HHP 3800g Review

Product: 3800g Manufacturer: HHP, Inc Type: Retail & Light Industrial Capture Method: CCD Linear Imager Support: Lifetime technical support through POSGUYS.com. 5 Year Warranty through HHP.

The 3800g retail scanner from HHP replaces the discontinued IT3800LR. It features the Adaptus Imaging Technology and the durability to hammer a nail and survive, as boasted by HHP.

Typical uses and environments:
The incredibly aggressive scan engine and rugged design allow the 3800g to succeed in light to medium industrial environments or even high-volume retail environments. The Adaptus imaging technology is fast enough to rival omnidirectional scanners in speed and efficiency.

Standard Features:
The HHP 3800g ships with the interface cable in the same box, but not attached. Once attached, the unit is plug and play. A green LED illuminates on the head of the unit when powered up and after successful scans. A flex neck auto-sense stand is available for purchase, and does not require configuration of the 3800g to set into auto-sense mode. Rubberized sides and boot prevent the scanner from accidentally scuffing or damaging products, and provides shock resistance during falls.

Unique Advantages:
What really makes the HHP 3800g stand out is the Adaptus Imaging Technology. The scan engine for the 3800g is incredibly aggressive, sending successful reads almost as quickly as an omnidirectional scanner. This allows the scanner to work in almost any retail setting.

Drawbacks:
The only drawback we’ve encountered with the 3800g is the lack of configuration guides (printed or on CD) shipped with the unit. Configuration guides and configuration software can be downloaded via HHP’s website. This can pose a problem if advanced configuration is required, but internet access is limited or nonexistent.

Performance Testing:
In testing the performance of the HHP 3800g, we ran it through a battery of tests, including optimal scan range testing, dense, wide, and damaged barcode robustness, light resistance, as well as durability. Our testing determined the scanner to perform head and shoulders ahead of other scanners in its class.

In testing the range, we determined our 3800g to have an optimal scan range of 1” to 15”. This range is greater than most retail employees will need in day-to-day scanning, but guarantees general scan use to be within its optimal range. In scanning wide barcodes, the 3800g was able to scan up to a 6-inch wide barcode, effectively reading 60 characters. Though this is well outside the feasible range for retail or light industrial barcodes, it shows that the 3800g has what it takes to easily scan the barcodes you need.

Again the 3800g’s greatest strengths lie in the Adaptus scan engine and durability. When testing scanning density, we found the 3800g to scan every barcode on our testing sheets. Light resistance is usually bane of a CCD scanner’s existence. However, the 3800g was able to scan barcodes in low light, natural outdoor light, and even with a 250w lightbulb nearly touching the barcode. The scanner is fully immune to the effects of light, making it an ideal scanner for bright locations. As for durability, the 3800g passed our battery of tests with the only damage occurring during the final 13’ drop. The trigger mechanism popped loose from the housing, but was easily repaired with a Phillips screwdriver to remove the head.

A breakdown of the HHP 3800g’s capabilities is listed in table and graph form below.



1D Results

Similar Products From HHP	Ideal Setting	Description
3800g	Light to High Volume retail, light to medium industrial environments	Best features in class, with an incredibly aggressive scan engine and excellent durability
3800r	Rough retail, medium industrial environments	Heavier duty design than the 3800g, ideal for rougher environments where damage could occur more easily.
3800i	Heavy industrial environments	Has an IP54 seal to block out dust and water, designed for heavy industrial environments where downtime from damage must be kept at a minimum.