Be careful even of trusted tube vendors. Tested as top grade.

[don'ttrustauthority]

Even the most reputable tube vendors are able to test crooked tubes.

 

[hmscott]

Yipe!, well, to give them the benefit of the doubt - that bend could have happened *after* it was tested, during handling / storage / shipping. Generally the experienced employee's wouldn't force something onto a tube like that, but there might be warehouse or shipping / order fulfillment people without "hands-on" knowledge about tubes that bent those pins.

Speaking of "there", where did you buy this damaged tube? And, what did they say when you sent them the photo to start the RMA?

 

[mhardy6647]

bent pin per se is no big deal -- although it suggests that the tube is a pull rather than a new tube.
It would be hard to do that removing a tube from a tube tester socket IMO and IME.

You (the OP) should probably invest in a pin straightener. Heck, many tube testers have pin straightener sockets built into 'em!
Trying to straighten a pin "manually" (e.g., with pliers or hemostats) runs the risk of cracking the envelope and releasing the vacuum... umm, I mean, not releasing the vacuum... urrm, ehmmmm... you know what I mean!

(borrowed image of a particularly scroungy looking GC 7 and 9 pin miniature tube pin straightener)

 

[egellings]

Releasing the vacuum-funny, that. What, exactly, escaped? How about losing the vacuum?

 

[mhardy6647]

Releasing the vacuum-funny, that. What, exactly, escaped? How about losing the vacuum?

or just letting the air in.

 

[egellings]

That'll do it!

 

[Blumlein 88]

Farside cartoon.

 

[JuliaCoder]

RCA stopped making tubes in the '70s and warehoused 100 billion of them to be replacements for the life of existing equipment. Why would anyone manufacture tubes now? They aren't nearly as vulnerable to EMP but why else use them?

 

[mhardy6647]

View attachment 137594

Farside cartoon.

Nature -- and cats.

 

[julian_hughes]

I've discovered those new fangled transistors. They even sound better!

 

[MakeMineVinyl]

RCA stopped making tubes in the '70s and warehoused 100 billion of them to be replacements for the life of existing equipment. Why would anyone manufacture tubes now? They aren't nearly as vulnerable to EMP but why else use them?

If you have to ask.....................

 

[mhardy6647]

Well... transistors don't look nearly as good in the dark.

DSC_0132 by Mark Hardy, on Flickr

I mean, really -- note that Warren Zevon never wrote:

I hear mariachi static on my radio,
And the transistors, they glow in the dark...

 

[Blumlein 88]

I've seen transistors glow. They just don't glow long before they let the smoke out.

 

[mhardy6647]

I've seen transistors glow. They just don't glow long before they let the smoke out.

Yeah, I thought about mentioning that as well -- but I demurred.

 

[egellings]

Whatever tickles you nun handles! Enjoy.