How many of you have been to a flea market and contemplated the purchase of a Heathkit or any other 'kit' product? Are you concerned about the quality of workmanship and will you have to correct someone else's problems? The answer will surprise you. A former Heath technician who specialized in helping customers get faulty kits to work reiterates his experiences.
"THE WORST kit assemblers were adults who were electrical engineers. Typically, they DID NOT follow the instructions because they thought they knew a better way." Some of the mistakes were so ludicrous that a standing phrase around Heath was 'a trained chimp could have done better'.
Another group which sometimes presented problems of their own doing were technicians who liked to take shortcuts. Good technicians were smart enough to follow the Heath instructions as written. Many mistakes were made by kids or teenagers because they tended to be in a hurry to 'make it play', which is typical of younger people who expect instant results and gratification.
The BEST assemblers were adults who had no electronics background and who saw themselves in a 'learning' mode". In closing, the best advice that could be be dispensed when purchasing ANY piece of gear is to physically inspect the unit and ensure that it's in operational order before purchasing it.