Top 10 Reasons Why VSA-Series Vibration Spectrum Analyzers
Are Right for You and Your Company

Times have changed. Maintenance budgets are tight. The attrition rate of in-house vibration analysts is high. And management expects more done in less time. At the same time, the cost of downtime lost production due to equipment failure and unscheduled maintenance keeps climbing. It's time for a change. Here are 10 ways Datastick can help.

1. Low Cost of Entry: Reasons 2 - 10 are Meaningless Without This One.
We have two kinds of customers: Those who are just getting into vibration analysis as part of a predictive maintenance program, and those who have been doing it for a long time. And we have two more kinds of customers: Big companies and not-so-big companies. What do they all have in common? They don’t want to spend any more money than they have to. Exact prices depend on your needs and we’d be happy to give you a quote, but to give you an idea, our prices start UNDER the capital equipment cost threshold for many companies.

2. No Annual License Fee: We Won’t Bleed You Dry.
While we’re on the subject of money, here’s something else: Many of our customers are getting rid of vibration analyzers made by some of the best-known names in the vibration analyzer market, because THEY require an annual license fee and we don’t. To hear our customers talk about it, those “best-known” names would be the subject of a Crime Scene Investigation of an Incessant Revenue Demand. At Datastick, we don’t require an annual fee.

3. The Features You Need: Low Cost of Entry Doesn’t Mean Entry-Level Capabilities.
VSA-series vibration analyzer/data collectors have all features you need to do all of your routine vibration troubleshooting and inspection-route work and even a large portion of your specialized work. You can have FFTs up to 3,200 lines, maximum frequencies up to 20 kHz, spectrum averaging, touch-screen zoom and cursor readout tools, ISO or custom overall vibration alert levels and much more. VSA handheld vibration analyzers also have noise floors so low that they put vibration analyzers costing several times as much to shame. Of course they use standard two-wire piezo (ICP®-type) accelerometers and velocity sensors. One more thing — the VSA systems can hold LOTS of vibration data: the other guys think 128 MB or 512 MB or even 1 GB of storage is impressive. It was, once. The VSA handheld vibration analyzers have virtually unlimited storage for your vibration data because they can write data directly to low-cost SD memory cards of up to 2 GB each and you can use as many as you want.

4. VSA Series Vibration Spectrum Analyzers Really ARE Handheld: In ONE Hand
In the early days, “portable” meant, “It weighs 35 pounds or 15 kilos and it has a handle.” Later, “portable” meant you could hang it from your shoulder with only moderate pain. Now “portable” is giving way to “handheld,” and that usually means around four pounds or two kilos and you hold it in two hands. We’re changing that with the Datastick VSA series handheld Vibration Spectrum Analyzers. When we say handheld, we mean 10 ounces or about 285 grams. We mean you can hold it in one hand when you’re using it and put it in your pocket when you’re finished.

5. Easy to Operate: You Can Focus on Getting Good Data, Not on Which Button to Push
One of the main reasons we base our Vibration Spectrum Analyzers on handheld computers (PDAs) is because of the high resolution touch screens that are so much a part of their design. We pack a lot of information into a full color 320 x 480 pixel screen and that very same screen is a straightforward user interface that is so intuitive that it becomes second nature — usually the first day you use it.

6. Easy to Learn: (We Know You Probably Won’t Read the Manual).
Many of our customers start using their VSA system without ever looking at the manual. We like to hear that because we designed it so that someone who is generally familiar with vibration analysis can dive right in after spending about a half hour to become familiar with the handheld computer. So even if you don’t read the fine manual (great as it is), you’ll probably do okay anyway.

7. We Help You Learn How to Use It: Videos and Web Seminars to the Rescue.
So if you don’t read the manual or you’re not familiar with vibration analysis, then what? You watch a video. Datastick VSA handheld systems come with demonstration videos and five instructional videos that will get you going in about an hour and a quarter. And if you still have questions, you can attend one of our Getting Started web seminars and get expert instruction from our support staff. Need to know more about vibration and vibration analysis? Come to one of our live two-day vibration training seminars.

8. Our Tech Support Really Works: Call, Email, or Skype* – We’ll Make Sure You’re Happy.
After Reasons 6 and 7 above, you probably won’t even need tech support, but if you do, you’ll find it friendly, accurate, and fast. Call us, email us, or use Skype, and as one of our customers said, we’ll treat you “ . . . like a person, not just a name on a list.”

9. Open Software: Share Data with Anyone.
Every VSA system comes with Datastick Reporting System™ open PC software. It’s based on Excel. Nearly everyone in business has Excel, which means you can share your data by saving a report and emailing it to whoever needs it. It also means that making more elaborate reports in Word or PowerPoint is a snap.

10. Not a Vibration Expert? Hire One. Are You a Vibration Consultant? Come Aboard.
We’ve heard this over and over: “Our only in-house vibration expert retired five years ago.” We’ve also heard this: “We don’t have time to train someone to Category IV vibration analyst.” It’s clear that not all companies have in-house vibration expertise. You don’t need to. Take a look at Reason 9 just above. You can send reports and data to anyone, and that means you can hire any vibration consultant you like. All the software he needs is Excel. And if you are a consultant, outfitting your clients with VSA systems can make a lot of economic sense for you AND your clients. Call and we’ll give you a head full of ideas.

BONUS REASON 11. The Day of the Big Box is Over: Dinosaurs Died for a Reason.
Dinosaurs died because they were no longer suited to the environment. The big boxes from the “well known” companies will fade away too — and for the same reason. Big, expensive hard-to-use devices with annual fees and proprietary software just aren’t right for today’s business and maintenance environment. Times change. Circumstances change. But the need for vibration analysis in maintenance is more important than ever. That’s why you need Datastick.

* Never heard of Skype? You would probably like to, because it will save you a ton of money. Call anywhere in the world for free. All you need is a computer, a headset and Skype software, which is also free. Two-way video is free too. It's great for support calls. We can say, “Here, let me show you. . . ”. Click here for more information.