Manager


Manager - NA4M
Manager Notes

Reviews For: RF Parts 3-500ZG

Category: Electron Tubes

eMail Subscription

Registered users are allowed to subscribe to specific review topics and receive eMail notifications when new reviews are posted.
Review Summary For : RF Parts 3-500ZG
Reviews: 41MSRP: 119.00
Description:
RF Parts graphite plate 3-500Z tube
Product is in production
More Info: https://www.rfparts.com/tubes/tubes-3500.html?p=1
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
25415
W8NIC Rating: 2023-02-06
Best tube in my opinion Time Owned: more than 12 months.
If used properly, will last the expected 12000 hours (excluding down time).
And, still in production at an affordable price. My amp has 3 of them in it which puts out 1500+++ watts at 70w drive.
Great tube!
K4LJF Rating: 2022-12-08
Excellent Tube from RF Parts Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Excellent packing with foam and peanuts, fast shipping. Placed matched pair of 3-500ZG's in my SB-220, and they worked better than the original Eimac tubes. 40 watts carrier drive in - 400 watts out. DC power in vs power out for 72% efficiency in the amp. Great purchase and would buy again. 73, K4LJF
N8WGM Rating: 2022-04-16
Excellent Tubes and highly recommended Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
My Heathkit SB220 had the original Eimac 3-500's and while still operational with 1200 watts out on most bands, I wanted to make sure that I had tubes that will last me till I check out of here.

I ordered from their web site....no tax charged...unlike E-bay....so it was a no brainer. While the tubes have gone up in price, they are still a good deal as compared to say the 3cx800's which have gone into orbit on price. So the Heathkit is an excellent near legal limit amp.

The RF Parts 3-500G tubes are well built and are packed for shipping like they expected gorillas to handle the shipping. They were ordered on Monday and came via Fedex on Saturday. Installed them and fired the amp up. Power was a bit more than the factory 3-500's. I get 1350 watts on 80 meters and 1475 watts on 40 meters.

Overall, I highly recommend the RF parts 3-500ZG tubes. A bit less expensive than the Penta Labs 3-500's but either choice is a good one.
N3RT Rating: 2021-10-22
Excellent Tubes! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I bought a matched pair of RF Parts 3-500ZG tubes. They arrived in a few days in a terrifically packed box, lots of white peanuts in a large box, and custom foam holding the tubes in their 2 individual boxes. Impressive. Put them in my Ameritron AL-82 that had some older tubes, and the amp performs like new! Much smoother tuning, less heat, and great power on all bands. I highly recommend.
W5KVA Rating: 2021-06-20
3-500ZG Tube Matching Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
UPDATE:
RF Parts has stepped up to the plate and rectified the issue I had with the matched pair of 3-500ZG's I purchased two weeks ago. Sincere thanks goes out to Merit, Dean and Steve in taking care of this, and especially for putting up with me. Kudos!!

Original post:
These tubes seem very good INDIVIDUALLY, I say that because the matched pair I just purchased on June 04-2021 exude the characteristics of not being properly matched, in fact far from it. When one tube is dissipating much more heat (orange vs red) and the pair is swapped in their respective socket positions the issue moves to the new tube location/socket. Simply put, it's obvious it's not the amplifier that's at fault here.


FUFFNER Rating: 2021-03-06
Excellent Performance Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Purchased a matched set of RF Parts 3-500Z's. I installed them into my Henry 2KD-5 amplifier. The first thing that I noticed was the increased power output with much less drive. This was also previously mentioned by another reviewer. So far, the tubes have proven to be very reliable with no issues. With 50 watts input to my amplifier, I can easily get 1000+ watts output.
NE8P Rating: 2021-03-05
Work Great in AL-82 Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Received the well packed tubes 4 days after ordering. Dropped them in the amplifier, fired it up (no need to burn in since RF Parts burns them in for for 24 hours and then performance tests), and Viola!, 1500 watts output on all bands.

I've purchsed dozens of parts from RF Parts over the years, and the service and quality has always been first rate.
N0XWR Rating: 2019-09-29
Great tube and service Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
The newest series of the RF Parts 3-500ZG is a fantastic tube. It has the white ceramic base and the anode cap is fused much like the Amperex. They have made a nice addition to my TL-922. Merit and Joe provided time and advice to help.
KG7MB Rating: 2018-03-28
3-500zg Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Good tube, last one made it almost 8 years of constant use. Great costumer service. I only wish i had remembered to get a new rf parts cap as mine is
looking pretty ragged :)
K7PWR Rating: 2018-01-11
Excellant! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Just purchased a matched set of RF Parts 3-500zg tubes for my Kenwood TL-922A amplifier. Overall, Iam VERY impressed. The tubes seem to be real rugged, and dont warm up like the old Eimac 3-500z's. Also, at full power on ssb, I do not see the tubes get that bright cherry red glow like the Eimac's. Not sure if thats good, or bad. Power output seems alot higher too. Hmmm.. Anyways, Im a happy camper. So far, so good. Knock on wood.