Different prices for the same part

[Gilles C]

While checking for the prices of FETs at Mouser, I was surprised to see a big  difference between the brands.

J113 for example:

http://www.mouser.com/?Ne=500&handler=data.listcategory&Ntt=*J113*&terms=J113&crc=true&N=571&Ns=MfgrPartNumber%7c%7cSField

Can I expect the same quality when I pay half the price?

I noticed the same difference for some other semiconductors. So I was wondering if it was only because one company sells more, copied the design or whatever. Or if it is a matter of quality.

Another example withthe 2N3819:

http://www.mouser.com/index.cfm?&handler=data.listcategory&D=*2n3819*&terms=2n3819&Ntt=*2n3819*&Dk=1&Ns=SField&N=0&crc=true

Can I buy a Fairchild at $0.12 or should I pay $0.51 or $0.55 to be sure of the quality?

Does someone know?

Thanks,

Gilles

[Fret Wire]

I've always wondered about that myself. I doubt one is that much better than the other. I've always just used the Fairchilds, and not worried about it.

What I used to wonder about more is the same transistor having different prices from the same company.

Fairchild j201-512-j201..$.42
Fairchild j201-512-j201-D74Z..$.19

Then I checked and the difference is packaging. Add a D74Z to the end of j201 and they come on a tape roll instead of loose. Those are the ones I buy now. Cheaper, plus the leads are pre-bent for in-line socket spacing.

[jimbob]

Just to play it safe i used to buy a few of the different kinds--and never noticed a difference except for the price.. It seems as though the tape roll ones are cheaper for some reason..

[guitarhacknoise]

maybe it goes something like this.........
"hey frank get off yer ass and count out 67  of the j201's and get them ready to ship on p.o.# 123456
they got misc.  transistors and caps , so don't take yer lunch till we get all these other orders ready to ship TODAY!
i guess what i'm trying to say is that it is way easier to count/ inventory the actual physical (reality) stock if they are already separated in even amounts on a tape roll which are easier to count than loose pieces in a box, on a shelf, at the back of the leaky warehouse.
I know cause I work in one.
and counting out 12 pieces of 1000 (lot package) is really easy, but counting out 123 pieces from a stock count of 833, well it just sucks!
so as they say, time is money!
less work is less over head!
-matthias

[Gilles C]

counting out 12 pieces of 1000 (lot package) is really easy, but counting out 123 pieces from a stock count of 833, well it just sucks!
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Well, in the old days, we were using a scale for that. We would put 1 piece on one side and while adding the pieces to be counted on the other side, the display would tell how many units were on that second side.

Ok, thanks for the answers guys, I think I'll know what to order now. I won't be so affraid of the low prices now.

Added: Hey, they still do that these days...

http://www.qtechproducts.com/count_parts_hc_or_hd.html

Hum, I didn't know we had so nice looking scales. They even have flames...

http://www.canadianweigh.com/Palmscale.html

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

When I first started, I though "there is going to be one place thjat is cheapest". But.. there isn't. Most places have SOMETHING cheaper than anyone else. It makes life interesting
So far as stuff from different manufacturers is concerned, I like "famous name" 3 pin power regulators, but everything  else electronic seems imuch the same to me, at least for what we do here.

[sir_modulus]

Personally, my experiance is, if it's a known brand, bbuy the cheapest known component. If the fairchild one is 13 cents and the TI one is 25 cents, go for the fairchild. Only excepting is NTE. Run away from these. My experiance has only been terrible with them. There parts are crazily over priced (at future Active, there are some 123AP's (2n5088 reps.) that are $1.50 ea. and they suck sooooo badly).

[guitarhacknoise]

gilles c wrote: Well, in the old days, we were using a scale for that. We would put 1 piece on one side and while adding the pieces to be counted on the other side, the display would tell how many units were on that second side.
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yeah, I was'nt thinking too clearly,
Imagine that!
I have not used a scale for...... ahh........... years, man, yeah like years!

[Gilles C]

I just remembered that over 20+ years ago, when I was working for a company that was buying electronics parts from a local seller.

The ICs and transistors we were using at that time were all Motorola, and this store was ordering from Motorola and storing Motorola parts.

But then, that store signed a contract with Texas to have the exclusive rights to sell Texas parts in Quebec city.

The only condition was that they had to stop selling Motorola parts...

So we (the techs at the Technical Dept, and the guys at the store) had to find the equivalent parts in Texas of everything that was from Motorola before.

I must say that I realised that Motorola had better products than Texas, but Texas had better prices...

An example was the 2N2222A transistors in a metal case we were using from Motorola. They could take a lot of abuse.

We had to replace them with cheap plastic ??2222. Not the same pin-out, not the same specs. We had to twist the legs, and started to replaced defective transistors once in a while. More than before.

All this blabla was to tell you that I begin to think that the price of parts could have an impact on the quality. It's just that I didn't remember that experience from the past. It was too far away in my memory.  :roll: