipped from the plant on November 29, 2009. This matches the certification date of November 10 being tested. And the label on the box of November 02. Box is made first, then item is tested, then it's shipped and logged.
The date in their system is just the shipping date it left the plant to a reseller.
They are going to email me a copy of the testing certificate and it should match the unique number on mine that's looks like a photo copy.
I guess the point is things change. My font on the PCB board does not look the same as the pictures, and the sheild on the USB cable may have been added on later made ones, or ones before mine. It depends on the manufacturing date. No labels on the bottom chips on the PCB, also may depend on when it was made.
Even the stamped lettering on the enclosure.
I should mention that the pictures show PCB version A, and mine is noted version 002.
Well of the test cert matches what the plant emails me next week I'm good to call mine authentic despite the little changes. It's just old stock from 2009, but the warranty should still be good and it was only $130, not the $550 listed on keysight web site.
I'll try to get pictures up. Keysight may also chime in, she mentioned she would pass on the concern of fakes to the public relations department. They may be able to provide us some pictures showing the changes with this hardware over the years (I hope).
Scott
Not to rain on your parade, but even if they do send you a certificate, and it matches the unique number on yours--how are you going to conclude that you don't have a clone/counterfeit? My serial number matched the website too. If I were cloning products (not my short-term plan as a career goal), I would at least make an effort to clone the documentation too.
All of these fakes (I am now certain that at least mine is fake, due to the solder quality, internal build quality, and other factors), come from a short run in 2009. Yours also being from 2009 is at least arguable circumstantial evidence that yours is like ours.
I won't leave our hope for the possibility that we are all wrong, but things are not looking good here...
Well the problem I guess I see is I'm not sure sloppy soldering is a definitive statement of being fake.
I need more then just that, and that board A components are different then board 002 rev since components change during manufacturing all the time.
If Agilent had Malaysia and 2 other plants making them, it's even possible he same years will have different component just because the plant sourced different parts, but the main parts are the same. I've seen it before.
So before I go getting an Amazon prime store shut down claiming fake (and I've done that before) I guess I'm looking for a little more.
I can't test it until I get the meter next week. I can send it back claiming defective and request a different date code one, but they most likely won't do that. It's Amazon.....
If a block of certificates and serial numbers got copied then at least Agilent knows about it know. I've dealt in fraud professionally and theirs always a definitive mark that gives it up, but only Agilent can share pictures of all the possible makes and versions for us to be sure.
I'm it saying everyone is wrong, or correct. I'm just being a skeptic, maybe. It things like the letter depth changed on the plastic case in the wording, that could of just been sourcing a different cheaper plastic lying company and again, only Agilent would know this. Now if they allowed people to register the device then they would have already noticed dups in serial numbers being registered. Or the user would get a message that this serial number is already registered. I don't understand why they don't have this, but they have all the serials from the time it was made originally because she was able to pull it up.
This is why I am trying to fold them in. At most they need to be aware of it, they may have a manufacturing plant with a big leak and fake items may work at first, then die. This affects their reputation in quality products.
Opps, I meant keysight in all of the above. Not Agilent.
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