Futurlec ?

[StompIt]

I'm contemplating making a significant order on Futurlec and I was wanting to get your feedback before I proceed.  I would imagine it takes some time to get your parts, but thats not a factor.  I'm concerned about parts quality and the possibility of just junk counterfeits.   Are there any categories that I should definitely stay away from?   I know Tayda is another one, but they dont seem to have quite the selection.

I'm only looking at Electrolytic and Ceramic Caps,  various transistors, ICs and diodes.

Any do's or dont's would be greatly appreciated.
thanks!

[jtn191]

fwiw, I just heard some good things on FSB and that the only main concern is shipping times since they're in Singapore. I've not done business with them, but as I look on their website, I'm a bit suspicious of them not giving brand names...

I put in an order to Tayda this morning for the first time...ordered everything but the caps from them b/c I was unsure of the quality

[Haberdasher]

I've heard mostly good things about futurlec, but I still haven't ever ordered from them.

I put in an order to Tayda this morning for the first time...ordered everything but the caps from them b/c I was unsure of the quality

Tayda delivered to me in about the same time it takes from smallbear , and the return address on the package was Kingston, MA.  I live in TX, fwiw.
I loaded up on dirt cheap greenies there and ordered a few 100uF electros to check out the quality.  So far, all I can say about them is the brand on them is Chang, and they look like electros
I'm satisfied with everything from Tayda so far, and I think I'll be ordering there again. I really got an insane amount of stuff for $60 there.

[jkokura]

I know there are people over at DIYSB that get from both Tayda and Futurelec pretty consistently, but I never have.

Jacob

[gtr2]

I've ordered from futurlec numerous times.

The metal film resistors are fine, always within spec if not exactly right on.  The leads are a little thinner than xicons.  I order xicons from mouser in bulk for common values and the rest from futurlec.  The website is a little strange to navigate for resistor values.  For metal film there is a "general values" section but look to the green column on the left for other values that are not in the general section.  The ones not found in the general section are also a little more but still a good deal with the 10 pack.

The polyester film box caps are an incredible deal and can get even better when ordering 25+
They are usually either wima's or avx.  Both good brands.

The electrolytic caps are ok as well.  I forget the brand (LSHC?)but they are always within spec, but the leads are thinner as well.

The IC's and transistors are the same manufactures you'd find on mouser.  The problem is sometimes they like to substitute a different IC with similar specs if they are out of stock.  This only happened once to me but I've heard it has happened to others as well.

Diodes, caps, led's all the standard variety.  I got some 1n34's here and they sound really great!

The stuff is marked relatively well too 

If nothing else stock up on the great box caps!

It takes about a month on average to get the shipment when I place an order, but the shipping cost is very reasonable.  I live in the US.

Josh

[bigmufffuzzwizz]

Yes both places are really great in terms of price. Tayda was super quick on the shipping and I ordered a lot of stuff for about $30. Green mylars, electros, transistors, pots, and resistors are cheap as dirt. They all sound fine to my ears. IIRC, I got enough for 5 guitarpcb boards.
Just ordered from futurlec and I'm still awaiting the package. It took them 3 weeks to ship out and I should be receiving it in the next few days. Super excited about the Wima box caps and metal film resistors. Also stoked for the bulk of 1n34 germ diodes at such a great price. That will be the parts for my madbean boards and complete my vero muff fuzz build!! 

Definitely put your order into futurlec as soon as possible cause it will be a wait, but for $100 bucks I got a LOT of stuff!

[thetrend77]

Tayda was super quick on the shipping and I ordered a lot of stuff for about $30.

I agree, I did the same and the shipping wasn't too bad. I paid extra for their "faster" shipping (I forgot the exact estimate), and it only took about a week or so. Once I order more bulk parts to restock, I'll definitely use Tayda again.

[Haberdasher]

I got my parts from Tayda in less than a week without paying expedited shipping btw.
I got trimmers, blue led's, all kinds of sockets, greenies, ic's, toshiba transistors you don't see at most places (npn ktc3198, jfet 2sk117), pots, etc, etc.  It was all cheap and looks good.

Here's a pic of the electros they sell.  Anyone ever heard of these? 


[attachment deleted by admin]

[jkokura]

Nope, but my attitude about most parts is that, "a part, is a part, is a part." Brands, and types don't matter quite so much as finding things that work and sound good. Most of the time, especially with that value of electrolytic cap, they're used for power filtering and don't even enter into the signal chain. Input and Output caps might matter as to the sonic quality of the cap, so in that case you should try different caps to find one you like sonically. Topmays, panasonic, and wima's tend to be popular and all of them sound great to me.

It's good to hear the good results from those places. I may consider using them in the future.

Jacob

[bigmufffuzzwizz]

Yes. I've seen a few european sites that have awesome prices for nice components. Doctor tweek for instance has really cheap box caps, something like .11 gbp per piece. I haven't dealt with many overseas dealers(besides tayda), but i've been interested in it. I'm just dreading the shipping costs!

[crash]

I've placed a couple of orders with them.  Shipping does take a long time, especially compared to Mouser.  Their prices on diodes is great.  I bought a bunch just to try them out on various pedals for clipping.

[irmcdermott]

Also be aware that what you order from Futurlec isn't always what they list, but rather an equivalent of what they have listed. Example: I ordered some "LM1458" chips from them for a Neutrino build, but what I got was an equivalent to the chip. It worked fine, and it sounds fantastic, but if that sort of thing bothers you, just be warned.

[cjkbug]

I say avoid it at all costs. I placed 2 orders about a week apart, over 8 months ago. time went by and I totally forgot about it until about 4 months ago. I wrote them several emails demanding status with no reply until just before shipping.the order wasn't packed until feb 3rd and I received them last Saturday. I would have cancelled the order but had long since lost any info like order # etc.. it was only packed in a couple ofpaper envelopes lined on the inside with a single layer of bubble wrap. one of the packages was torn a little bit.  . since the prices were so cheap I ordered tons of stuff, so when It finally did arrive it was like x-mas...tons of stuff to play with.

[joer0952]

Futerlec takes forever in shipping.  I ordered from them on the 8th and i just recieved it recently.  I order from tayda there much quicker and pretty fast considering they ship from china to MA and then to you.  Funny thing about small bear is if I order from tayda and small bear at the same time I receive them at about the same time and tayda is in china and small bear is maybe a half an hour drive from my house, lol.  I have contemplated asking small bear if i could just pick up my order.

[irmcdermott]

  I have contemplated asking small bear if i could just pick up my order.

You can.
http://www.smallbearelec.com/Contact/Contact.html