[dxps26]

Just built my first Cable out of some Quad, HeatShrink, and a new 1/4 TRS connector by Neutrik. Those plugs are a pain in the *** to solder. Tiny, closely placed contacts, no place to drop down a good amount of solder, and no matter what you do, the solder simply does not hold onto the metal. i broke the left channel contact trying to get it to stay fixed. Absolute rubbish.
then i fished out a spare RadioShack 1/4 TRS that i had bought long ago, and what a pleasure that was to work with. The widely spaced contacts were made of brass that was flexible enough to be bent just a little to enable easy soldering. They were even pre-fluxed, so my solder went on like glue. The 3 screws thoughtfully provided on the contacts were removed and the apertures used to pass my thick 22awgX2 wire through. The plug came with a simple and effective PVC sleeve and spring strain relief(the only thing hard to work with)
all in all, a better experience to work with, and a secure and safe connection nonetheless.
 
What's not to like? why the hate on cheap connectors when some of them are clearly superior?

 

[FallenAngel]

I've always found the Neutrik 1/4" connectors some if the easiest to work with.  My dislike for RadioShack connectors is their cheap built quality and durability.

 

[gimble]

Sometimes nothing. Sometimes they aren't very sturdy or are a PITA to work with. Neutriks tend to be good quality and about a buck for TRS plugs, so my motivation to try out other connectors at random tends to be pretty low - where's the benefit?

 

[ClemBurmingham]

My personal problem with no-name or Radio Shack tends to be a quality issue.  Can I use them? Yes, they work just fine and get the job done.  However after some time has passed it seems that the plug starts to get worn much faster than other plugs and I have to replace the plug sooner.  There are many plugs out there and many that I would love to try, use, and make cables with but sadly the budget is tight currently.  Neutriks are my fall back plugs though since the price is reasonable and they seem, for me at least, to last through the abuse I put them through.  Not to mention I have quite a few lying around from back when I was making my own cables for my live sound rig and home studio rig.

 

[tangent]

Your report about difficulty soldering the Neutrik flies in the face of how many of these get used every day by professional A/V people.  If everyone was having trouble soldering them, they wouldn't be very popular in that world, where turnaround time is very important.
 
I'll add my own limited experience to that -- I think I've only made a few 1/4" TRS cables with Neutriks, and both builds went smoothly.
 
Tell us about your iron.

 

[nikongod]

I agree that the rat-shack 1/4" plugs are EASIER to solder than the neutrik units, but the neutriks are not particularly difficult. 
 
If you want tricky plugs get some cardas 1/4" plugs. biggest pain in the bumm ever. 

 

[Pars]

Rat shack connectors are very expensive for what you get. For example, this one, at $3.99 for a pack of 2:
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2104063&filterName=Cable+type&filterValue=Phone+plugs+%26amp%3B%23038%3B+jacks
 
Compare to a Neutrik NYS231: $0.79 each http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=092-155, or $1.19 in black body/gold contacts http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=092-157
 
Much better plug than the rat shack as well.

 

[HiGHFLYiN9]

Quote:

If you want tricky plugs get some cardas 1/4" plugs. biggest pain in the bumm ever.

 
Pretty much, between heating the hell out of the rhodium to get the solder to stick and building up a sizable amount of heatshrink to act as a strain relief, not the most pleasant connector I've worked with. I've always had great luck with the Neutrik 1/4" plugs, I think they are the best value for the money.

 

[dxps26]

Gentlemen, May I repost my statement with some highlighting, to explain my position a bit more clearly?
 
While I wholeheartedly agree that most of the products sold at the Ratshack are overpriced and of a poor quality, there can be some things that can work well. To Clarify, I used the Shack's 'Gold Series" connector, which was expensive, but hey, it worked for me without a hitch.
 
Quote:

then i fished out a spare RadioShack 1/4 TRS that i had bought long ago, and what a pleasure that was to work with. The widely spaced contacts were made of brass that was flexible enough to be bent just a little to enable easy soldering. They were even pre-fluxed, so my solder went on like glue. The 3 screws thoughtfully provided on the contacts were removed and the apertures used to pass my thick 22awgX2 wire through. The plug came with a simple and effective PVC sleeve and spring strain relief(the only thing hard to work with)
all in all, a better experience to work with, and a secure and safe connection nonetheless.
 
What's not to like? why the hate on cheap connectors when some of them are clearly superior?

 

[jageur272]

Well, I actually prefer working with the Neutrik's more so than most any radioshack plugs (including the gold series).  I've just generally preferred the strain relief system to the spring strain relief (which provides no grip to the cord) and I find them quite easy to solder.  Last time I used a gold series 1/4" plug (mono, not stereo), the contacts were quite flimsy, though they were equally easy to solder (I'm using a Hakko 936).  Also, they are much more cost effective.  I guess that the ease of use between the Neutriks and Radioshack plugs is a matter of preference, but the Neutriks are definitely a better value.

 

[gimble]

Spring relief may be a bit odd, but it's easy to heat shrink.

 

[Bazirker]

Quote:

Spring relief may be a bit odd, but it's easy to heat shrink.

How are you supposed to heat shrink it?  Because as best I can tell, the spring on the Radioshack connector does nothing if the cable is pulled on directly.

 

[samsquanch]

Ease of assembly does not equal quality.
 
Out of curiosity, are you using an orange handled weller iron, the type that is typically carried by home depot and the likes?  If so, that is not a temperature regulated iron, and can over heat your wires / connectors / boards / components, which can lead to jackets melting / tabs breaking off / lifting traces / frying IC's and capacitors.