Which Test Kit?

[nstreet]

I'm looking to go self employed in the near future and need to have the test kit for the following:-

Earth Continuity Tester
Insulation Resistance Tester
Earth Fault Loop Impedance Tester
Residual Current Device Tester

Any recommendations please, as I have seen quite a bit of kit on ebay at reaonable prices?

 

[breezer]

Any recommendations please, as I have seen quite a bit of kit on ebay at reaonable prices?

does it come with calibration certificate?

 

[nstreet]

This is something that I have requested whenever enquiring about second hand kit.

 

[fido]

You will need to get stuff recalibrated when required anyway so if the calibration is out of date it should only influence what you are willing to pay. I sold an RCD tester on Ebay a few months ago and there seems to be quite a bit of interest in such gear.

 

[nstreet]

Any recommendations as to manufacturers or all-in-one options?

 

[Big_Spark]

Megger CM500 does it all in one unit.

I would strongly suggest you buy from a reputable source for this type of equipment. Ebay is not one I would call reputable.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

eBay is neither reputable or disreputable - it's just a marketplace. If a seller has a good track record, is selling a quality product (e.g Fluke, Megger etc), that looks in good nick then you should have nothing to worry about. Any reputable seller will tell you about what he's selling, and why, where he got it etc, and if it's uncalibrated then you always have the option of asking him if he's happy to make the sale conditional on him getting the items certified, cost to be added to the winning bid.

 

[Big_Spark]

Ban, in theory that is correct, but to be honest, equipment of this nature should be calibrated prior to being offered for sale, how else do you know it is safe to sell.

This is something that the law should protect the purchaser on. There are a large number of people out there, professionals and DIYer's, who would buy this kit regardless, yet they are playing with their and other peoples lives.

If a person sells this kit on Ebay, with a current Test/Calibration Cert included and they have a good track record, then you are taking no more risk than from a high street shop for the initial sale, however what guarantee have you got? What happenes if it stops working in 6 months? With a Bricks and Mortar company then you know where to go and where they can put the broken kit, but with a postal address it MAY not be that simple.

That is why I advocate a reputable dealer.

 

[fido]

FWL, what you say is right but the same sort of gamble applies to pretty much anything you buy privately. On the other hand, if you are borrowing money to set up a business you are also taking a gamble that you will make enough money to pay off the loan. If you can minimise such borrowing by getting secondhand equipment you are making the loan less of a gamble. If I had bought a brand new van when I started out I would have been bankrupt within the first year.