Does wire Size Matter

[Phend]

Hello all
Simple or not so simple question,
I have 22ga stranded "pre bond" wire.
Will solid smaller diameter wire, such as cat5 size wire be a substitute.?
It is easy to work with.
I see photos of effects that have 22ga wire from the stomp switch.
Is that necessary.? 
Why isn't smaller solid wire used more.?
Thanks in advance

[GibsonGM]

Can't tell you why it isn't used more, Phend, other than some types don't take solder well (like phone wire...can't say if Cat5 solders well).   No, it makes no electrical difference in terms of ability to carry the currents at the levels we're using, 9 / 18V.   

I like smaller wire on stomp switches because anything much thicker really clutters up that small area you have to solder in  

[GGBB]

Small gauge solid core likes to break more easily than stranded especially if nicked.

FWIW - some CAT-5 wire is stranded 24AWG - nice to work with.

[Phend]

Thanks, I have both solid and stranded cat type size wire.
Find it odd that, what I would call really heavy wire, is being used in effects.
Like some photos show impossible wiring of a foot switch with heavy wire.
Ok, why not use smaller stranded wire ?
Are wire failures common ? 

[GGBB]

I usually use 22awg stranded but sometimes 24awg. I don't consider 22awg heavy, but everything is relative I suppose. Comparing the two, I find the 22awg just feels right to me, whereas the 24awg is just a bit flimsy. 20awg would absolutely be too heavy for my tastes, and 26awg too thin. But it's all perception I think, 22 and 24 both work just fine. The only thing I notice as an advantage of 22 over 24 is how it fits in a PCB pad.

For me it's more about cost - I'll use the cheapest "suitable" wire I can find which for the last few years has been a big roll of 22awg stranded multi-conductor wire and more recently free retired CAT-5 cables from work. I'll probably expand into my old A/V cables eventually. There is so much surplus wire around no one should have to buy new for things like DIY pedals.

[EBK]

Why isn't smaller solid wire used more.?
Thanks in advance

Mechanical stability, and ease of use, as others have said.

You can wire your pedals with magnet wire if you want to.  If you have a neat idea for a circuit that uses tiny wires, go for it.   

I used some tiny wire in this circuit where thicker wire would have been quite crowded.

[amptramp]

One advantage of thinner wire is less capacitance to everything around it, so less coupling between, say, input and output where it could cause oscillation.

[imJonWain]

Echoing what everyone else said...

If you look around you can usually get spools of Cat5 for free and Cat5e for very cheap or free now since cat6 has become the norm.  I've been using wires cut from cat5 for several years now and based on the spool size probably will for another decade.

I usually use 28 or 26awg stranded but that's simply because I have it, I like how manageable it is size wise, and I'm used to working with it from my work. 

[Phend]

This I have found:
Cat5, i have, the wire that goes long runs, ie thru walls is solid.
That short connector cable that plugs into your computer is stranded.

[marcelomd]

Must. Resist. Urge. To. Make. "Wire". Size. Joke.

That said. CAT5 solders very well and is perfect for breadboards an links on perf board. I've never seen stranded CAT5, though.

[PRR]

> I've never seen stranded CAT5, though.

Generally:

Permanent, in-wall (conduit, tray, etc) is solid because cheaper and crimped better.

'Patch cords' from wall to terminal which may be moved and flexed a lot are stranded because flex.

I'm sure the world is full of exceptions. In the early days I self-made a bunch of solid patch-cables; use what you got. Later as all CAT5 got cheaper than dirt and I had 390 feet left on a spool, I ran stranded in walls, use what you got.

[Phend]

Stranded wire Cat5 patch cable.