Digital vs. Analog Scopes
So far, the head count seems to show favoritism toward the handheld scope if having to choose between the two, or getting a conventional scope (I assume an analog scope is what's being considered here) instead. I agree.
First of all, I wouldn't have a PC-based scope unless you just wanted to give me one, and even then, I likely wouldn't install it. A PC scope is slaved to the PC .... portability is an issue there. And most PC scopes are gimmick items and don't fall into the category of "real" test equipment.
That money for the handheld model is only buying you 10MHz bandwidth and the sample rate is probably so low that you'll have trouble with discerning odd waveforms at the bandwidth limit and have big problems with aliasing. Single-shot stuff would be impossible.
You can spend that same money on ebay and buy a working Tektronix oscilloscope such as the 455, 465, 465B, 465M, 475, 475A, 485 and get anywhere from 50MHz bandwidth (the 455) up to 350MHz (the 485). The 465 and 465B are the most popular and the most numerous with 100MHz bandwidth and excellent performance. You might even find some working 7000-series mainframes and plug-ins that together would be in that same price range if you look around. The 7603 with 7A18 and 7B53A would be a good choice. Yes, the Tek equipment would be used, but it's reliable and will outperform nearly any new scope that's selling for less than $2000.
Dean