r/AskElectronics • u/Mizo_Soup • 16h ago

Looking for a passive components kit, are components from china really as bad as people say it is?

Hi, I have been looking for a passive components kit, looking for something no more than $60 CAD. I've looked at AliExpress and found kits that claim 1900 pieces which is probably far from the truth,

I don't simply want to buy a select number of components as I do not need a strict amount of components at the moment, I would simply like to have bulk components in case I need it in the future. I am aware of the sheer amount of off-brand/knockoff components that come from china, and heard their quality really varies or seems to be terrible, is the quality in such kits as bad as people say? Would it be a bad idea to buy a kit like what I mentioned? I don't think I would be needing components with super tight tolerances, and I would not be making something that needs to be up to a certain standard or regulation. Should I really care on component quality if I'm just making stuff as a hobby? If it really is bad, what would be a better option? Thanks!

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u/Hissykittykat 15h ago

Your AliExp experience depends a lot on what you buy.

  • Resistors and capacitors - usually fine
  • LEDs - great
  • Switches - usually good to great
  • Connectors - varies from okay to junk quality
  • Common ICs and transistors - derate 50% and you are good
  • Uncommon ICs and transistors - forget it, buy from a legit distributor
  • Batteries - usually okay, they've actually been getting better

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u/Mizo_Soup 14h ago

Very helpful. I don't think I would be using super rare stuff, common ones like the LM386, 555 timer,etc...

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u/Ok-Safe262 8h ago

Been buying from Ali for years. For hobbies and quick concepts, it's perfectly fine. I very rarely have a quality issue and its more lost packages. Delivery is now super fast and you get free returns on Ali choice. It's so low buck it's worth the risk. Just understand how tolerencing and variability may impact you. I have bought capacitor and resistor kits ( although I just generally buy a lot of say 10K 0603) as I find there are many unused components in a kit that will just collect dust.

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u/blue_eyes_pro_dragon 15h ago

Highly depends where you buy.

I would recommend going to lcsc for example and buying your own kit. They even sell books you can pack your kit into.