Fluke Microscanner 2 or Ideal VDV Pro

RDB85 · 7 Aug 2022 at 21:25

I’m looking to buy a decent Cable Tester. I’ve seen two that feature wise look really good.

VDV II PRO (Not Cloud Connected) - TREND Networks

This is a renewed tester. Includes a new battery and complete kit contents. Picture shown is for illustration purposes only. 12 months warranty on parts and labour. Warranty does not cover accidental damage. The VDV II Series are easy to use cable testers that check the integrity of copper...

www.trend-networks.com

Or

Fluke Networks MS2-TTK MicroScanner2 Termination Test Kit: MicroScanner2 + IS60 Pro-Tool Kit + IntelliTone 200 Probe + RJ11 & RJ45 Patch Cables in Deluxe Carry Case https://amzn.eu/d/656pUuU

I’ve found a used ones on eBay but they are still very expensive and I always wonder about buying used testers. If it breaks then I don’t have a leg to stand on. I think it would be better to buy new..

I’m not sure which would be better. Any help or advice would be great.

WJA96 · 8 Aug 2022 at 05:57

When Cable Monkey open at 09:00 give them a ring and tell them what you want to do. They’ll suggest a few options and you can have a hunt around on price etc. then make an informed decision. When I did their training courses they took us through all the tools they sell and what they did. You’re paying a lot for the name on Fluke and they need calibrating annually to keep up the warranty. Ideal and a whole bunch of Chinese companies make good video testers that double as cable testers just like these you’ve linked to but cost half as much.

And be really clear whether or not you want certification as well as testing. My SignalTek CT is calibrated and issues a certificate for every cable tested and you can charge extra for that. The ID probes to go on the cable ends are generic so don’t pay huge money for Fluke branded ones and don‘t believe the lies they tell about toners. The £40 Fluke one is better than the £10 Amazon one so if you think you’ll need toning capability buy a separate toner.

You can easily pay £500 extra for a function you’ll never use so give Cable Monkey a ring and they’ll give you good advice.

Caged · 8 Aug 2022 at 11:18

I've had a NaviTEK NT Pro for a few years and am very happy with it, and the Idea support has been good the couple of times I've needed it.

RDB85 · 8 Aug 2022 at 17:13

I’ve emailed Cable Monkey. For some advice. The Ideal Networks looks good. They do used tester which have a warranty of 6 months. They work out about half price.

Fluke would last a lifetime but then it should for the price. I am considering the VDV Pro II

WJA96 · 9 Aug 2022 at 05:37

RDB85 said:
I’ve emailed Cable Monkey. For some advice. The Ideal Networks looks good. They do used tester which have a warranty of 6 months. They work out about half price.

Fluke would last a lifetime but then it should for the price. I am considering the VDV Pro II

The problem with emailing someone is it takes time to type a detailed reply whereas if you ring them up and talk to them you’ll get a better answer in a fraction of the time.

RDB85 · 9 Aug 2022 at 07:53

WJA96 said:
The problem with emailing someone is it takes time to type a detailed reply whereas if you ring them up and talk to them you’ll get a better answer in a fraction of the time.

That’s true. On site we’re not allowed to have phones.

WJA96 · 9 Aug 2022 at 08:22

RDB85 said:
That’s true. On site we’re not allowed to have phones.

Yeah, I‘ve worked at places like that. In fact a lot of our customers won’t let us take pictures in their houses and they‘re often really funny about anyone with a phone out.

Glanza · 9 Aug 2022 at 09:31

Might be worth you going direct to Fluke, we did and it saved us a fair amount compared to the prices we had seen online. They are rather keen at trying to get you to sign up for their extra warranty stuff though.

Caged · 9 Aug 2022 at 10:45

I think the best price we got for our Ideal tester was from ISSWWW, so they might also be worth talking to

$anch3z · 11 Aug 2022 at 23:21

The guys who install the fibre and copper infrastructure where I work use Fluke, iirc they have to be calibrated annually or biannually

WJA96 · 12 Aug 2022 at 06:17

$anch3z said:
The guys who install the fibre and copper infrastructure where I work use Fluke, iirc they have to be calibrated annually or biannually

Fluke have a lifetime warranty if you keep getting the units ‘calibrated’. Our professional indemnity insurance requires any units used to certify installs need to be calibrated. it’s surprising how often new installers damage cable while pulling it so that it will pass traffic but fail certification. They soon learn though. Pulling cables three times (twice in, once out) is painful.

Caged · 12 Aug 2022 at 08:56

It makes sense, the point of a certifier is that it's evaluating the installation against known parameters, and you can only get to that point with calibration.