Solid vs Stranded?

[catfud]

Sorry if this has been covered in previous threads (my searches drew a blank) but is there a strong reason not to use solid-core cable when wiring up pedals? Are they more prone to breakage than stranded?

[Leevibe]

That is the drawback, but it strips easy and you can do precise bends with it. A lot of people here, myself included, like to use pre-bonded wire. It's stranded but the whole wire has been pre-tinned, so no stray wire whiskers and it holds it's shape really well.

I'm a big fan of the Small Bear 24ga pre-bond. In fact, I think it's the perfect stuff for pedals.

[Vallhagen]

I can ask here as well as anywhere else.

I feel like buying some of those pre-bonded wires, but as i am in sweden/europe, Smallbear (and also "Barrys best hookup wires" from guitarPCB) has a crazily high shipping cost. Is there any supplier in Europe that carry something similar?

Cheers

[muddyfox]

If you find it please let me know... I've been looking all over but no dice. In the end I just order from Barry and cry myself to sleep.

[Leevibe]

SB has it in 1000' spools. Maybe it would be worth it to do a group buy of a few spools to get it across the pond and then divvy it up.

[muddyfox]

Yeah, whoever has the lowest customs duties needs to make a calculation... My Customs office post traumatic stress disorder is still rampant
*twitch*

sent from my mobile device

[icecycle66]

I've always used solid core.
In the beginning I just used whatever Radio Shack had and didn't know there was a downside to it.

Supposedly it breaks easier, but I've never had any issues with that.  I sometimes have to take the circuit in and out of the box a bunch of times and the solid wire never caused me any trouble.

Meanwhile, the few times I used stranded it was a pain in the butt.  Little strand getting everywhere after trimming the wire; frayed ends causing shorts, harder to deal with when having to resolder a few times.

[alanp]

If you use non-bonded stranded wire, and do not tin it, expect that to happen.

[Leevibe]

If you use non-bonded stranded wire, and do not tin it, expect that to happen.

Definitely always tin stranded. It's worth the extra bit of effort.

[muddyfox]

OK so just for fun *twitch* I put a 1k spool in my smallbear shopping cart. If the shipping calculation is accurate it's $60 for the wire, $55 shipping and in my experience roughly 50% customs duties (and there's no way in Hades to avoid that, with it being a 1000ft spool). So that's roughly 130E for us EU folk, or 0,5E per meter.
Now to compound the calculation error, 1000ft spool weighs 2lbs8oz as stated on smallbear, so roughly a kilo. So for example, let's take say 100ft which would be 13E. Add to that EU shipping which is (I'm guessing here but I can't be too far off, given the criminal nature of my local post office) something in the neighbourhood of 5E (EDIT: 10E for a 250g package, as per the online calculator) for 100ft (30m) and we're talking (by now VERY roughly) something like 18-23E shipped from me to an EU address.
Now, how much does a 100ft of wire cost shipped from Barry to me (that is, probably any other place in EU)? According to his store $20 (discounted now, normally $22,5) for wire, $18,55 shipping, that's $38,45 all together. That's something like 28E if the package doesn't get stuck in customs (ha!fat chance!). Add to that the regular 50% duties and there you go, 40E!
So yeah... bulk would come out roughly half the price. I would probably find the time and the energy to reship to all the interested parties but right now I have no way of financing such a groupbuy. Remember, I live in the backwash of EU and we're barely making ends meet here. And that's 130E per color! I'd need to get at least a couple of colors I'm guessing, as people have their favorites...

Can we have a show of hands how many EU folk would be interested in the Smallbear prebonded wire and how much of it?

[catfud]

Can we have a show of hands how many EU folk would be interested in the Smallbear prebonded wire and how much of it?

I would, for about 100ft.

I find it difficult to believe that none of the suppliers in the EU sell the prebonded cable.

[muddyfox]

Well like I said, i'd love to be proven wrong on this but I've never seen it anywhere.

sent from my mobile device

[muddyfox]

Given the overwhelming response to a groupbuy, I don't think it's gonna happen... 
Too bad, I could use some wire soon.

[Vallhagen]

Well, IF it will happen, i can be interested. If so, i want five colors; black, red and (say) yellow, grey, green. Until then, i will stay with my solid core wire, it works pretty well too.

[micromegas]

I could do some meters of black/red/purple wire too. In the meantime, I could ask my supplier in Europe for prebonded wire to see if it is posible to order some (and economic..)