better quality rotary type switch

my lorlin (1x12, 2x12) rotary switches are driving me mad... they keep loosing contact.  i will replace them all with something better quality...  farnel turkey is my only option for large quantity buys...

ELECTROSWITCH (lorlin type) average price : 9 euro each
Grayhill, not lorlin type but great quality: average price is 15 euro each
C & K does lorlin type and only 4 euro...
but i am not sure if they are better than lorlins?

lorlin have white colored sealed versions at about 4 euro each

any recommendations ?

Like Lorlin sealed, only gold contacts  for €2,68

http://www.banzaimusic.com/Rotary-Switch-1x12-Gold.html

You are talking about the open ones right? Where you can see the whole mechanism? I am using those right now. They have been in my LA 4 for about a week, and some of the solder lugs are already coming loose. I can wobble them back and forth. Awesome... The only advantage to me is that they are cheap.

I am really interested in a 2p6t alternative that is more robust. The lorlins I have now work well, but I don't know for how long.

burdij has some 1P12T (don't know manufacturer but looks OK, though unsealed) and 2P6T grayhills (PC mount but I don't think it'd be too dificult to solder wires to them) for decent prices.
he's got some kind of discount for prodigy, check his WhiteM thread.

http://www.groveaudio.com/onlinestore/switches_rotary.aspx

Goldpoint stuff is very nice, if you have the dollars.

http://www.goldpt.com/

I've used these for a couple of preamps when I was in the 'every component counts' frame of mind. I seem to oscillate between this and the 'use whatever scrap is in your spares box' outlook!

However, I have to say that I've used a lot of lorlins and never had a failure.

If you have serious problems with the standard Lorlin switches, you are probably abusing them - either with too high a switching current (and/or DC across the switch) or you soldered it for too long, melting the guts.

Until a couple of years ago I used quite a handful of the Lorlin in our G-II (9 pcs in each box) - and I only ever (yet) have had to change one single switch - which had become scratchy because of a failed capacitor and thus DC load.

What I'm saying is check your design and your soldering - you may possibly not benefit significantly from heavier designed switches, unless you require extreme mechanical life expectation.

Jakob E.

That is my experience, too.
Lorlins are extremly sensitive to soldering heat. Leaving the Iron too long on the Lugs destroys the switch.
It may work for some time but the innerds are melted and the thing is not very robust any more.

just checked lorlin's mechanical life : 10.000 cycles... i suppose that means i can switch 10.000 times without problem...
i mostly do custom sound FX/design and i can switch between settings 20-40 times in an hour, easy...
and thats  5-7 days a week....
i have realized thrshold, gain makeup on my comps are the first ones to fail... ratio is the second...
HPF and some other switches are fine, which i hardly use...
( same failing ratio/character over 4-5 equipment, not single equipment)
so, its hardly bad soldering, but abused using  :-[

looks like my lorlin equipped  gear has less then a year mechanical life under abuse