Re: New Variac (and lots of ?'s)

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "Ed Phillips by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <evp-at-pacbell-dot-net>

Tesla list wrote:
> 
> Original poster: "Mccauley, Daniel H by way of Terry Fritz
<twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <daniel.h.mccauley-at-lmco-dot-com>
> 
> Hate to say it, but you got ripped off.  You should have tried ebay.  I just
> bought (2) 240VAC, 40A variacs off the site in the past two weeks for only
> $30.00 each. Plus for $190 i would expect at least a variac in good
> condition in which i didn't have to make any changes to.
> 
> Dan
> 
> 
>         I finally bought a Powerstat variac from C and H Sales.  I got it
> for
> $190.  Now the questions:

	Repeat!  It helps to know what the thing (whatever it is) is worth
before buying from C&H and lots of other surplus dealers.  They're not
crooks, but they look at other guys prices (who probably do the same)
and set the price where they think it will sell. Depending on how long
the thing has been around and who you talk to, you can frequently do a
lot of bargaining.  It's easier face-to-face, of course. This particular
price does seem way high, though, and it wouldn't hurt to complain
bitterly.  Might not help, either.

	A few years back they had a bunch of motor-driven three-phase variacs
sitting in their warehouse and I never saw any move.  As I recall they
were 220V units, about 10" in diameter, but don't remember the name
plate rating.

Ed