Chinese ebay resistors any good?

[rokus666]

I have just ordered bunch of resistor values from ebay.

I don't really know what brand are these. Does it really matter?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/140707566219?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649#ht_4054wt_1396

 

[okgb]

There was an posting on another grp  [ didn't save it ] speculating on how some changed
resistances under certain conditions , maybe John Roberts has a good opinion
I know that a resister set i bought , some values are right on and other at least out by the 1%
they claim to be , certainly some feel different material & weight wise, don't know if that means anything
good luck

 

[JohnRoberts]

I do not have any personal experience buying components like that.

In my judgement the time spent building stuff with parts is too valuable to risk on questionable parts.

I am not very familiar with the EBAY vendor/customer satisfaction feedback system. If the EBAY vendor has a good reputation perhaps it os OK.

FWIW for many years I would pay a small premium for buying ROHM resistors because in my experience they were better than most brands and it meant one less thing that could go wrong and I had to worry about. I was finally over-ruled at Peavey over significant cost savings issues (Peavey uses bazillions of resistors so pennies matter), but only after the cheaper parts proved their quality with extensive production testing.

For onesy twosey DIY builds... resistors are cheap and time is dear... So i buy quality parts from well known parts distributors (digikey, mouser, etc).  For large scale production it may be worth shopping around.

JR

 

[Biasrocks]

The leads on the Chinese resistors tend to be quite flimsy when compared to good quality resistors. They work, but tend to break easily.

I have bought good MF resistor sets from Ebay and Carbon Film resistors sold as Metal Film resistor sets on Ebay.

The dead give away is when the measured resistance is changed by tempature fluctuations, such as holding it in your fingers.

Regards,
Mark

 

[JohnRoberts]

I don't want to shock anybody, but these days I suspect most of the better quality resistors come from China too... There have always been cheap vendors testing the limits of how cheap parts can be made and still work, and cheap purchasing agents, keeping these cheap parts makers in business. So don't ASSume too much from where something is made.

What I fear is what happens to a batch of substandard parts after it gets rejected by some contract manufacturer as crap... In a rational world these parts should end up in the garbage, but some enterprising individual might sell these to bargain hunters around the world.

Note: This is just speculation, and most chinese ebay vendors may be selling first quality goods. I am willing to pay a small premium to buy from a vendor that will stand behind their parts, and I know I can find again after the purchase. A reputable parts vendor generally won't risk their reputation on questionable parts.

JR

 

[Michael Tibes]

In case you intend to use the resistors for tube stuff: the maximum operating voltage can vary between something like 200V for cheap and 350V for good quality stuff - if it gets mentioned as a spec at all. I have no idea, what happens if this gets exceeded.

Michael

 

[soapfoot]

I bought some once (metal oxide, 2w) in an odd value.  This particular batch did not inspire confidence.  Thin lead-out wires and color-code stripes that looked as though they had been painted on by hand by a drunk person.  Which wouldn't matter of course, it just didn't inspire confidence.  Did not end up using them.

 

[okgb]

Having been Burnt by chinese Lies before , and continuely amazed at where how by how much
they can skimp , I cringe every time I knowingly use something from there [ which is allot these days ]
it's like waiting for the other shoe to drop , Hopefully this things keeps working ..............

I suppose if there is a KNOWN reputable vendor who can back up their service , may help
again , Good Luck

 

[kato]

There's a good chance they're the same xicon / koa speer resistors you get from established suppliers; they're all made in china. but be sure to measure them; you never know if you're getting out of spec, or mislabeled parts.

I stopped pinching pennies on resistors long ago and now use Vishay CCF series whenever I can get 'em. They're 1/4watt but "rated to 1/2 watt," have palpably thicker leads, spec very close to perfect, and are only 8¢ each at Mouser.

But in most cases, I still think "a resistor is just a resistor" and they all work equally well for most applications. So your ebay ones will likely be fine.