Something i noticed...for newbies?anyone..

[jimbob]

I noticed that the ( Mill-Max 8-pin IC Socket, Machine) is so very much easier to solder leads to than the leaf ones. Save some time and buy the machine pin ones---i learned the long and hard way.. I used to buy the Ratshack ones and they suck..but are better than nothing..

[Peter Snowberg]

I won't buy anything but machined sockets these days. Expensive.... but worth every penny and then some.

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

Yeah, it is always machined sockets for me (feels funny though, often the chip costs less than the socket!!). I have had REALLY bad experience with 'surplus' leaf sockets tarnishing. In analog synths dfrom yesteryear, tarnished sockets are sometimes a terrible source of grief.

[sir_modulus]

are leaf the ones with the little flats strips of metal? and Machine I'm guessing are the expensive sockets with round pins at active? if so, then I really like the machine ones, as the leafs ones break and shoot chunks everywhere when trying to make them into three pin sockets.

My personal favourite are the wirewrap ones(they have long copper legs and trasistors fit very snugly in them.