Tools:

Yobett 166 Values 1/4w Resistors pack
https://amzn.to/2kHMh1w

REXQualis 22 Values 1/4W 1% Resistor Kit Assortment
https://amzn.to/2spwfOh

Elegoo 17 Values 1% Resistor Kit Assortment
https://amzn.to/2LdiYz3

Joe Knows Electronics 1/4W Resistor Starter Kit
https://amzn.to/2LdiZD7

Joe Knows Electronics 1/4W 1% 86 Value 860 Piece Resistor Kit
https://amzn.to/2LRAJoU

Transcript:

I’m Donald Bell for Cool Tools and in this video I’m going to show you 5 different resistor kits for electronic projects. I found all of these on Amazon, and if one of them looks like the right one for you, you can find the links for all these in the video description below. By picking one up, you’re helping to support my videos and the Cool Tools blog.

Whether you’re just getting started with electronics or you’re an old pro, a well organized assortment of resistors is incredibly useful.

The good news is that there are a bunch of options you can quickly get on Amazon. The bad news is that the quality and organization is hit or miss. So I’m going to show you 5 options.

Let’s start out with this one from Yobett. On paper, this one seems like a crazy deal for around $17. You get 166 different ¼ watt resistor values, 10 resistors per value. It comes packed and labeled and there’s a little chart inside with all the values listed.

But I have two problems with this. First, once you dig around for the resistor you need the organization falls apart almost immediately.

Second, the leads on these resistors are these thin, wimpy legs that aren’t breadboard friendly. And I’ve found this problem with a lot of resistors I’ve bought through eBay or Amazon. If you’re used to a solid, Radio Shack style of resistor lead, these will disappoint.

Next up, at just $9, there’s the RexQualis 22 value kit. You get 550 ¼ watt resistors, all separately bagged and labeled with big, legible numbers. It also includes a resistor code cheat sheet.

I like this set. The organization is great. There’s not a lot of different values, but you get the most useful and common range, from 10 ohms up to 1 megaohm. My only complaint is that the resistors still have these wimpy legs, similar to the other kit. Fine for through-hole PCB projects, but not great for breadboarding or point-to-point stuff.

Next up is the Elegoo resistor kit. It’s around $11, and comes with 525 ¼ watt resistors across 17 values.

This one comes in a neat, plastic case. Each value comes in its own individual bag, clearly labeled. You also get a resistor code chart and a list of all the included values.

The problem with this one is that there’s no linear order to how it’s organized, or any way to really keep them in order. You just hunt for what you want throw it back in.

The leads are a little stiffer on these guys. You can breadboard with these, but they’re still a little squishy.

Now here’s my personal favorite. This 16 value kit from Joe Knows Electronics isn’t the best value or most complete kit. But for around $8 you get an individually bagged assortment that’s clearly labeled and will stay organized.

The leads are relatively stiff. They’re a classic beige color because they’re 5% carbon film style. And you get a code chart inside the lid. A few extra values in here would be nice, but this covers the most common breadboard project values, and there’s enough room in here that I could pop in a few bags from the other kits and keep them organized here.

Now, I was so impressed by the way they did this kit that I also ordered up their $20 860 piece kit with 86 values.

It’s the same idea, but the box is larger, you get more values, and the resistors themselves are a more precise quality that use copper leads. I find the whole thing a little overkill for me, and honestly none of these really delivered the old school lead stiffness I was hoping for.

So that’s a look at some of the different resistor kits you can buy on Amazon. There are a bunch out there, but my advice after looking at all of these is to consider organization over quantity.

You can find links to each of these kits in the description, and you can find thousands of reader recommended tools like these at Cool-Tools.org

Find more Cool Tool reviews here:
http://kk.org/cooltools