EXFO FLS-300, MaxTester 720C Price, and Broadcom: A Buyer FAQ

I've been handling field test equipment orders for a fiber contractor for seven years. I've personally made and documented eleven significant mistakes, totaling roughly $26,000 in wasted budget—maybe $28,000, I'd have to add it up. This FAQ is my way of keeping you from making the same ones.

Here are the questions this page answers:

• Is the EXFO FLS-300 still worth buying in 2025?
• What is a realistic EXFO MaxTester 720C price?
• EXFO vs Broadcom: which do you actually need?
• Can you run a MaxTester with USB power delivery while recording? (with checklist)
• What does a platinum blood pressure monitor have to do with any of this?

Is the EXFO FLS-300 still worth buying in 2025?

It's tempting to think a light source from the FLS-300 generation is too old to matter. But the FLS-300 does one thing: it outputs a stable optical signal so your meter can measure loss. If the unit has a valid calibration, it can still be a reliable reference for loss testing. I used an FLS-300 on a 48-fiber campus backbone last year and it behaved exactly like it should.

The catch is calibration history. A used FLS-300 without a calibration certificate is a gamble. In 2022, I approved a used unit because the photos looked fine. The device had drift that made the readings unreliable, and we spent a week chasing a problem that didn't exist. That mistake cost $3,900 in technician time—actually, $4,200 once I counted the re-certification fee. Learn from me: buy the calibration record, not just the hardware.

What is a realistic EXFO MaxTester 720C price in 2025?

From reseller listings I checked in January 2025, used MaxTester 720C units are asking between $2,900 and $4,600. Maybe $2,500 if it has no calibration certificate or a worn connector. A clean unit with the usual accessories and a recent cert lands around $3,500.

I once bought a MaxTester for $2,200 because it was priced below everything else. It died on the first customer site. The repair was $1,400, so my total cost was $3,600 plus a three-day delay. The lowest purchase price wasn't the lowest total cost.

If a seller says “calibrated” or “certified,” ask to see the certificate. Per FTC advertising guidance (ftc.gov), claims like that need to be substantiated. In practice, a seller who won't share the cert probably doesn't have one.

EXFO vs Broadcom: which one should you choose?

This is not a real comparison, and it’s important to say that clearly. Broadcom is a semiconductor company. It makes switch silicon, optical components, and the guts of many networking products. EXFO makes test instruments, probes, and service assurance software for operating that network equipment.

Think about the job. A Broadcom-based switch might be the device you are turning up. An EXFO MaxTester is the device you use to verify that the switch passes traffic without loss or errors. You do not choose one over the other. You choose what the technician needs that day.

I have seen RFPs where “EXFO vs Broadcom” showed up in a comparison matrix by mistake. It usually means someone skipped the requirements step. Start with the work, then pick the tool. The brand matchup becomes obvious.

Can I use USB power delivery while recording test results on a MaxTester?

Not on every unit, and you should never assume a USB port is a power input. The MaxTester 720C’s USB ports are generally for file transfer and memory sticks, not charging. USB-PD (power delivery) is a negotiation standard, and a port that looks like USB-C or USB-A may not implement it.

In September 2023, I set up a long-running bit-error-rate test, plugged an external battery into the USB port, and thought I was fine. The test died after four hours because the port did not accept power. That lost a full test window and annoyed a client for no good reason.

Here is the list I use before trying any USB power delivery while recording:

1. Check the port label and the manual. If it says “device” or “memory,” it is not a charging port.
2. Confirm the tester’s external power requirements, including voltage and polarity.
3. Run a ten-minute recording on battery power and watch the drain.
4. Keep a real AC adapter or a known-good inverter in the kit.
5. Save test files continuously or at short intervals.

What does a platinum blood pressure monitor have to do with EXFO?

Nothing. A platinum blood pressure monitor is a medical device. An EXFO FLS-300 is a fiber-optic light source, and an EXFO MaxTester is an Ethernet field tester. None of these will check your blood pressure.

If you searched for that term and landed here, this page is not what you need. But I have seen procurement documents mix up unrelated items too, so I understand why the question ends up in a testing FAQ. The fix is simple: read the model number, then read it a second time. If the item belongs in a medical equipment budget, it should not be charged to the network tools budget.

I am not saying you should ignore blood pressure. I am saying the platinum blood pressure monitor conversation belongs on a different shelf.

What is the most expensive EXFO buying mistake you have seen?

The most expensive mistake is not the wrong model, even though that happens. It is the missing accessory that turns a tool into a paperweight. I once ordered a MaxTester, skipped the rugged power adapter, and later paid more for a replacement adapter than I saved on the original quote. Looking back, I should have bought the full accessory kit up front. At the time, I thought I was protecting the budget. In reality, I added a delay and a cost.

The other classic mistake is buying a specialized tool for a team that does not have a steady need for it. An FLS-300 is excellent if you do loss testing on a regular schedule. It is dead weight if your techs mostly do power checks and never touch a light source. An instrument that stays in its case is worse than a rental that gets used.

An informed customer asks better questions and makes faster decisions. If the choice is not clear, start with this quarter’s work, not the catalog. That is the closest thing to a perfect checklist I have found after eleven mistakes.