Which Capacitor Would You Use?

[Audiotrove]

Replacing a 2.2uf 50V electrolytic in a vintage pedal.  Which would you use?

Options are Illinois Capacitor (China), Nichicon (Japan), Sprague (Taiwan):

Or something else entirely?

[GibsonGM]

I use Sprague & Nichicon a lot, for no particular reason, and have had no problems, but this is probably a matter of personal preference and belief in mojo!   

[mozz]

Anything but IC.

[antonis]

Luxe, Rifa or Tobe Wax..

[ElectricDruid]

Since any replacement part is probably at least as good as what was in there, I'd probably make a decision based purely on the aesthetics of it, especially in a vintage pedal. Which one matches the look of other caps in the pedal best, or looks like the same "style"? Use that. They'll all work for another twenty years, or until someone reverses the power supply again...

[R.G.]

I know that seems like a simple question, but the calculations underlying it are surprisingly complicated.

What is it you're trying to achieve? That matters a lot.

As E.D. says, modern caps are remarkably smaller and higher performance than vintage electrolytics, not least because the vintage ones have self-corroded for decades. It's probably not possible to buy any bigger-name brand with performance as poor as the originals had - even when they were new.

Common criteria for questions like this are
- original looks (always important with the "it's gotta be vintage" crowd)
- original performance (hard to miss this one, odd as that seems)
- USA made, or USA company; hard to get when the USA brands are either manufacturing offshore or dead, or have bee bought by some other company that's profitable.
- ego-improving brand name; all of the ones mentioned are brand names that get some envy in some circles.

Me - I pick ones that are available from Mouser next day.

[davent]

Something that physically fits the space & lead spacing of the pcb if there is one.
dave

[duck_arse]

if you're only replacing one cap, I'd pick the orange. then, it's gone, and you won't need to worry about not bieng able to match it in yer next repair. plus, orange.

[Kipper4]

I'd use what ever is in stock and appropriate. 

[Kevin Mitchell]

IC.
Call me the devil.

I think Nichicon had since bought them out though IC branded parts are still being sold.

-KM