Visited a tiny repair shop in Santa Fe and they still use a Graflex shutter tester from the 50s

2 comments

2 Comments

Wait, is this actually serious or is it just a cool novelty piece? I've seen guys with vintage test gear that barely works but they keep it on the shelf for looks. Did you see if it actually gave accurate readings or was it just sitting there as decoration?

derekgibson13d ago

Man @robinwalker I gotta push back on that a little. Yeah, some vintage gear is just shelf candy, but this old HP stuff was built like a tank. I've got a 1960s HP 410C voltmeter that still tracks within 2% of my Fluke 87 after a quick calibration check. It's not something you'd use for precision work every day, but for poking around tube amps or old radio gear it's totally usable. The transformers and mechanical switches in those things are way overbuilt compared to modern plastic stuff. So if it's a clean unit that wasn't abused, odds are it's still a tool not just a paperweight.