My reasons for hating them are not related to features of functions, it's all about the work-flow.
There is always that moment when you have to trouble-shoot something and it's not in a convenient place, and you have to move all that stuff and get it setup and... arrrghhhh!

Yeah, I know what you mean. And I agree, moving around the laptop and the scope, and setting them up, and finding enough space in the workbench for them can be cumbersome.

 

I've got a Rigol DS2072a that I've been happy with, though I'm only a hobbyist:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00H80HJ8Q/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Be aware that it IS a thing for the manufacturers to enable all the features in "trial" mode where you have all features for x number of hours, then it reverts to only a basic set of features. To add the features back you have to buy a license. You enter a code on the scope and that permanently enables the features that you bought. Some of the features can be very expensive. Once in a while they will have a sale where you buy the scope and get the extra features free. I bought mine during this type of sale, and you just send your serial number to Rigol and they send you back the code. Their support was actually pretty good. There are some hack tools online to enable the features for free, but I haven't tried it myself and can't say if it works or not. Not to go off on a tangent, but I wonder how the manufacturers actually feel about that, knowing that some hobbyists will buy a device over a competing device because they can enable more features than the competing product, but pros will most likely buy a license. Similar business model to software that allows the hobbyist to use it free, but you must buy a license for professional use.

 

Well after much reading I have opted for the Siglent SDS1102CNL which will be delivered by Thursday...I wanted the Siglent SDS1102X but just couldn't stretch the budget, do I also need to buy probes?...this scope comes with probes but are they good enough?, this is just a hobby for me so I don't need to be worrying about R&D work and noise issues.

Neil.

 

Looks like a good choice.

What does the X buy you?

 

I've got a Rigol DS2072a that I've been happy with, though I'm only a hobbyist:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00H80HJ8Q/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Be aware that it IS a thing for the manufacturers to enable all the features in "trial" mode where you have all features for x number of hours, then it reverts to only a basic set of features. To add the features back you have to buy a license. You enter a code on the scope and that permanently enables the features that you bought. Some of the features can be very expensive. Once in a while they will have a sale where you buy the scope and get the extra features free. I bought mine during this type of sale, and you just send your serial number to Rigol and they send you back the code. Their support was actually pretty good. There are some hack tools online to enable the features for free, but I haven't tried it myself and can't say if it works or not. Not to go off on a tangent, but I wonder how the manufacturers actually feel about that, knowing that some hobbyists will buy a device over a competing device because they can enable more features than the competing product, but pros will most likely buy a license. Similar business model to software that allows the hobbyist to use it free, but you must buy a license for professional use.

Why is this scope so much more expensive than other Rigols of similar bandwidth? Is it the faster sample rate?

 

Looks like a good choice.

What does the X buy you?

More buttons to play with lol

Has to be more than that but I didn't investigate since I couldn't afford it.

 

Why is this scope so much more expensive than other Rigols of similar bandwidth? Is it the faster sample rate?

I don't remember all the differences so it would be good to google a comparison, but I do remember that the displays were different. The 2000 series is more similar to an analog scope display, because the pixels can show variable intensity instead of just on/off. So you get gradients instead of just solid colors. There were other differences too, this one just sticks out in my mind.