Digicool super sensor failure

[itsiceman]

dON'T GET YOU REFERENCE TO SMAN 3 BEING BROKE UP ECT,

Wold you please clarify.

I've been looking on E-Bay for several years for used tools. A used Digi-Cool is something I've searched for many years. Of those many years and a few back I've seen one Digi-Cool BDT-1000 a previous model from days of your first digital experience and still going strong in perfect condition which regrettably I should have bought. Also seen one AK-900 for sale in the Junk Yard hear which sold immediately.
As far as the SMANs for sale since their short existence they are abundant on E-Bay in used condition. Many I've seen are cracked up the front have broken temp clamps or missing parts all together.
As far as your opinions on clamps you are wrong and I will post a video. The whole backside of the sensor is exposed to air!!! the contact surface vs sensor surface is huge. Any point not close to contact with a pipe is being influenced and averaged with outside air temp. For now look at Eddies video of the SMAN3 vs the 570 and please explain why his SMAN3 suction temp. is that far off (warmer) and why he prefers the 570 now. Have a good week end guys

[itsiceman]

This was a liquid line in a cooler Fieldpiece ATC1 vs the Cooper 4011 out of the air stream and showing just ambient difference error. The SH is off also but for a different reason. I couldn't get a clamp in the space. At the end it tough to see with the video quality and poor blue backlight but the SMAN3 is reading 35˚F with the two clamps coupled together.

[jpsmith1cm]

I suspect it has everything to do with the difference between the retail price that the customer is willing pay and the wholesale price that the supply house pays.

I'd bet dollars to donuts that the supply house makes more $$$ per square foot with Testo and for sure Fieldpiece than Digi-Cool.

Testo is a huge company, much like Festo (Festool in the USA). They can afford to "subsidize" the cost of a few items to get some sales and market share in the target market. I bet that once someone buys a Testo tool, they look at other Testo tools.

Fieldpiece is not made in Germany, Canada, Japan or the USA. They are made in China. There is a big spread between wholesale and retail.

If you were a supply house that has to report earnings, do you want to sell a digital gauge that nets $75 or $20 in profit? Only have so much shelf/inventory space, right? Don't want to get stuck with last years models at the end of the season, right? You don't care which is "better", only the item that bring in more $$$ per unit sold. Added to this, you would carry the item with warranty/exchange policies in YOUR favor, not the customer.

On the other hand, Digi-Cool is essentially a one man band, without the megabuck R&D available to Testo and to a slightly lesser extent, Fieldpiece. Do you realize what it takes to be able to stock inventory at a couple thousand locations at once? Not really too easy for a small manufacturer. A small company obtaining vendor status at WalMart is faced with the same dilemma: the "yes, we did it" moment followed by the "oh ****, how will we supply inventory to XXX stores" moment.

I wonder how much of the digital gauge market has been shaped by Digi-Cool, much like the tablet and smart phone market being shaped by Apple.

Disclosure: Digi-Cool owner.

I looked at Testo, but the early multiple failures reported on high dollar test gear on this board pushed me away. Fieldpiece wasn't doing so well, either, but I do like a couple of their items.

I didn't like the original silicone wire that the DC sensors came with, but that has been updated. Smaller clamps would be nice, and I like the Testo clamps, but those are $250 a pop.

The manifold hook on the Digi-Cool has not broken yet

I think that there is a lot of truth here, too.

There were digital gauges before DC, but not an integrated unit, let alone one that would accept sensors and perform superheat/subcooling calculations for you.

[jpsmith1cm]

I've been looking on E-Bay for several years for used tools. A used Digi-Cool is something I've searched for many years. Of those many years and a few back I've seen one Digi-Cool BDT-1000 a previous model from days of your first digital experience and still going strong in perfect condition which regrettably I should have bought. Also seen one AK-900 for sale in the Junk Yard hear which sold immediately.
As far as the SMANs for sale since their short existence they are abundant on E-Bay in used condition. Many I've seen are cracked up the front have broken temp clamps or missing parts all together.
As far as your opinions on clamps you are wrong and I will post a video. The whole backside of the sensor is exposed to air!!! the contact surface vs sensor surface is huge. Any point not close to contact with a pipe is being influenced and averaged with outside air temp. For now look at Eddies video of the SMAN3 vs the 570 and please explain why his SMAN3 suction temp. is that far off (warmer) and why he prefers the 570 now. Have a good week end guys

ebay was the first place that I looked for a DC when I started shopping them.

Never saw a one.

Lots of testos (SMAN wasn't out then)

Now I know why.

[ga-hvac-tech]

Well, here we go again: DigiCool vs the others...

Lessee:

I bought a 1200 in the Spring of 2007, converted it to a 1250 in the fall of 2010. Other than the flimsy wires to the temp sensors (I repaired this myself with lampcord), I have literally had NO issues with it.
My unit has been dropped off a roof onto concrete, rained on, dunked in water, frozen, baked inside an RTU, and a host of other things I do not remember... NEVER has it missed a beat.

AS Mark mentioned: I do not use the temp probes anymore, rather use a different device for temp readings and do the calc in my head. The 'head' of the DC is about as tuff as any tool I own... I woudl not trade it for any other digital unit...

Note I have not owned a Testo or an S-MAN, so I cannot comment on them... However: I have looked at them in the stores, they are just not as durable looking nor as robust as the DC.

I agree with the comment about supply houses making margin, and what is necessary to ramp up and stock all the supply houses in the country (world)... kinda tuff for a small shop.

At the end of the day... I am satisfied with my DC! I guess that is all that matters for me.

Carry on guys...

[71CHOPS]

still leaning towards DC!

[hvaclover]

I suspect it has everything to do with the difference between the retail price that the customer is willing pay and the wholesale price that the supply house pays.

I'd bet dollars to donuts that the supply house makes more $$$ per square foot with Testo and for sure Fieldpiece than Digi-Cool.

Testo is a huge company, much like Festo (Festool in the USA). They can afford to "subsidize" the cost of a few items to get some sales and market share in the target market. I bet that once someone buys a Testo tool, they look at other Testo tools.

Fieldpiece is not made in Germany, Canada, Japan or the USA. They are made in China. There is a big spread between wholesale and retail.

If you were a supply house that has to report earnings, do you want to sell a digital gauge that nets $75 or $20 in profit? Only have so much shelf/inventory space, right? Don't want to get stuck with last years models at the end of the season, right? You don't care which is "better", only the item that bring in more $$$ per unit sold. Added to this, you would carry the item with warranty/exchange policies in YOUR favor, not the customer.

On the other hand, Digi-Cool is essentially a one man band, without the megabuck R&D available to Testo and to a slightly lesser extent, Fieldpiece. Do you realize what it takes to be able to stock inventory at a couple thousand locations at once? Not really too easy for a small manufacturer. A small company obtaining vendor status at WalMart is faced with the same dilemma: the "yes, we did it" moment followed by the "oh ****, how will we supply inventory to XXX stores" moment.

I wonder how much of the digital gauge market has been shaped by Digi-Cool, much like the tablet and smart phone market being shaped by Apple.

Disclosure: Digi-Cool owner.

I looked at Testo, but the early multiple failures reported on high dollar test gear on this board pushed me away. Fieldpiece wasn't doing so well, either, but I do like a couple of their items.

I didn't like the original silicone wire that the DC sensors came with, but that has been updated. Smaller clamps would be nice, and I like the Testo clamps, but those are $250 a pop.

The manifold hook on the Digi-Cool has not broken yet

Please provide some form of proof Testo is made in China.

My son is the head engineer at Bosch and he toured Testo factory in Germany just a few months ago.

[Pascone10]

Please provide some form of proof Testo is made in China.

My son is the head engineer at Bosch and he toured Testo factory in Germany just a few months ago.

He wrote fieldpiece is made in China......

[hvaclover]

He wrote fieldpiece is made in China......

my bad

but even so SMAN 3 is made in
Taiwan...not mainland China ...big diff.

[AStudent]

I believe there was a post about the Digicool back light being poor....if you watch Iceman's video up above to the end, then click on the video named bargph, it shows exactly how poor the Digicool back light is compared to the SMAN3 in pitch black.

[tech45]

I believe there was a post about the Digicool back light being poor....if you watch Iceman's video up above to the end, then click on the video named bargph, it shows exactly how poor the Digicool back light is compared to the SMAN3 in pitch black.

Awesome !!! You get a better view of less accurate information , I want that one.

[hvaclover]

just heard..SMAN 4 is being released this Monday.

[mark beiser]

my bad

but even so SMAN 3 is made in
Taiwan...not mainland China ...big diff.

That will likely change the day after China figures out how to reabsorb Taiwan without triggering a war, or economic consequences greater than the benefit.
Sadly, they could probably do it tomorrow, and the USA could do little more than pout and stamp our feet.