Extreme Noob Question: Do you cut the leads on your transistors?

[bt2513]

Considering the expense for good Ge transistors these days, it almost seems sacrilege to cut the leads off of them knowing they'll never be "original" again.  However, I have to bend them at a pretty large right angle and it seems like the build would be better from a reliability standpoint if they were trimmed more to size.  So my question is, do you all cut your leads or is this considered a faux pas?

[LucifersTrip]

Considering the expense for good Ge transistors these days, it almost seems sacrilege to cut the leads off of them knowing they'll never be "original" again.  However, I have to bend them at a pretty large right angle and it seems like the build would be better from a reliability standpoint if they were trimmed more to size.  So my question is, do you all cut your leads or is this considered a faux pas?

the second you solder em they're not "original" so I'd do what's best for the circuit

[jkokura]

Have you considered socketing them?

Also, yes I do cut leads. It's a little silly to treat them as 'fragile' or 'sacred' - they're parts, just like all the rest. They go in boxes we step on. If you need it to fit better, socket it and cut the leads down so they can be removed and still used elsewhere if needed. That's just my two bits.

Jacob

[LucifersTrip]

If you actually intend to break the box down and sell the transistors in the future, then they'd probably be worth more if you didn't
cut 'em down...

[bt2513]

They are socketed... which is part of the issue - it makes them even taller on the circuit board.  I don't think I'll ever break the entire pedal down, but I could see myself swapping them out here and there.  Maybe even selling/trading in the future...

I imagine as long as I didn't cut them down too much they'd still be relatively marketable.  But this question comes more from looking at pics of transistors bent over/laying flat instead of cutting down the leads.  Wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something.... 

[Gordo]

I treat em like I treat my women...bent over and working for their money.  OK, I don't really treat women that way  but I socket them and bend the leads over if I figure that I'm ever going to need to use them in a different configuration.  Mind you most of the decent trannies I've ever scored are probably going to only be used by me so in the long run...don't worry about it.  I do socket them though because I don't want to apply more heat stress than necessary.  They're old, like me...

[petemoore]

  Straightline transistor leads in wiper sockets pull straight 'up' fall out to easy.
  Bending the body/leads over  to about 90 degrees has kept GE's that intractably ejected the socket in place. The side-torsion wrenches but does pull the pin straight, the wiper can resist the side torsion.
  I've glued, soldered, and build structures for transistors that fall out.