Metal film vs Carbon Film resistors

[Seven64]

I have quite a few carbon film 5% resistors right now, but i was thinking about making the switch to metal film.  There are packs of 1% metal film resistors with 100pcs of 50 values (5000 pcs) for about 35 bucks shipped on ebay.  I just made the switch from cheap Tayda ceramic caps to the multilayer Panasonic caps, by ordering in quantity from digi-key.  I kinda figure I should up my quality of resistor as well, but I am not sure how much of a difference it makes.  I know most people on here (at least in the pics thread) use the metal film blues, but I was unsure.....so I made a thread about it.

[R.G.]

Did you search first before assuming that there hadn't already been a thread about it?

[Seven64]

i tried, and all i could find was when buying them on ebay if you order from a company in the USA you will end up with 5% carbon film, and if you end up with the 1% metal film they have smaller leads then some people are comfortable with

[mistahead]

Quick search:
http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=82698.0
And as always R.G.'s site is a trove of awesome information for us learning the ropes:
http://www.geofex.com/

Short answer is - resistors seem to be the LEAST contentious part of most builds, that is use what is available.

[Seven64]

spent more time searching and found this:

http://www.diystompboxes.com/smfforum/index.php?topic=89112.0

think im gonna have to bite the bullet and order some carbon film.

[derevaun]

I bought a pack of 1% metal film resistors from a Brooklyn-based importer; I presume they move goods from HK/China based on other doodads I've bought from them. The resistors appear to be metal film, based on my crude temperature tests, but the values are all over the place. My best guess is that they're rejects, due to being out of tolerance. There seems to be a whole subset of the cheap-gadgets-from-China market built with reject-binned parts, and for the price they're not a ripoff at all.

I wouldn't buy a big pack of resistors from overseas on Ebay if I were in the business of turning out identical builds. But I don't mind using a meter to cherrypick/match resistors in the one-off stuff I make. What's the worst that can happen?

[R.G.]

Mouser Electronics sells 5% carbon film resistors for about $4.00 per hundred. They ship same day if you enter an internet order by 8 PM CST.

[Seven64]

Mouser Electronics sells 5% carbon film resistors for about $4.00 per hundred. They ship same day if you enter an internet order by 8 PM CST.

tayda sells them $1.00/100

I bought a pack of 1000 metal film off of ebay, and hoping for the best!  if they end up being shit, i guess i can always order thru mammoth at 20 cents a pop. 

i still am in the middle of my first pack of carbon film resistors i got from radio shack.  the leads are REALLY tough!  i also have a futurlec pack sitting unopened in front of me.  and i ordered 10 of every value i need for my slow gear build in carbon film from tayda.  im pretty set on carbon film, but now i wish i would have spent the coin on a nice pack of metal film.

[ayayay!]

Did you buy them yet?  PM me.  I've got something I think you'd want.     Nevermind.

[derevaun]

I bought a pack of 1% metal film resistors from a Brooklyn-based importer....

Not a reference to Small Bear, BTW. It just occurred to me that one could reasonably wonder if the above was an oblique jab at Small Bear; it's totally not. It's Yallstore on Ebay. Carry on!

[amptramp]

If you get some military surplus resistors or you just want the definitive guide:

http://www.2aesc.com/Resources/MIL-HDBKS/MIL-HDBK-199/MIL-HDBK-199.pdf

[spargo]

Mammoth and Smallbear have packs of 200 for about $4.  I figure I can't go wrong with $0.02 a piece.  Plus, the blue ones are prettier. 

[Hides-His-Eyes]

Mouser Electronics sells 5% carbon film resistors for about $4.00 per hundred. They ship same day if you enter an internet order by 8 PM CST.

Is that cheap in the states?

Bitsbox.co.uk (a one man operation) does 50 for 1p each, 10 for 1.2p each...

[Projectile]

I bought a pack of 1% metal film resistors from a Brooklyn-based importer; I presume they move goods from HK/China based on other doodads I've bought from them. The resistors appear to be metal film, based on my crude temperature tests, but the values are all over the place. My best guess is that they're rejects, due to being out of tolerance. There seems to be a whole subset of the cheap-gadgets-from-China market built with reject-binned parts, and for the price they're not a ripoff at all.

I wouldn't buy a big pack of resistors from overseas on Ebay if I were in the business of turning out identical builds. But I don't mind using a meter to cherrypick/match resistors in the one-off stuff I make. What's the worst that can happen?

But doesn't that defeat the whole purpose of using metal film in the first place? If you have to check each of them becasue they are more than 1% off, then why not just use cheaper 5% carbon film? It's not like the temperature drift difference is ever going to be an issue in stomp boxes.

I ordered one of those bags of metal film resistors off of Ebay from somewhere in Asia. Reputable seller and everything. They were fake; actually carbon film. Also, they were cheap looking, spindly leads, difficult to read the painted stripes, and I didn't trust the values. Complete waste of money IMO. Resistors are so cheap as it is, why take the chance on some shoddy reject part when you are only saving a few pennies per resistor. Not worth it IMO.

The ONLY real reason to use metal film resistors over carbon film in a 9v stompbox is because you need their values to be accurate. That's it.  If somebody tells you they sound better, they are just selling snake oil... or deluding themselves.

[derevaun]

But doesn't that defeat the whole purpose of using metal film in the first place? If you have to check each of them becasue they are more than 1% off, then why not just use cheaper 5% carbon film? It's not like the temperature drift difference is ever going to be an issue in stomp boxes.
--snip--
The ONLY real reason to use metal film resistors over carbon film in a 9v stompbox is because you need their values to be accurate. That's it.  If somebody tells you they sound better, they are just selling snake oil... or deluding themselves.

Oh I totally agree that it's unwise to buy those cheap Ebay resistor assortments expecting to get more than you pay for.

In my case, the purpose was to have a lot of values on hand; they were as cheap as CF in those quantities and shipped free from US. I'd be measuring anyway, because I suck at reading the color bands.

[Hides-His-Eyes]

I bought a pack of 1% metal film resistors from a Brooklyn-based importer; I presume they move goods from HK/China based on other doodads I've bought from them. The resistors appear to be metal film, based on my crude temperature tests, but the values are all over the place. My best guess is that they're rejects, due to being out of tolerance. There seems to be a whole subset of the cheap-gadgets-from-China market built with reject-binned parts, and for the price they're not a ripoff at all.

I wouldn't buy a big pack of resistors from overseas on Ebay if I were in the business of turning out identical builds. But I don't mind using a meter to cherrypick/match resistors in the one-off stuff I make. What's the worst that can happen?

But doesn't that defeat the whole purpose of using metal film in the first place? If you have to check each of them becasue they are more than 1% off, then why not just use cheaper 5% carbon film? It's not like the temperature drift difference is ever going to be an issue in stomp boxes.

I ordered one of those bags of metal film resistors off of Ebay from somewhere in Asia. Reputable seller and everything. They were fake; actually carbon film. Also, they were cheap looking, spindly leads, difficult to read the painted stripes, and I didn't trust the values. Complete waste of money IMO. Resistors are so cheap as it is, why take the chance on some shoddy reject part when you are only saving a few pennies per resistor. Not worth it IMO.

The ONLY real reason to use metal film resistors over carbon film in a 9v stompbox is because you need their values to be accurate. That's it.  If somebody tells you they sound better, they are just selling snake oil... or deluding themselves.

Not sure about that; I was under the impression the noise advantages at large values was well documented.

[Projectile]

Not sure about that; I was under the impression the noise advantages at large values was well documented.

Sure, hypothetically you could design a pedal where it makes a difference, but I dare you to find an actual pedal where it matters. You would have to have a very high gain pedal (more than 9v supply would allow) or you would have to have a very large value resistor directly in the signal path for it really to make any difference. It's just not something we should be all that concerned about. All of the vintage pedals that people go crazy over where mostly made with carbon film resistors, so why should we bother using metal film for everything?

Don't get me wrong, I use metal film resistors for a lot of stuff too, just because they are cheap and readily available, but it sounds like the OP is going out of his way to switch entirely to metal film, which is just a waste of time and money IMO, especially if he is buying those crap Taiwanese resistor packages off of ebay. 

[culturejam]

Is that cheap in the states?

No, not really. Mouser sells KOA Speer metal films for $4 for 100. That same price for carbon film is pretty high.

Newark sells 100 metals films for $3.20 (for most values).

Jameco has limited values, but they run $0.90 for 100.


If you want to buy onesy-twosey, then 20 cents a pop is not unreasonable. But if you're buying 100+, there's no reason to be more than a 3-4 cents per piece. I mean, other than mojo factor, of course.

[CynicalMan]

I'd just like to put in a bit of a defense of the ebay resistor packs. I bought one of these not too long ago:
http://cgi.ebay.com/50-Value-1-4W-Metal-Film-Resistors-1R-10MR-1-2000pcs-/150471475772

I've never had any issues with noise or with resistors being out of spec. My meter isn't accurate enough to definitively test them, but I've never found one that was out of the tolerance range of it and my meter. For 75 cents a resistor, it was a great deal.

[PRR]

> impression the noise advantages at large values was well documented.

Carbon COMPOSITION is noisy. Also now extinct and sought-after for funky sound.

Carbon FILM is a very different process and on WELL-made parts the excess noise is slim to none.

Me, I think it is silly to look for "deals" on resistors. Your labor to install is worth more than the resistor. Your labor and pulled-hair to replace bad resistors is far more than the cost to get resistors from reputable vendors. I have never thought about the cost of part-Watt resistors in ANY of my builds.