I got my first one with my baritone uke, prior to which I'd never had or wanted a clip on tuner. I fasten mine close to the nut on the underside of the headstock, similar to Louis, only I clip it to the treble side and swivel it around to face me on the bass side. I have subsequently purchased 2 more when I found them on sale for $16/pair, and they don't really "live" on any particular instrument, but get passed around accordingly, saved to have a spare, or whatever (I just have a hard time passing up a good deal!) So far, I have not experienced any buzzing, rattling or other extraneous noise from these tuners. Maybe I've just been lucky.
And yes, I too still have my original A-440 tuning fork from 1963 when I first started to learn violin. It's on my music stand or desk, and gets used often. It's pretty easy to tune a firths-tuned instrument (which all of mine are) just from the A and listening for the perfect interval - of course, with the extended sustain with a bow, it's a bit easier than on a plucked instrument. I also have a Korg CA-30 tuner, which has gotten used when I've put new strings on an instrument, until the intonation settled. Or to carry around to see which pitch was coming from the fence post when the gate latch hit it (a somewhat sharp D), and things like that. I can be a little weird that way.
bratsche