The best brand of the breadboard

[drussell]

In my experience, all breadboards worked reasonably OK, from the most expensive 3M I have, to the cheapest no name.  Sure, the 3M one feels better in quality and when inserting parts, and has some extra banana plugs for power, but also was way more expensive than the no name ones, so in the end it's up to the end user's pocket.

None so far were unusable.

I've seen some terrible ones.  Even the old Radio Shack white ones didn't last very long.

Spending the extra couple dollars for something the level of Wish or BusBoard is a really good idea, the 3M ones are overkill.  They're generally extremely expensive and I'm not sure they're actually much better than something like a BusBoard.

If you look at Ben's comparison of the contacts in the video above, you'll see why some of those el-cheap-o ones really are terrible.

[drussell]

Last two times I bought only no name, in packages of 5, because there is a tendency to leave a circuit stay on the breadboard forever, so the breadboards became consumables, as a PCB should be. 

Oh, I definitely have that same problem (or perhaps, disease?) as I noted above: 

LOL... Only months, you say?

I have projects in use, inside cases even, that are still in breadboard form, and have been for decades awaiting that "someday, I'll solder up a permanent one" moment, but still work fine.

[RoGeorge]

You made me curious, so I checked the order page.  Last time (2018) I bought "5pcs/lot Breadboard 830 Point Solderless PCB Bread Board MB-102 MB102 Test Develop DIY" for US $14.05 / lot, so less than $3/pcs.  They were just fine, maybe I was lucky.

The pic is from the order, and the breadboards were indeed looking exactly like in the pics (with the plastic slightly translucent).  I don't like and avoid the ones with matte white plastic and no markings.  The good ones are also slightly heavier than the very cheap unmarked breadboards.

[drussell]

You made me curious, so I checked the order page.  Last time (2018) I bought "5pcs/lot Breadboard 830 Point Solderless PCB Bread Board MB-102 MB102 Test Develop DIY" for US $14.05 / lot, so less than $3/pcs.  They were just fine, maybe I was lucky.

"Fine," as they worked once, for one project?  I don't consider that "fine" for a breadboard.

Have you actually pulled a contact out and compared it to a decent quality one?

Ben's video shows very clearly what I've seen personally before... Some of them are absolute shit!

[rdl]

I have two Radio Shack breadboards from the mid-eighties. I'm almost certain they are from the same manufacturer as the 3M brand, The only difference is the paint and the label. More recent boards from Radio Shack are clearly of cheaper construction.

[drussell]

I have two Radio Shack breadboards from the mid-eighties. I'm almost certain they are from the same manufacturer as the 3M brand, The only difference is the paint and the label. More recent boards from Radio Shack are clearly of cheaper construction.

I'm talking about the Radio Shack ones from the 80s.  They were crap.

I only ever had one of the small ones and one of the long ones.  They were absolute garbage compared to the Wish ones once I learned about the local Active Electronics store and bought something usable.  You can't even get into the back of those ones to fix/replace a contact strip.

[rsjsouza]

For the folks in the US, I have been using the Microcenter in-house brand called Inland and it is satisfactory for my needs. It is cheap enough that it becomes a throwaway in case of failure.

https://www.microcenter.com/product/486584/inland-830-tie-points-solderless-breadboard

[Electro Fan]

+1 for Micro Center

[drussell]

+1 for Micro Center

Huh...
Those might be OK, I suppose, but it is rare to find any that are actually halfway-decent below the $6-7 threshold...  Usually at the $5 price point you're just way over-paying for a cheap crap board, or I suppose you somehow you got a really good deal on an actual usable strip....  Everything I've ever seen below the current-adjusted-exchange-rate suggests that if you pay less than about $7 you're probably getting absolute shit.

Please post up-close pics of an actual contact to back up your claims, guys....

Most of those budget $1-5 breadboards are absolute shit, so I'd love to see some that were actually worthy, useful parts on the cheap!!!!!

Do tell....  !!

I'll order at least 50 pcs if you can show me they're not complete crap like most of those are!

Those $5 ones you could probably buy for $1 ea if they're those generic crap ones....

[Electro Fan]

+1 for Micro Center

Huh...
Those might be OK, I suppose, but it is rare to find any that are actually halfway-decent below the $6-7 threshold...  Usually at the $5 price point you're just way over-paying for a cheap crap board, or I suppose you somehow you got a really good deal on an actual usable strip....  Everything I've ever seen below the current-adjusted-exchange-rate suggests that if you pay less than about $7 you're probably getting absolute shit.

Please post up-close pics of an actual contact to back up your claims, guys....

Most of those budget $1-5 breadboards are absolute shit, so I'd love to see some that were actually worthy, useful parts on the cheap!!!!!

Do tell....  !!

I'll order at least 50 pcs if you can show me they're not complete crap like most of those are!

Those $5 ones you could probably buy for $1 ea if they're those generic crap ones....

Uh, if you need at least 50 pcs the savings might add up, but don't take anyone's word for it...

Just buy one:

https://www.microcenter.com/product/486584/inland-830-tie-points-solderless-breadboard

Try it for up to 30 days, if you don't like it Micro Center will refund the purchase price:

https://www.microcenter.com/site/customer-support/return-policy.aspx?ekw=return_policy&rd=1

To be square, I'm not saying you will love the Inland breadboard (my +1 was for Micro Center) - but it's been my experience that Micro Center is a great place to buy lots of products (especially computers, peripherals, and accessories) - in part because if you have any qualms about what you purchased they will refund your purchase. (Computers and some products have a 15 day return policy.)  If you happen to find yourself within driving distance to one of their stores you will likely enjoy the shopping experience.  They also sell online through their web store but that would require you to deal with shipping.

FWIW, while their current price on Arduino boards seems pretty high (which is kind of the antithesis of most Micro Center pricing) I have been at one of their stores when Arduino Unos were on sale for about $7 each; I didn't buy 50 pcs but I stocked up and have never had any issues with the boards.  Point being that maybe it's not good to judge a book by it's cover and maybe it's not 100% guaranteed that you can judge a breadboard because someplace sells some make and model you aren't familiar with for $2 less than you are accustomed to believing is the threshold between "halfway-decent" and "absolute ----".

So if for any reason you really think you might need 50 breadboards, you could potentially start with one and see how it goes.

YMMV

[tggzzz]

And all the uncertainties about poor quality as simple and easy to avoid. Don't use solderless breadboards, use reliable techniques I've mentioned before.

[rsjsouza]

+1 for Micro Center

Huh...
Those might be OK, I suppose, but it is rare to find any that are actually halfway-decent below the $6-7 threshold...  Usually at the $5 price point you're just way over-paying for a cheap crap board, or I suppose you somehow you got a really good deal on an actual usable strip....  Everything I've ever seen below the current-adjusted-exchange-rate suggests that if you pay less than about $7 you're probably getting absolute shit.

Well, I speak of my own experience with various brands, take it or leave it. The Inland boards have been serving me well for years, with some having pins inserted for months and not losing the spring action. Others having a reasonable amount of insertions across the numerous projects around. I also rarely see the typical issue where the spring leaf gets in the way of an insertion. Are they perfect? Far from it, but they won't break the bank. Also, I tend to treat my boards well by soldering thinner jumper wires on thicker pin parts (TO-3, TO-220, TO-263) and not putting more that one pin on a single place.

As tgzzz mentioned, there are other techniques that warrant better reliability but none beat the convenience.