Tayda Quality

[chromesphere]

Hey guys,

I'd only post something like this here because, well, the moderators on 'the other forum' tend to be a bit delete / move happy.  however if its out of place, please delete it.

I know generally we're all happy with Tayda, they price blind-sight me everytime.  I always harp onto to new builders about them, cheap, have a wide range of stuff, fast shipping, etc.

But what about poor quality stuff?  A few examples.  

I ordered some 1n34a's from them. They looked a little different to the ones i've bought before (a small black band on one side, instead of thick dark green band).  Bending one of the leads snapped it off.  I wasnt using that much force either.  Tried another one, this time even more carefully.  Glass cracked.  The diode still works, but yeah, the quality is concerning.

I just recieved some bat41's.  Havent used them yet but they are red inside of blue.  They just reminded me of those little chinese 1n914's they sell.

And then lastly is probably the resistors.  Their leads are ridiculously thin, even when you compare them to something like a mammoth xicon.  Does it matter if your soldering in it once and thats it?  Probably not.  But if you have to remove it, breadboard it, or use it offboard, they become a bit of a PITA to use and snap easily.

I'm not out to defame them, their a great resource! Just looking for opinions / experiences I guess with some of their, not so great quality stuff. They get alot of praise threads (started even by myself!) lets balance that out

Paul

[slacker775]

I've never had any leads break on any of my components.   The resistor leads are pretty thin but it's never been a problem.

[croquet hoop]

I've had mixed experience with their Ge diodes, but they made up for it with a generous voucher. Now, it was still a bummer — when I order stuff, I'd like it to work right on so as not to place a second order and wait again — but at least I did not have to argue and send tons of email (everything was settled in less than two hours).

Regarding their resistors, they're so cheap I don't mind throwing them away after desoldering them. So the thin lugs are not a problem for me. But yeah, they must be annoying for breadboarding.

There might be other components to avoid buying from them, but on the other hand they have killer prices on pots, I found their vero board & copper clad to be quite good. In the end I think it's just a matter of selecting what you're buying. Their prices are low for a reason. If I want to be sure of the quality of the stuff I buy, I buy from Mouser or Smallbear. But for resistors, box caps, pots or some other things, Tayda is still rather good.

[chromesphere]

Yeah, look, I know there cheap, and you have to take that into consideration when your talking about quality of course.  Im just interested more so in cheap stuff thats i guess, too cheap (and best to avoid) in your opinion.

i like their pots and box caps. They have 9mm pots!  OMG...ive waited this long for a source for 9mm that doesnt cost 3 bucks +.  This may have been a result of the thread that i started on diysb forum "things you wish tayda stocked".  There were alot of requests for 9mm so maybe they listened!?  I emailed them and directed them to the thread and someone responded in nutshell "we will be watching the thread, thanks for letting us know".

I do like handling resistors with thicker leads though.  I've had a few snap.  Maybe im just rough with them.

Also, not a fan of their pcb.  Maybe im just used to FR4.  I can solder onto FR4 pads all day long and they never lift.  Their FR2 lifts almost guarranteed on the 2nd reheat.  Might just be my etch process or something though.

[Haberdasher]

the vishay bat41's look a lot like 1n914's.  it's most likely a quality part in that instance.

[pickdropper]

None of the 1n34a's I bought from them had the legs break.  That's because they measured open before I even tried to bend them.  One of the wasn't open, but it was so far out of spec I didn't use it.

I skip most of their mechanical switches as they are clearly lower quality.  The only exception so far is their DC jacks, which seem reasonably good.  I also skip their ceramic caps (incredibly low quality) and their electrolytics.  No direct bad experience with the lytics, I just stick to name brands to avoid problems in the future.

But yeah, the 9mm pots are great.  That addition was fantastic.

[pickdropper]

Oh, and their 1/4" plugs (both straight and pancake style) are the worst I've seen.  I'd recommend skipping those as well.

[chromesphere]

the vishay bat41's look a lot like 1n914's.  it's most likely a quality part in that instance.

Interesting!  Not sure they would be selling vishay though Still they are probably good hah...

I didnt want to touch electro's but yeah...they are pretty much 'whatever we can source the cheapest' quality.  Does it matter in a guitar pedal though?  I thought i would just jump in there before someone else raises the question

Paul

[pickdropper]

Cheap electros often go wrong.  They might be fine, but I'd rather spend the money on known quality.  If someone else feels like rolling the dice and is willing to fix them if they blow or leak, that's fine, it's just not worth it to me.

[TwistdDeth]

I have found that their 3PDT switches are not worth the hassle. Lugs tend to fold over once heat is applied. I only buy outty DC jacks, 1/4" jacks, diodes, resistors, box caps, & electros. Never had any problems with the exception of diodes glass cracking and the switches. I tend to buy my switches from bitches love MY switches.

[chromesphere]

Cheap electros often go wrong.  They might be fine, but I'd rather spend the money on known quality.  If someone else feels like rolling the dice and is willing to fix them if they blow or leak, that's fine, it's just not worth it to me.

Dont get me wrong pickdropper i agree:
http://www.diyguitarpedals.com.au/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=9
(at the bottom)

Was just wondering what your reasoning for it was.
For me, for the sake of an extra 9c-14c, i dont think its worth it.
Paul

[culturejam]

Their 8-pin machine sockets are really shitty. The openings of the pins are often different sizes, and I've had to "ream" out the openings in a few cases to get the IC to fit. So save yourself the 9 cents and get the cheap-ass leaf sockets.

I've not had any issues with their electrolytics. Yet.

The knobs are kinda crappy, generally.

And yeah, the resistors tend to be on the flimsy side mostly.


Still a great place to order from, though. Most of the rest of their stuff is of adequate quality.

[chromesphere]

Their 8-pin machine sockets are really shitty. The openings of the pins are often different sizes, and I've had to "ream" out the openings in a few cases to get the IC to fit. So save yourself the 9 cents and get the cheap-ass leaf sockets.

Ive always perferred the leaf 'econo' sockets over the machined type, in general.  The machine type are ridged to insert and i often snap pins on them.  The econo type are larger, but not enough to discourgage me from using them. They are just so much easier to get ic's in and out of.

[culturejam]

If you buy decent machine pin sockets, they are nice to work with.

[chromesphere]

maybe ive just been unlucky....every machine socket ive tried (for a few sources) have been bent on bending ic leads.  Pun very much intended.