Who makes best IC sockets?

[+ZuluGula]

In the past, I was buying the cheapest IC sockets from China I could find. Now I decided that when I do any work on old and delicate PCBs, I want to use the best quality sockets so I don't have to resolder it ever again in the future.

So I'm looking for dual wipe sockets, that are best quality and relatively low profile. If possible, please provide model number, so it will be easier to find the right part. I'm not interested in machined IC sockets, those are not the best for used chips that can still have excess solder left on it's legs.

[BDW]

I've used TE Connectivity IC sockets professionally for board designs that go into nasty environments (high heat, high moisture, lightning strikes). The sockets stand up to the moisture, and they dont fall apart after repeated insert/reinsert of chips. I can't remember which exact part I used, but it was the same product series as this one:

https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/1-2199298-2/A120347-ND/5022039?utm_campaign=buynow&utm_medium=aggregator&curr=usd&utm_source=octopart

[Keatah]

Yes. I'll second that. And that's right about the machined sockets.

For more generic applications I've always used Harris.

 

I always coat the pins with an impossibly thin layer of dielectric grease or deoxit. And the pins remain shiny. And there is no crackling or snapping noises when pulling IC's that have been coated. I have molecular vapor deposition machine that can lay out a layer of the stuff 20, 50, 100, 200, 400, or 800 molecules thick. Have repairs like that going on 20+ years now.

 

Spoiler

Not really. But the 20+ year longevity is absolutely true.

 

[BDW]

3 hours ago, Keatah said:

Yes. I'll second that. And that's right about the machined sockets.

For more generic applications I've always used Harris.

 

I always coat the pins with an impossibly thin layer of dielectric grease or deoxit. And the pins remain shiny. And there is no crackling or snapping noises when pulling IC's that have been coated. I have molecular vapor deposition machine that can lay out a layer of the stuff 20, 50, 100, 200, 400, or 800 molecules thick. Have repairs like that going on 20+ years now.

 

  Reveal hidden contents

Not really. But the 20+ year longevity is absolutely true.

 

Not gonna lie, I believed you 100% before I read the spoiler box  Back in college I worked in an optics lab that had a home built GLAD Deposition machine that was 8 feet tall and around 400 pounds. You wouldn't believe some of the dumb shit they stuck in that bad boy. Want to coat a penny with a 10nm layer of titanium? Never mind the fact that 95% of the titanium sputtered out gets wasted.