I've been a huge fan of Agilent/HP gear my entire life, so I'd be foolish to admit that the name doesn't add some personal value for me, so the name will always add some (small) weight to any of my conclusions. As would a Fluke or some other name I am familiar with.
And in practice the name does actually have some tangible value too, in regards to actual circuit design performance and confidence, component purchasing quality, testing etc. Would I trust an Agilent meter more than a no-name meter with the same specs, you bet I would, by an order of magnitude!
Do I concentrate too much on the name? well, I don't think so, I'm reviewing an Agilent meter, not just a Brand X meter, so the name has a lot to do with what I expect, how I think, my previous brand experinence etc. So I find it natural to incorporate that feeling into my reviews. And judging by the responses to my reviews on YouTube and my EEVblog foum, that's what the people expect of my reviews.
The outdoor performance is not actually diappointing when you take into account this meter is not designed for outdoor use, and Agilent say this in their promotional blurb.
Quote:
"On the go or on the bench, you’ll get crystal-clear viewing indoors, even in dark, off-angle situations."
If you need an outdoors display you can buy the exact same U1252A meter which has an LCD display and longer battery life.
Some people have unfairly focussed on this meter saying it's a terrible design because of the screen. But if you think about it, it's not terrible, just different to the usual LCD offerings.
Yes, the battery choice is poor, but realistically few poeple would use this meter continously for 8 hours in a day, and you can get more battery life using a Lithium or Alkaline primary if you use it intermittently.
The battery consumption is actually on par with the competing Fluke 289, when you take into acccount the screen and battery type. So it's not as bad as it seems.
As to the solderng quality I believe I am judging Agilent fairly based on my experience. Agilent make first quality products, and I firmly believe that what I saw was a-typical. I would not think that was a-typical if the meter was a no-namer.
I can see where you are coming from. It's just my opinion that things do change over time, and the market leaders need to stay at the top of their game to keep and improve their market share and profits. There are a bunch of no name manufacturers that are up and coming and Agilent has to see them as a challenge, because one day they will have a name if they can keep up quality and keep down costs.
Showing my age now, but I remember in the 70s when made in Japan, or made in Hong Kong was another way of saying cheap and shoddy. Now our AV equipment, vehicles, white goods etc etc are almost all manufactured in these areas. When I was looking for a new TV recently I read a lot of magazines on equipment, and the highest rated 32" LCD TV was a Samsung. Who'd have thought 20 - 30 years ago that a Korean manufacturer would be the best quality TV manufacturer in the world, and the old western quality TV makers like Pye and Ferguson are defunct?
