For the past several years I've irregularly posted my experiences
ordering over the web from several catalog houses/surplus suppliers
with online ordering.

My hope in doing this was not just to give pointers to other
small-timers like myself as to which ones are the best sites, but to
give feedback to the companies to get them to improve their interfaces.

But since my first online order (1997 or so) one outfit has risen way
above the others: Digikey. Digikey's website leaves all the others in
the dust. Their search engine and selection forms for picking out
components is simply superb, and is getting better all the time. If I
want to know what X5R dielectric capacitors are available in 0402 form
factor, the answer is just a couple of clicks and a few seconds away.
This is simply amazing.

Semiconductor search is not quite so slick, but I cannot blame Digikey
for not trying. They do a good job, especially seeing as how 7
different vendors describe their similar parts with slightly different
wording. For product lines where categorization and selection menus
might be able to work well, they've coerced everything into selection
menus that are simply superb. And datasheets and sometimes photos are
always just a mouse click away for the real comparison.

Don't get me wrong: Newark, Mouser, Allied, Jameco, and a few others
that I order over the web from have pretty good web-order-entry
systems. They've all improved since they first began taking orders over
the web. Many of them now have near-real-time stock and shipping
status. They let me do my hobby shopping at home at night without
having to call during the day. But they have pretty much zero search
and selection ability.

Digikey, keep doing it right!

Tim.

"Tim Shoppa" wrote in message
ups.com...
For the past several years I've irregularly posted my experiences
ordering over the web from several catalog houses/surplus suppliers
with online ordering.

My hope in doing this was not just to give pointers to other
small-timers like myself as to which ones are the best sites, but to
give feedback to the companies to get them to improve their interfaces.

But since my first online order (1997 or so) one outfit has risen way
above the others: Digikey. Digikey's website leaves all the others in
the dust. Their search engine and selection forms for picking out
components is simply superb, and is getting better all the time. If I
want to know what X5R dielectric capacitors are available in 0402 form
factor, the answer is just a couple of clicks and a few seconds away.
This is simply amazing.

Semiconductor search is not quite so slick, but I cannot blame Digikey
for not trying. They do a good job, especially seeing as how 7
different vendors describe their similar parts with slightly different
wording. For product lines where categorization and selection menus
might be able to work well, they've coerced everything into selection
menus that are simply superb. And datasheets and sometimes photos are
always just a mouse click away for the real comparison.

Don't get me wrong: Newark, Mouser, Allied, Jameco, and a few others
that I order over the web from have pretty good web-order-entry
systems. They've all improved since they first began taking orders over
the web. Many of them now have near-real-time stock and shipping
status. They let me do my hobby shopping at home at night without
having to call during the day. But they have pretty much zero search
and selection ability.

Digikey, keep doing it right!

Have a look at the Farnell and RS websites (UK):

http://uk.farnell.com/jsp/home/homepage.jsp

http://rswwww.com

I prefer them to DigiKey.

Leon

Tim Shoppa wrote:
For the past several years I've irregularly posted my experiences
ordering over the web from several catalog houses/surplus suppliers
with online ordering.

My hope in doing this was not just to give pointers to other
small-timers like myself as to which ones are the best sites, but to
give feedback to the companies to get them to improve their interfaces.

But since my first online order (1997 or so) one outfit has risen way
above the others: Digikey. Digikey's website leaves all the others in
the dust. Their search engine and selection forms for picking out
components is simply superb, and is getting better all the time. If I
want to know what X5R dielectric capacitors are available in 0402 form
factor, the answer is just a couple of clicks and a few seconds away.
This is simply amazing.

Semiconductor search is not quite so slick, but I cannot blame Digikey
for not trying. They do a good job, especially seeing as how 7
different vendors describe their similar parts with slightly different
wording. For product lines where categorization and selection menus
might be able to work well, they've coerced everything into selection
menus that are simply superb. And datasheets and sometimes photos are
always just a mouse click away for the real comparison.

Don't get me wrong: Newark, Mouser, Allied, Jameco, and a few others
that I order over the web from have pretty good web-order-entry
systems. They've all improved since they first began taking orders over
the web. Many of them now have near-real-time stock and shipping
status. They let me do my hobby shopping at home at night without
having to call during the day. But they have pretty much zero search
and selection ability.

Digikey, keep doing it right!

Tim.

Hi,

I agree entirely about DigiKey. However, when I want to order just a
few parts (rather than dozens at a time), Mouser has a much better price
for small quantities. Also, they will ship via 1st class mail - saving
on shipping costs.

So I use the search on DigiKey, check the price, then search by the
exact part number on Mouser to see if the price is much lower.

--
Luhan Monat (luhanis 'at' yahoo 'dot' com)
"The future is not what it used to be..."
http://members.cox.net/berniekm

That's an interesting perspective, Tim. I find it easier to search Digikey
for passives and Mouser for semiconductors/actives. Jameco has them all
beat for their specialties like wall warts, motors, solenoids, solar stuff,
and tools/solder stations.

That's my triumvirate...they all have stuff they do best, and I really have
no need for other catalogs to cobble up the bench.

For onesie, twosies they all have about the same prices, but when you start
buying in thousands, Mouser has them beat by a mile.

Jim



" Don't get me wrong: Newark, Mouser, Allied, Jameco, and a few others
that I order over the web from have pretty good web-order-entry
systems.

Their pricing doth truly suck sometimes, but on the good
side they stock most of the stuff in their catalogs (and
then some), as opposed to some "other" distributors whose
catalogs might be characterized as vaporware.

I wonder sometimes how much they spend printing catalogs
every two months, which always seemed excessive to me.
I'd have thought twice a year would be plenty.

Tim Shoppa wrote:
For the past several years I've irregularly posted my experiences
ordering over the web from several catalog houses/surplus suppliers
with online ordering.

My hope in doing this was not just to give pointers to other
small-timers like myself as to which ones are the best sites, but to
give feedback to the companies to get them to improve their interfaces.

But since my first online order (1997 or so) one outfit has risen way
above the others: Digikey. Digikey's website leaves all the others in
the dust. Their search engine and selection forms for picking out
components is simply superb, and is getting better all the time. If I
want to know what X5R dielectric capacitors are available in 0402 form
factor, the answer is just a couple of clicks and a few seconds away.
This is simply amazing.

Semiconductor search is not quite so slick, but I cannot blame Digikey
for not trying. They do a good job, especially seeing as how 7
different vendors describe their similar parts with slightly different
wording.

Yes. For this, they might benefit from hiring a person with some real
electronics knowledge, who might be able to standardize the terms used
in the database, and thus would have to translate any non-standard
compliant terminology from their vendors into the terms used in the
database. That would make even the semis consistent.



Good day!

--
__________________________________________________ _____________________
Christopher R. Carlen
Principal Laser/Optical Technologist
Sandia National Laboratories CA USA
-- NOTE: Remove "BOGUS" from email address to reply.

Mouser has a much better price
for small quantities. Also, they
will ship via 1st class mail saving
on shipping costs.

Well, Digikey will ship for free if you mail in your order with
payment. Not awfully relevant to me because it's been years since I
ordered by any method except the web.

So I use the search on DigiKey,
check the price, then search by
the exact part number on
Mouser to see if the price is
much lower.

I'd feel guilty doing that, but I cannot fault you for being thrifty
:-)

Tim.

Have a look at the Farnell

Farnell seems to be the same back-end as Newark with a different name
on the front.. (Err, now it's "Newark-in-one", but I've always been
oblivious to name changes.)

Tim.

"Tim Shoppa" wrote in message
oups.com...
Have a look at the Farnell

Farnell seems to be the same back-end as Newark with a different name
on the front.. (Err, now it's "Newark-in-one", but I've always been
oblivious to name changes.)

Farnell took Newark over a few years ago.

Leon
--
Leon Heller, G1HSM
http://www.geocities.com/leon_heller

Farnell took Newark over a few years ago.

OK, that explains it :-).

Newark always had some interesting semiconductor stock from HP (now
Agilent... too many name changes!). Finding what they have in stock is
certainly easier now that I can search on the web, but I'd probably buy
more from them if they improved their web interface so I didn't have to
type in every single part number that may be useful to me just to see
if they carry it.

I just tried Newark/Farnell for some passive searches and indeed
they've recently updated their search interface so that it's a lot like
Digikey's.

Tim.