What's the current state of the 3PDT footswitch?

[SuzukiScottie]

more recently of ebay.
Got lucky last time and bought 10 for eleven quid.

link?.

10 for Aus$17.50. Also eBay. Just search 3pdt and scroll through the results. Also 5 for under $10.

Never had any issues with any switches. But since I only build pedals for me, if it breaks, I'd swap it. Not worth worrying about at that price.

[Processaurus]

Smallbear. Their switches are the most reliable and they advise they have never changed their direct link to the supplier.

Out of the last 500 or so I've ordered I've had 0% problems. That's why I always go there instead of cheating out.

That's good to know.  I too have been confused by the sudden variety of 3PDT switches hitting the market. I've had some bad experiences with some of the new offerings. The original taiwanese blue 3pdt switches have been proven to be great parts, being exceptionally reliable in my 13 or so years of pedal building, so I would see little reason to use anything else, especially when they're competitively priced.

Regarding what R.G. said about true bypass not being necessary anymore, I sympathize from a designer's standpoint, but after plugging in a big pedalboard yesterday, and noticing the guitar, which sounded acceptable plugged into the amp, sounded noticeably crappy (darker, less detailed?) after running through 7 modern pedal's buffered bypass systems, I'm rethinking the virtues of true bypass, despite it being low tech.  It really is the gold standard for transparent bypass.  Not popless, or clunkless, or attractive, or ergonomic, but the switches are reliable, available, cheap, and simple for a hobbyist to use.  We're pretty lucky to have this option.

[darron]

I think that the 3PDT is popular amoung boutique / DIY also because it's such a simple and easy option. You already need to mount some kind of switch hardware. And this way just needs minimal jack in/out and effect in/out so it's by far the easiest option.

But yeah, I've seen some crappy switches. That's why I go with the safe ones