TESTO digital manifold

Well we're back to square one with the TESTO 556-1. It's failed again!:(
The first instrument didn't last a year when it deicided to fail. Some of the valve stems seized and some selection buttons stopped responding then finally the software flipped a jip and the whole instrument died. . . I was thinking I had bought a "PUP" at this stage but still had faith in the big brand name TESTO. They would resolve the problem and we would be back on track in no time at all. Sadly the UK service dept at that time didn't have the technical ability to repair my instrument so it was sent to germany for a proper sort out. :eek:
Time passed by, it was only a mere 6 weeks, I was in the phase of considering my instrument to be lost at sea when I received a parcel with a brand new replacement. What joy! :D

So here we are again, 11 months down the line and guess what, it has failed again. :mad:
A valve has stopped working and wont open or close properly. So I pack it up and off to TESTO UK once again .... no suprise this time when I receive a phone call to tell me they can't repair it in the UK but no problem, they'll send it to the factory in Germany. Here goes another long spell of longing and waiting :(..... but not so, they have found it can be repaired and it will only cost £95.60 +VAT. :eek:
I don't understand why the previous repair, now faulted again and regardless of the fact they replaced the whole instrument is not a warranty repair?

Putting all this to one side I am begining to wonder about TESTO and their product quality. Their instruments aren't the most economical on the market and while they appear to have some credibility in the heating sector, gas analysers etc I am now doubting their quality in the RAC sector.
Is TESTO just a super brand name with a racehorse pedigree which perhaps is far too refined for our industry. Too refined in so much as their products aren't suited because they aren't tough enough to do the job on site. Instruments need to have some ruggedness about them and while TESTO 556-1 does look rugged it certainly isn't fit for the job. Well not in my case anyway.

Rant over.

I got my Testo 550 as i thought i ought to move with the times, we've had two on the company for a year or so now and apart from a broken hook they have been ok, Daves gets more use than mine. Time will tell!

I'm not expecting them to last like my Refco manifold i got new in 1990! but then even that has had numerous new gauges, taps and even new fittings as the threads had worn away.

I think as things get more complicated they get less reliable, you see the same with the equipment we work on.

Jon :)

I wouldn't !! overpriced,overrated and unreliable .
Personally I use the Yellow Jacket system analyzer practically all the same features a lot cheaper and apart from a small software issue at the start (sorted FOC)very rugged and reliable . Software updates free from the YJ website.
But hey each to their own.


Cheers
Stu

Stu

Where do you get the yellow jacket from?
I'm using a Testo 2budget" model, not bad but buying peripherals is going to bankrupt me:)

Alec

Hey Al
I got the first one from Gasco then a second one from Fridgespares price was pretty much the same from both
Cheers
Stu

Ive never had a problem with the TESTO digital manifold owned it for around 1 and a half years, much more compact and trade friendly than the field piece equivalent. as long as you don't expect to be a better fridgie for having digital gauges and you are aware of any limitations of what your trying to do i think they are great!
just my opinion anyway

Quote:

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Originally Posted by stufus

I wouldn't !! overpriced,overrated and unreliable .
Personally I use the Yellow Jacket system analyzer practically all the same features a lot cheaper and apart from a small software issue at the start (sorted FOC)very rugged and reliable . Software updates free from the YJ website.
But hey each to their own.


Cheers
Stu

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Hi Stu

might try them out meself mate .... was certain I would get a set of testo's one day till started hearing so many varied reports on reliability .... gonna have a browse & check out the price .... did see a set of mastercool digital gauges a while back but the only reason I did not try them was they were a fith of the testo price & that made me dubious

R's www.chillerman.com

I've been looking at the testo 557, the fieldpeice sman2 or sman3.
Problem is here they are ridicously expensive locally. A few hundred dollars cheaper bought overseas.
To tell the truth, most of my gear is bought overseas. I research, find something rock solid, and buy cheaper overseas without warranty. So far so good.
From what I can tell though, not a single digital manifold is that reliable. So I am not willing to buy locally and get ripped off, or take the risk and buying from overseas because the odds are the product will develop a fault.
So I'll just forget about them until prices drop and/or reliability increases.

Edit: CM, I wouldn't look at anything else rather than digicool (need own manifold, it's just a actual gauge replacement to replace you analogue guages on your existing manifold setup), the testo, or the fieldpiece sman 2 or 3.
I don't think anyone has said a positive word about any other brand of digital manifold or gauges besides those three brands.

late edit:
The oyellow jacket that stu mentioned might be the original digicool I mentioned. Yellow jacket sold them complete and rebadged digicool with a yellow jacket manifold.
It's discontinued though, only the old digital YJ used the old digicool. The new yellow jacket uses a different digital meter on their new digital gauges.
I was really tempted to get that old digicool/YJ setup as they seemed to have the best reliablity and I wouldn't have to provide my own manifold if I bought yellow jacket branded gauges instead of digicool branded direct.
But it's a superseded model so I don't think it's worth paying top dollar for the olderdigicool/ YJ manifold (that's if you can find them now).

I would have got them if I was buying a digital manifold about a year ago though. Definitely seem the most reliable, and fixed the sticking point with me (digicool being gauges only, no manifold). But I'm looking to upgrade mainly because my manifold and hoses are crap and need replacing, and decent manifolds here alone are very pricey, so was preferring replacing all together, hence I had a look at the testo 557 and the fieldpiece sman2

Quote:

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Originally Posted by paul_h

Edit: CM, I wouldn't look at anything else rather than digicool (need own manifold, it's just a actual gauge replacement to replace you analogue guages on your existing manifold setup),

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Thanks Paul

I will have a look at them, as for me its just a bit of gimmick, the testo would have had to be good and reliable, take a few knocks or would have binned them and they are about £1k here plus more with all probes ect that I already have in k type ... some nice digi gauges on my trusty pro set manifold's that I prefer would be ideal, cheers

R’s Chillerman

Quote:

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Originally Posted by chillerman2006

the testo would have had to be good and reliable, take a few knocks or would have binned them and they are about £1k here plus more with all probes ect

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Testo aren't that expensive, not £1000, unless you want all the data logging software and all sorts of extraneous stuff. These were the ones I was looking at http://shop.testodirect.co.uk/oozicg...ion/c-1-69-90/

Still interested in the 557 myself, but only found USA online sellers. I like the sensors, the 4 way manifold with 3/8" vac. And like I said, my manifolds aren't that great anymore. so a 557 for $500 or a digicool plus a 4 way manifold for $900 are my choices.

So I'm still considering looking at a testo 557 if I can find anyone in the UK selling them at a decent price. USA sellers found but postage is triple the cost from there compared to the UK, so searching at the UK mainly, and I haven't found anyone yet. It goes without saying that digicool is USA only, so add high high postage to the $900 for the digital gauges and then again for the manifold (cause there's nothing here cheap anyway, even pricey stuff isn't that good as what I could get from overseas - so pricey and average quality, or pricey and good, but from overseas with a high postage cost if from USA)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Paul_h

Testo aren't that expensive, not £1000, unless you want all the data logging software and all sorts of extraneous stuff. These were the ones I was looking at http://shop.testodirect.co.uk/oozicg...ion/c-1-69-90/

Still interested in the 557 myself, but only found USA online sellers. I like the sensors, the 4 way manifold with 3/8" vac. And like I said, my manifolds aren't that great anymore. so a 557 for $500 or a digicool plus a 4 way manifold for $900 are my choices.

So I'm still considering looking at a testo 557 if I can find anyone in the UK selling them at a decent price. USA sellers found but postage is triple the cost from there compared to the UK, so searching at the UK mainly, and I haven't found anyone yet. It goes without saying that digicool is USA only, so add high high postage to the $900 for the digital gauges and then again for the manifold (cause there's nothing here cheap anyway, even pricey stuff isn't that good as what I could get from overseas - so pricey and average quality, or pricey and good, but from overseas with a high postage cost if from USA)

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Hey Paul.
The link below is the same as yours I think?
Only the 557 is linked at the bottom of the page.
I don't know whether they ship to Oz?

There is one way to find out though!
Cheers Grizzly

http://shop.testodirect.co.uk/

Think my Testo 550 were £295 inc case and two temp sensors, no gauge lines though.

Jon :)

Hey CM
Here's the link for the Yellow Jacket kit.
Dual K-type inputs for real time SH and SC,data logging as standard,software upgrades free once you register on the web site (free).Titan 4 way manifold 3/8 vac and 50 inch lines.
http://www.yellowjacket.com/node/928
I paid 700 or 750 euros , But considered them such a good investment i bought a second set
Cheers
Stu

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Grizzly

Hey Paul.
The link below is the same as yours I think?
Only the 557 is linked at the bottom of the page.
I don't know whether they ship to Oz?

There is one way to find out though!
Cheers Grizzly

http://shop.testodirect.co.uk/

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Nah every manufacturer wants me to go through their local australian distributor (that adds on a few hundred to the price)
So if I want to buy from overseas it has to be a wholesaler willing to sell direct, or ebay.com or ebay.co.uk or amazon UK or USA etc

Here's one
http://cgi.ebay.ie/TESTO-550-DIGITAL...#ht_3980wt_924
Cheers
Stu

Thanks, but I am specifically after the newer 557 with a 4 way manifold, and don't want to buy from europe. Prefer UK only (cheapest postage), and if not USA. European postage not any cheaper than USA, and lots of stuff tends to go missing from europe.

Paul

I got this lot to price last year, very very competitive and when i rang them for the full 557 with wireless etc they dropped the price again,

http://www.jmwlimited.co.uk/Testo_55..._Manifold.html

al

Pm me your email and i'll send on the price i got if i still have it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by stufus

Hey CM
Here's the link for the Yellow Jacket kit.
Dual K-type inputs for real time SH and SC,data logging as standard,software upgrades free once you register on the web site (free).Titan 4 way manifold 3/8 vac and 50 inch lines.
http://www.yellowjacket.com/node/928
I paid 700 or 750 euros , But considered them such a good investment i bought a second set
Cheers
Stu

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Thanks for the link Mate

Much appreciated,

I like the look of them very nice, manifold is type I go for too

R's chillerman

i got my testo 556 direct from testo for $249 AU on special, that was the bare tool, no sensors or case.

QUOTE=paul_h;240441]I've been looking at the testo 557, the fieldpeice sman2 or sman3.
Problem is here they are ridicously expensive locally. A few hundred dollars cheaper bought overseas.
To tell the truth, most of my gear is bought overseas. I research, find something rock solid, and buy cheaper overseas without warranty. So far so good.
From what I can tell though, not a single digital manifold is that reliable. So I am not willing to buy locally and get ripped off, or take the risk and buying from overseas because the odds are the product will develop a fault.
So I'll just forget about them until prices drop and/or reliability increases.

Edit: CM, I wouldn't look at anything else rather than digicool (need own manifold, it's just a actual gauge replacement to replace you analogue guages on your existing manifold setup), the testo, or the fieldpiece sman 2 or 3.
I don't think anyone has said a positive word about any other brand of digital manifold or gauges besides those three brands.

late edit:
The oyellow jacket that stu mentioned might be the original digicool I mentioned. Yellow jacket sold them complete and rebadged digicool with a yellow jacket manifold.
It's discontinued though, only the old digital YJ used the old digicool. The new yellow jacket uses a different digital meter on their new digital gauges.
I was really tempted to get that old digicool/YJ setup as they seemed to have the best reliablity and I wouldn't have to provide my own manifold if I bought yellow jacket branded gauges instead of digicool branded direct.
But it's a superseded model so I don't think it's worth paying top dollar for the olderdigicool/ YJ manifold (that's if you can find them now).

I would have got them if I was buying a digital manifold about a year ago though. Definitely seem the most reliable, and fixed the sticking point with me (digicool being gauges only, no manifold). But I'm looking to upgrade mainly because my manifold and hoses are crap and need replacing, and decent manifolds here alone are very pricey, so was preferring replacing all together, hence I had a look at the testo 557 and the fieldpiece sman2[/QUOTE]

Paul,

If your looking for the older yj branded digi gauges, they are made here in canada. I know of the man out in vancouver island who makes them. He still sells them under his brand which is Digi-Cool. Has a sale on right now too. But if your looking for a testo, well hate to plug it but i'm selling mine.[

Thanks Figaro

I think I will wait a while too and see what becomes reliable

might just pick up a couple of digicool gauges for my manifold

as was going yellowjacket and thats what these are

R's chillerman