Tayda 1/4" inch jacks

[nation]

Anyone recently purchased 1/4" jacks from Tayda and can comment on their quality?

https://www.taydaelectronics.com/6-35mm-1-4-mono-chassis-socket-jack.html

Reading threads from a few years ago, the Tayda jacks were considered terrible. Some threads from 2015/16 indicate that Tayda upgraded their jacks and that the quality improved, however, looking at the picture on Tayda's listing, the jacks still appear to be the cheapest of the Chinese junk jacks.

[italianguy63]

Those black plastic ones are not "horrible."

I used them for awhile... but, I have since switched to Nuetrik phenolic jacks (I get them from Mouser).

It may cost you about $0.60 a build more for the name-brand jacks, and I found out through experience that the aggravation of fighting with a bad jack is hardly worth the cost savings.

The "barrel" on the cheaper jacks is not crimped as well, and the metal is thinner... What tends to happen is the contacts will either "spin" when tightening the jack, or sometimes the barrel will plain shear off and snap in half... making you have to redo it (and pay for another jack anyhow!)

Anyway, my .02!

MC

[deadastronaut]

its the old buy cheap pay twice routine...

its well worth paying more for better quality jacks, they get abused a lot. (nuetriks are nice and solid)

[nation]

Yeah I bought a few of the cheap Chinese open jacks from ebay a few years back when I first started DIYing, big mistake.

Tayda seems pretty good for most parts, their jacks, however, don't look great.

[njkmonty]

its well worth paying more for better quality jacks, they get abused a lot. (nuetriks are nice and solid)

+1

[turdadactyl]

See here:
https://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=121069.msg1135955

The open jacks need to be roughed up a bit to hold solder.

[nation]

Thread update.



I purchased a couple of jacks from Tayda to see what they were like. Not bad for economy or DIY use, won't cut it for boutique or high end builders. Wafers are nicely thick and solid, metals parts solid, bolt nicely finished but threading doesn't have the same solid feel as a Switchcraft. Overall, materials, finish and quality  are approx 85% of Switchcraft/Neutrik quality - slightly thinner.

Weak point is still the crimping of the sleeve (3rd picture), this was mentioned in other threads. I haven't bolted this to a pedal but I imagine over tightening will loosen the crimping resulting in the sleeve rotating problem people face. As long as you don't over tighten these jacks would be great for the DIYer or economy builder and are night and day better than the cheap ebay/Alibaba junk jacks.

Pictures for reference, last picture is a jack I bought from a local electronics store that's representative of cheap junk jacks.

[deadastronaut]

^ yup, that last one is a classic nasty cheapo........top ones look ok,  always look at the wafers.

[cnspedalbuilder]

I too have had problems with the ground moving when I tighten the jack, and it sucks. If you want an open jack, I would get the Neutrik or Lumberg jacks from Lovemyswitches.com. If you want a closed one, I like this one from Tayda: https://www.taydaelectronics.com/hardware/6-35mm-1-4-plugs-jacks/6-35mm-1-4-stereo-phone-jack.html

[pinkjimiphoton]

beware of bogus switchcrafts guys, too, they're all over the place lately. switchcraft stuff is always pre-tinned, the bootlegs aren't. unless that's changed...

i had a prob with tayda jacks once, the black plastic ones. they shipped with the wrong nuts, and i had a heck of a time trying to get them to understand that they didn't match up.. appeared the jacks were 6.3mm and the nuts were 6mm or something like that.

i spent too much money trying chinese jacks from multiple vendors, and all i can say is the best of them still suck.

lawrence at lovesmyswitches has decent ones, but... i'd go neutrik or switchcraft for anything thats gonna get a lot of use.

[thermionix]

switchcraft stuff is always pre-tinned

Not in my experience.  The LP/SG pickup switches are, the current ones via Allparts anyway.  I don't remember that being the case 20 years ago, but I'm not sure.  Many years ago I bought some mil-surp 1/4" jacks that were pre-tinned, but none of the "civilian" ones have been that I recall.  I get them from Mouser, CE, Small Bear, etc.

[Prehistoricman]

Easy upgrade to the cheap Chinese ones  

[nation]

Ordered Neutrik Rean from Mouser and prefer Tayda's current jacks.