Good Deal on Resistor Assortment

[Old Printer]

I know Amazon gets some bad press as a source for electronic components, but being a Prime member it is my go to source for almost everything I can buy there so I always take a look. I buy from Mouser and DigiKey regularly but I wanted to fill out my assortment of resistors for bread-boarding. This is a good deal for anyone trying to assemble a parts stash. The kit if for 2600 metal film, 1/4 watt resistors. 130 different values from 1 ohm to 3 meg - 20 of each value, for $15.59. That's a bit over a 1/2 cent each. They are listed as 1% but I checked at least a couple from each lot and 2-3% would be more accurate, but they were well within 5%. They come in tape strips for each value, which is faintly marked on the strip. I bought a set of baseball card 3 ring binder sheets with the slot on the top, and organized them in a binder as shown. Not sure I would trust them fro anything but jellybean passives just yet, but this is a cheap way to get a good selection of usable resistors on the cheap.

[ledtester]

Reminds me of this review of a Banggood resistor assortment...

- Too good to be true: Banggood's 3000pcs 30 kinds 1% 1/4W resistor deal - TheHWcave
https://youtu.be/oL71C68AVEM

The conclusions are summarized in the video description.

[james_s]

The thing I don't like about most of the really cheap resistors is they have super thin flimsy leads, I've had them break off of boards a few times when something was sitting on it, not a problem I've ever had with more conventional TH resistors. I suppose a kit like that could be useful for when you're building something and forget to order a value or need to try a different one.

[strawberry]

Bad TCR is from resistor iron leads creating bimetal junction. Seebeck coefficient 6.5uV copper vs 19uV iron

[tooki]

I concur with james_s: my biggest gripe are the crazy thin leads. Ok (with care) for soldering into PCBs (but not vertically), but useless for breadboarding: on loose breadboards they flop around and don’t make reliable contact, on tighter breadboards the leads just buckle when you try to insert them.

[magic]

Are they actually metal film?

Whenever I see those kits, I always wonder if there might be some smart entrepreneur somewhere (ahem) to whom it has occurred that auction site customers will buy anything if it's painted blue

[BrokenYugo]

In addition to the leads being rather marginal the brown tolerance band makes reading them somewhat frustrating, faster to just measure.

[Old Printer]

I’ll report back when I have had a chance to use them for a while, but at $16 for 20 each of 130 values unless they are completely useless it still strikes me as a good deal for a hobby experimenter. I build a lot of educational circuits and having to wait several days while I order exactly what I need can kill my enthusiasm. YMMV

[tooki]

In addition to the leads being rather marginal the brown tolerance band makes reading them somewhat frustrating, faster to just measure.

What does that have to do with them being cheap Chinese resistors?

What bugs me is when the tolerance band is not visually distinct from the value/multiplier bands (like being separated by a larger gap, or being significantly thicker). But that’s something name brand resistors are just as likely to be guilty of.

[AaronLee]

Reminds me of this review of a Banggood resistor assortment...

- Too good to be true: Banggood's 3000pcs 30 kinds 1% 1/4W resistor deal - TheHWcave
https://youtu.be/oL71C68AVEM

The conclusions are summarized in the video description.

A good insightful video, though it drove me nuts every time he paused while saying, "Geekcreit". Not complaining though, because the information was quite useful.

I've always had access to name brand discrete components at work, but looking to stock up on a variety of assorted components now for my home workbench. Anyone have suggestions for deals on quality name brand assortments? I can't be bothered wasting my time with cheap crap components, even if it is for personal hobby stuff, plus a lot of my work at home is for personal professional usage.

[Grandchuck]

This assortment is more expensive but might be worth it (depending on your needs):  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07SFKCX6W/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_image_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I measured a modest range and quantity and thus far have found none out of tolerance.  In fact, they were usually better than 0.5%.  I used a 34465A and Kelvin clips.

[AaronLee]

This assortment is more expensive but might be worth it (depending on your needs):  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07SFKCX6W/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_image_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I measured a modest range and quantity and thus far have found none out of tolerance.  In fact, they were usually better than 0.5%.  I used a 34465A and Kelvin clips.

Thanks for the suggestion, but I'd rather not go with a name I've not heard of before. I noticed on Element14 they sell assorted Multicomp resistors. I've never bought anything Multicomp before, but at least they have a datasheet and are a well-known brand, even if on the lower end of things. Anyone have any experience with these?

[strawberry]

reliability test, if circuit can operate with poor components .
2600pcs how long can you store them reliably. iron leads will one day begin to rust.(bradboard)
if 20pcs run out of stock, buy another 2600pcs?
resistor noise?
datasheet?

10 kOhms ±1% 0.25W, 1/4W 100ppmThrough Hole Resistor Axial Flame Retardant Coating, Safety Metal Film : for 50pcs €1.48
lead dia. 0.56mm/0.022in

10 kOhms ±1% 0.167W, 1/6W 100ppm Through Hole Resistor Axial - Metal Film YAGEO: for 50pcs €1.53
lead dia. 0.45mm/0.018in

https://www.digikey.lv/en/products/detail/stackpole-electronics-inc/RNF14FTD10K0/1706596
   

[magic]

Bad TCR is from resistor iron leads creating bimetal junction. Seebeck coefficient 6.5uV copper vs 19uV iron

This may be a factor in normal operation but in the review linked by ledtester entire resistor was held in the thermal chamber and the whole thermal gradient was dropped across the copper cables of the probes.

I offer an alternative explanation of the -200ppm/°C TCR found in those resistors. Here's a small excerpt from a Panasonic carbon film resistor datasheet. Coincidence? You decide



BTW, the values 4.3Ω and less in these series are metal film.

And typical performance of Farnell's "Multicomp" resistors:

[tooki]

This assortment is more expensive but might be worth it (depending on your needs):  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07SFKCX6W/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_image_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I measured a modest range and quantity and thus far have found none out of tolerance.  In fact, they were usually better than 0.5%.  I used a 34465A and Kelvin clips.

Thanks for the suggestion, but I'd rather not go with a name I've not heard of before. I noticed on Element14 they sell assorted Multicomp resistors. I've never bought anything Multicomp before, but at least they have a datasheet and are a well-known brand, even if on the lower end of things. Anyone have any experience with these?

It’s not really a brand as such, it’s just Farnell’s house brand. So who knows who makes them. And whoever makes them now might not be who makes them tomorrow. But indeed, at least with a datasheet you know what to expect.

[Jwillis]

Probably Liwang (Changzhou Southern Electronic Element Factory Co., Ltd.) . They seem to be the top manufacturer of all types of resistors in China .
I recently picked up 3120 156 value pack from Ebay and every one so far have tested within ±1%. The leds are thin but haven't had a problem with breaking . Good enough for my purposes . For other people I generally order from Digikey because they just look better. 

[AllenB]

As luck would have it, I'd just ordered the same kit that Old Printer referenced at the start of this thread. It arrived a few days ago and I've now had a chance to look at it. This is the review I sent to Amazon:

These are about what you would expect for the price: Lots and lots of resistors of very questionable quality.

Pluses:
1. Many values covered.
2. Markings are fairly easy to read. Brown and red can be difficult but conveniently, every resistor has a brown tolerance band for reference.
3. Values also printed on paper strips which hold groups of resistors.

Minuses:
1. Very thin leads, despite implications to the contrary. I measured a sampling and they're around 0.354mm which is just under 27AWG. By comparison, some higher-quality resistors measured about .65mm or 22AWG. Big difference. Works in my breadboard, but not confidence inspiring.
2. Low-quality leads. They are visibly rougher and less consistent in color than other components.
3. Not 1% tolerance. Many are. Some more fit into 2% tolerance. Some outliers barely fit into 5%. Will this make a difference for most purchasers? Hell no, but it's an outright falsehood.

Have not yet decided whether to return. On the one hand, they're useful for plenty of things. On the other hand, they scream "poor quality" and that's always a turnoff.

I'd be willing to pay several times this amount for a higher quality assortment. The only ones I've seen for through-hole at a reasonable price are the Multicomps discussed above. Might give those a try next. Otherwise, is there something from Vishay, etc? All I've seen are SMD kits.

Allen

[magic]

IIRC somebody on this forum said that Multicomp metal film resistors are rebranded Royal Ohm - a low cost Taiwanese vendor.
I have seen similar Royal Ohm kits at TME so they may be available at other distributors too.

[AaronLee]

As luck would have it, I'd just ordered the same kit that Old Printer referenced at the start of this thread. It arrived a few days ago and I've now had a chance to look at it. This is the review I sent to Amazon:

These are about what you would expect for the price: Lots and lots of resistors of very questionable quality.

Pluses:
1. Many values covered.
2. Markings are fairly easy to read. Brown and red can be difficult but conveniently, every resistor has a brown tolerance band for reference.
3. Values also printed on paper strips which hold groups of resistors.

Minuses:
1. Very thin leads, despite implications to the contrary. I measured a sampling and they're around 0.354mm which is just under 27AWG. By comparison, some higher-quality resistors measured about .65mm or 22AWG. Big difference. Works in my breadboard, but not confidence inspiring.
2. Low-quality leads. They are visibly rougher and less consistent in color than other components.
3. Not 1% tolerance. Many are. Some more fit into 2% tolerance. Some outliers barely fit into 5%. Will this make a difference for most purchasers? Hell no, but it's an outright falsehood.

Have not yet decided whether to return. On the one hand, they're useful for plenty of things. On the other hand, they scream "poor quality" and that's always a turnoff.

I'd be willing to pay several times this amount for a higher quality assortment. The only ones I've seen for through-hole at a reasonable price are the Multicomps discussed above. Might give those a try next. Otherwise, is there something from Vishay, etc? All I've seen are SMD kits.

Allen

Thanks so much for that post. I'll end up using the resistors quite a bit in breadboard designs, so that choice is definitely a no-go for me. As you mention, all I also saw from Vishay was SMD kits, which isn't what I'm looking for. My guess is that if there ever were such kits, they've already decided they aren't worth the hassle of making for a limited market. The same with most other name brands. I'll either take a chance with the Multicomp kit, or just waste the time to order individually Vishay, etc. components and make my own kit.

[Old Printer]

I have had a chance to read through the comments left here, and also had a chance to work the the resistors in question a bit. The leads are noticeably thinner than my usual grade of metal film resistors from Mouser. I use good quality breadboards, and yes, care must be used to avoid bending the leads. Once installed, the connection felt secure enough to maintain the integrity of the circuit. My reason for buying these was simply to have a large variety of values at hand for trying various circuits. We’re I to build something permanent on a soldered pcb I would order better quality components. When I find particular values I use a lot of I buy brand names like Vishay  in lots of 100 for roughly 4 cents a piece, but assembling a set with some 130 different values like that would be prohibitively expensive. That 4 cent price goes up quickly with quantities under 100 each. For $16 this kit fills a need for me that would cost almost $100 to duplicate with 1/4 watt carbon comp resistors.

[MultiMike]

My biggest gripe with component assortments in general is that they usually come with ridiculously thin leads.   Commonly they are 27 gauge which is 0.014" or 0.36mm diameter.  Needless to say, they virtually never specify the gauge of the leads.  These tiny spider-web leads are miserable to work with.

I have had generally good luck with assortments from Elegoo through Amazon.  In their "17 values 1% Resistor Kit" they actually specify the leads are 24 gauge.  Yes, I would prefer 22 gauge, but it's still just over 50% bigger, which is a big improvement over 27 gauge, and tolerable for use.

General advice - check the 'questions asked' section for somebody asking what the diameter of the legs is and check out the answer.

Mike

[rsjsouza]

Thanks so much for that post. I'll end up using the resistors quite a bit in breadboard designs, so that choice is definitely a no-go for me. As you mention, all I also saw from Vishay was SMD kits, which isn't what I'm looking for. My guess is that if there ever were such kits, they've already decided they aren't worth the hassle of making for a limited market. The same with most other name brands. I'll either take a chance with the Multicomp kit, or just waste the time to order individually Vishay, etc. components and make my own kit.

Aaron, Yageo also has through hole resistor kits. Comparing dollar to dollar, they are more expensive but might be what you are looking for.

A search at Digikey has various kits with different power ratings and quantities
https://www.digikey.com/en/products/filter/resistor-kits/653?s=N4IgjCBcoGwJxVAYygMwIYBsDOBTANCAPZQDaIALGGABxwDsIAuoQA4AuUIAyuwE4BLAHYBzEAF9CAWgjQQKSBhwFiZcAGZm4ySABMavrmwDs7InwAEAawGcm4oA

[AaronLee]

Thanks so much for that post. I'll end up using the resistors quite a bit in breadboard designs, so that choice is definitely a no-go for me. As you mention, all I also saw from Vishay was SMD kits, which isn't what I'm looking for. My guess is that if there ever were such kits, they've already decided they aren't worth the hassle of making for a limited market. The same with most other name brands. I'll either take a chance with the Multicomp kit, or just waste the time to order individually Vishay, etc. components and make my own kit.

Aaron, Yageo also has through hole resistor kits. Comparing dollar to dollar, they are more expensive but might be what you are looking for.

A search at Digikey has various kits with different power ratings and quantities
https://www.digikey.com/en/products/filter/resistor-kits/653?s=N4IgjCBcoGwJxVAYygMwIYBsDOBTANCAPZQDaIALGGABxwDsIAuoQA4AuUIAyuwE4BLAHYBzEAF9CAWgjQQKSBhwFiZcAGZm4ySABMavrmwDs7InwAEAawGcm4oA

Thanks. At a quick glance it looks perfect for what I want.

[magic]

A little necro

I came across two otherwise identical resistor kits from the same AliExpress seller and at the same price: one is 5% carbon film and beige color, the other is blue and advertised as 1% metal film.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32357993824.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32813840011.html

Same situation with several other kits of "metal film" resistors. It think it can be safely assumed that all Chinese resistor kits sold on sites like Amazon or eBay are carbon film, whatever their paint might be. I recommend taking the 5% ones for their gold stripe which prevents reading the value in reverse

[tooki]

A little necro

I came across two otherwise identical resistor kits from the same AliExpress seller and at the same price: one is 5% carbon film and beige color, the other is blue and advertised as 1% metal film.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32357993824.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32813840011.html

Same situation with several other kits of "metal film" resistors. It think it can be safely assumed that all Chinese resistor kits sold on sites like Amazon or eBay are carbon film, whatever their paint might be. I recommend taking the 5% ones for their gold stripe which prevents reading the value in reverse

I think that’s a ridiculous assumption. Metal film and carbon film resistors cost essentially the same nowadays. Even on Digi-Key (see link above), the per-resistor cost of carbon film and metal film resistor kits is practically the same, with carbon film actually costing slightly more.