What's a good Tube Tester to purchase?

[Phil Nelson]

I'm in the same camp as bob91343. An inexpensive emission type tester will get the basic job done, which is to weed out duds. You can spend loads of $$$ on a fancy tester, but it won't necessarily help you restore the average TV any faster.

Vintage testers may need the same level of restoration as any other vintage device. I favor something new enough to be reliable, since I to use the tester as an everyday tool, not as a collectible that you dust off and play with once or twice a year.

Certain tube functions (notably, oscillation) can't be tested reliably by a tester. Also, in a surprising number of cases, a so-called "weak" tube will perform just as well as a brand-new one. Testers are useful, but don't get the idea they will tell you everything about every tube in every possible application.

Just my $0.02.

Phil Nelson