Fluke Donates Multimeters To SparkFun As Goodwill Gesture 250
Actually, I do RTFA writes "We recently heard about the confiscation of a delivery of multimeters to SparkFun for infringing on Fluke's trademark. One common thread in the discussions was the theme that Fluke should have let that shipment through as a goodwill gesture to SparkFun and the Maker community. Well, Fluke did one better. They announced they were sending more than $30k worth of official multimeters to SparkFun for them to do whatever they want with. SparkFun is most likely going to give them away. A great example of win-win-win?"
One better? Well, sort of. (Score:2, Interesting)
That original $30,000 shipment was apparently 2,000 multimeters. I'm guessing that $30,000 "worth" of Fluke meters, while a nice gift, will constitute a lot fewer units, meaning fewer makers will end up getting their hands on a meter.
Re:No. (Score:5, Interesting)
How is this a good thing for SparkFun? (Score:4, Interesting)
So, SparkFun, a company in the business of selling multimeters, is now being gifted a large number of its competitors superior product. How is this a good thing? They've still lost a ton of money on their own shipment, and can't even give away the Fluke meters without likely reducing the demand for their own product, and probably making their product look bad in comparison as well. Maybe they could sell them to try to recoup some of their losses, but that risks damaging their public image.
Unless they can manage some seriously good PR spin, this looks to me kind of like SparkFun is receiving a very polite and well-spoken slap in the face by Fluke.
Re:Good PR Move (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Good PR Move (Score:4, Interesting)
a long time ago, I would have said fluke could afford it.
but fluke is no longer fluke. tektronics is not tek and keithley is not keithley. they are ALL danaher now. what does that say? the industry greats (seriously world-class great) could not survive on their own and some non-test gear company bought them. ALL!
agilent is still - oh wait - they changed names. who are they now? doesn't matter, I guess. they are not in the danaher family.
who else is still a big player in test gear, ignoring the one-hung-low companies? danaher has most of the big players now. very strange how that worked out.
maybe danaher is rich, but seeing what tek is doing these days (outsourcing all but their top-end gear) and seeing that keithley is outsourcing to 1HL companies as well, I'm just not sure any of those companies are all that rich these days.