Warning: That free cable toner from a supplier nearly cost me a full day's work

Three months ago I took a free toner from a supplier at a job fair in Nashville. Used it on a tricky run in an old apartment building last Tuesday. The thing started beeping randomly on every wire I touched. Turns out it was crossing signals with a neighbor's setup and I spent 4 hours tracing the wrong line. Had to borrow a Fluke from a buddy to finish. Has anyone else had cheap toners give them false readings like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

wells.christopher14h ago

Hold up though, free gear from a supplier is almost always intended as a promotional item, not something you'd rely on for actual troubleshooting. I've grabbed a few of those over the years and learned the hard way they're basically toys to get you in the door. Grab a proper tester from the start and you won't waste half a day chasing ghosts.

betty_perry248h ago

Friend of mine swore by a free multimeter he got from a parts supplier at a trade show. Took him two days to figure out why a brand new thermostat wasn't getting power. Turns out the meter was reading about 4 volts low on the low end, so everything looked dead when it was fine. He swapped in a Fluke he borrowed from a neighbor and found the problem in ten minutes. That free meter is now a paperweight in his garage.