Hobby oscilloscopes, compared
Every scope people actually buy for a home bench, side by side — with the three columns the spec sheets won't give you: can the firmware be unlocked (and where that stands today), are the claimed specs real (the FNIRSI problem), and what the warranty is actually worth if you buy grey-market. Click a column to sort; every model has a full page with the gotchas.
Specs are from vendor datasheets and community sources (EEVblog and friends), checked July 2026 — not independently verified. Unlocks may void warranties and get patched; the model pages track status.
16 of 16 scopes
| Scope | BW MHz | Ch | Bits | GSa/s | Mpts | AWG | Unlock | Price ▲ | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FNIRSI DSO152claimed* | — | 1 | 8 | 0.0025 | — | — | — | $20–30 | Buy → |
| FNIRSI 2C53Tclaimed* | 50 | 2 | 8 | 0.25 | — | ✓ | — | $60–90 | Buy → |
| FNIRSI 1013Dclaimed*declining | 100 | 2 | 8 | 1 | — | — | — | $90–130 | Buy → |
| Hantek DSO2C10 | 100 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 8 | — | unlockable | $110–160 | Buy → |
| Rigol DHO802 | 70 | 2 | 12 | 1.25 | 25 | — | unlockable | $230–300 | Buy → |
| OWON SDS1104 | 100 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 40 | — | — | $230–300 | Buy → |
| Rigol DS1054Zdeclining | 50 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 24 | — | unlockable | $280–360 | Buy → |
| Rigol DHO804 | 70 | 4 | 12 | 1.25 | 25 | — | unlockable | $300–420 | Buy → |
| Siglent SDS804X HDrising | 70 | 4 | 12 | 2 | 100 | — | unlockable | $340–470 | Buy → |
| Siglent SDS1104X-Edeclining | 100 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 14 | — | unlockable | $340–500 | Buy → |
| Rigol DHO814 | 100 | 4 | 12 | 1.25 | 25 | — | unlockable | $380–500 | Buy → |
| Siglent SDS814X HDrising | 100 | 4 | 12 | 2 | 100 | — | unlockable | $430–590 | Buy → |
| Rigol DHO914S | 125 | 4 | 12 | 1.25 | 50 | ✓ | unlockable | $550–770 | Buy → |
| Keysight EDUX1052G | 50 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 0.2 | ✓ | — | $550–700 | Buy → |
| Siglent SDS824X HD | 200 | 4 | 12 | 2 | 100 | — | — | $700–900 | Buy → |
| Rigol DHO924S | 250 | 4 | 12 | 1.25 | 50 | ✓ | — | $750–900 | Buy → |
The short version
- First serious scope: Rigol DHO804 or Siglent SDS804X HD — the entry-12-bit fight; the Rigol is silent and hackable, the Siglent wins the spec sheet (2 GSa/s, 100 Mpts).
- One-box home lab: DHO914S — scope + 16-ch logic analyzer + AWG + Bode plot.
- Absolute budget: Hantek DSO2C10 (honest and basic) — not a tablet scope with imaginary specs.
- Pocket money: FNIRSI DSO152 — $25 to see a waveform, sold here with honest expectations.
- The classic advice ("get a DS1054Z") is dated: see why the hand-off to the DHO generation is complete.
Also from atomic14: the ESP32 module, board & sensor database.