Tube tester, which one's the best?

[morzh]

Well,

This only shows one more time that a well-designed schematic does not depend much on its active part's parameters as long as they are within the allowed range for that part.

If I design a bi-polar transistor stage, and I want to use a particular transistor, I will design the stage to work with the minimum allowed "beta" (the closest thing the transistor has that is used for the design; it also has the transconductance but it is not a truly widely used parameter) for that part, so I know whatever batch I get, good, very good, or borderline acceptable, the schematic will work.
Which is not to say that the parameter of the part that is not truly dead may not be any longer acceptable for a particular circuit, and that knowing the parameters is a folly. As an engineer, I know better.
For fixing radios, however, I agree, a true transconductance tester may be an overkill, but then, as an engineer, I like good tools.

[Alan Douglas]

Bogey in this use means a standard or average tube. I don't know where the term came from (it's not in the dictionaries I checked).

[codefox1]

Never marry again. Buy a Hickok

[Joe Rossi]

Bogey is a military term for a good, known, legitimate target. Hence as Alan stated, a bogey is a tube known to be good. Joe

[morzh]

Yeah, that I have figured outy by now, having bought two bogeys, 6V6 and 12AX7.

There is also, of course, the "Colonel Bogey". But that's something else.
(you know..."Comet, it makes your mouth turn green....")

[codefox1]

Oh. just get a Hickok and be done with it.

[TA Forbes]

Or marry a woman who comes with a Hickock.