I have some vintage vacuum tube testers for sale, and are listed here on this page. Anyone who has a sizeable investment in vacuum tubes or vacuum tube hi-fi equipment owes it to themselves to have a good tube tester on hand to periodically check the tubes they are using. You can take a more active role in "tube rolling" as you can match your own pairs, and keep tabs on the tubes you are currently using and know well in advance of when replacement time is near.

Tube testers have been out of production since the late 1970s, and supplies are only fair at this time. The prices have been steadily on the rise, especially with the frenzied buying of certain vintage testers on eBay and other online auction sites. Some of these sell prices of certain brands and models are grossly inflated. Hopefully on this webpage I can present good vintage tube testers at reasonable prices, away from the frenzy of the online auctionplace.

Hickok Model 800 Tube Tester

This is probably one of the most popular of the Hickok vintage tube testers. The 800 represents the best of both worlds: ease of use with an English "Good-Bad" scale, plus the accuracy of a true dynamic mutual conductance tester that can be set to read actual micromhos. It's a real Hickok, and it has the same famous Gm tube testing circuit as the famous 539C, TV-2, and TV-7! The tester inside and out, as you can see, is in very good to excellent condition. It will test antique type tubes, and four pin base types like the 2A3 and 300B. It has sockets for standard 9 and 7 pin glass types, plus loktal and octal sockets....which are the most often needed. This tester has such advanced features as a sensitive leakage, shorts, and gas test that read directly on the meter. Shorts and leakage can be read in ohms on a special scale on the meter face. This is what makes this tester valuable like the 539C type....no shorts lamps that may miss some shorts and leakage, but a direct meter readout! The tester even includes a transistor tester built in that also reads both gain and leakage on the meter. This tester itself shows low wear and is overall clean with no bad sockets. All parts are intact, including a smooth running roll chart for tube settings. The 5Y3 and 83 tubes inside have been replaced with balanced section NOS tubes. Finding one of the Hickok "red suitcase" models, especially the high-end 800 in superb condition is very rare. An instruction manual is included, along with the complete settings update book, which has settings for European, obsolete/antique, and industrial tubes. It has been completely checked out, including calibration and bench testing, and is fully guaranteed. These are rare and usually priced at $800 or more for a clean and calibrated unit, and getting outside calibration service would cost you even more! Highlights include:

• Accurate merit test is easily read on the English type GOOD-BAD scale. Micromho scale for accurate Gm measurements and tube balancing.
• "English" dial is marked for simple good-bad tube tests, or set it to the tube chart and read the Gm on one of 3 scales on the meter!
• Measures true transconductance, the most accurate method to test tubes.
• Very sensitive leakage test reads on the meter.
• Calibration checked and found to be accurate. Type 83 and 5Y3GT tubes inside replaced with NOS.
• Has sockets for most late model hifi tubes, plus sockets for all antique types.
• Sensitive shorts tests reads directly on the meter.
• Very sensitive gas test.
• Calibration pot for setting power line level, with indication on the meter, to insure accurate tests regardless of line voltage variations.
• Free running roll chart. Owner's manual included.
• Main power fused by front panel lamp for safety and ease of replacement.
• $700.00 plus insured shipping.
• Ask us about getting a calibration reference tube to go with this tester!

$700.00 Plus Shipping

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Questions? Call us at 847-496-4546 from 8 AM until 4 PM, Monday through Friday, USA Central Standard Time. Or, e-mail us.

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