Consensus of best quality Chinese minis

[schenkadere]

I only have experience with Donner and really dig them. I’m surprised how heavy duty they feel. I’ve been apprehensive about trying another brand. I’m sure Mooer is cool but since they’ve been in the game longer and have a bigger name, they’re more expensive than the others. I just wonder how the quality of casing, switches, pots, etc. compare.

 

[Crawldaddy]

Joyo and Mosky are the best in my books.

 

[schenkadere]

Joyo and Mosky are the best in my books.

Do the Mosky pedals have that nice solid feel?

 

[Chunkocaster]

I got a xvive aby mini pedal the other day and it seems sturdy.
A lot of those pedals look to be the same with different paint jobs. I haven't pulled them apart or anything to check but I'm sure some have and can confirm?

 

[Crawldaddy]

Do the Mosky pedals have that nice solid feel?

To be fair, I've only had experience with 2 spring reverbs and their golden horse. Sound-wise, they are great.

Build-wise they have a nice solid feel. I can do a gut shot of the spring reverb when I get home.

 

[El Tele Lobo]

Do the Mosky pedals have that nice solid feel?

I have a Mosky Golden Horse and a Joyo d-Seed delay. Both are very well made, durable and reliable. I've had no trouble with either.

 

[11 Gauge]

A lot of those pedals look to be the same with different paint jobs.

That's how it looks to me, too.

I went to grab a mini tuner pedal off of Amazon, and found that there's like the same thing just with five or more different names. I just chose the one with the lowest price that offered Prime shipping.

I'd have to imagine that many of them probably have the same or similar pots, jacks, and switches. IDK how you would go about determining how one vendor's pedal jacks are more durable than another's, other than to just buy some and see how they hold up.

 

[telemnemonics]

A few years ago I was looking at the Mooer Elec Lady and Blues Crab, read some stuff online and some claimed to have opened them up and at least in some cases they are the same pedal.
There did seem to be evidence that Mooer branded were better quality or had less problems.
Might not be that Mooer is older as much as that they have better quality control.
The problem with Chinese production is not that they can't make great stuff, it's that they can make the same stuff cheaper by somehow cutting costs, I'd guess with cheaper inexperienced labor, speeding up the line, using substandard parts in a cheaper run, anything that can save a dollar on a pedal means ten or twenty dollars lower retail.

There is even speculation that substandard batches of Moore pedals have been branded Donner.
Must be assembled boards of course, loaded into Donner cases.

Donner must also have standard runs, even if in the same factories as Mooer, or on the same board design.
But much of Chinese production gets many names applied.

I did buy an Elec Lady and it's a decent pedal.
Seems like prices go up with popularity and down if they don't sell well.
Chinese markups may have nothing to do with margins.
Likely a $3.00 item sells profitably for $20 or $60 if the market will bear it.

Search and you can find those Chinese pedals for that broad a price range.
Moore maybe $30- $80 retail for the same brand new pedal.

 

[schenkadere]

That's how it looks to me, too.

I went to grab a mini tuner pedal off of Amazon, and found that there's like the same thing just with five or more different names. I just chose the one with the lowest price that offered Prime shipping.

I'd have to imagine that many of them probably have the same or similar pots, jacks, and switches. IDK how you would go about determining how one vendor's pedal jacks are more durable than another's, other than to just buy some and see how they hold up.

I think it's a crap shoot and the winner is the lowest price. They really do seem all the same. Sonicake seems to have changed it up a bit. Even Biyang sells the same pedal in different enclosures with different paint jobs.

Honestly, all the stuff has been really good for the price. I can only speak of Donner, but I have their Deluxe Tuner, Boost Killer, Pearl Tremor phaser, Yellow Fall delay, Tiny Looper and the Alpha Force Multi. All are really decent and they feel very solid. I'm not opening them...I open...I break...that's just my luck, lol.

 

[rangercaster]

There is likely one huge factory that makes them all ...and puts different paint and labels on for customers... This is also my theory on ketchup manufacturing...

 

[schenkadere]

There is likely one huge factory that makes them all ...and puts different paint and labels on for customers... This is also my theory on ketchup manufacturing...

Nope...distinct flavor difference between Heinz and Hunts...I'm a connoisseur. Pedals...yeah...probably, lol.
I assume there is one or two mother ship companies producing it all. I wonder who they are?

 

[radiocaster]

Nope...distinct flavor difference between Heinz and Hunts...I'm a connoisseur. Pedals...yeah...probably, lol.
I assume there is one or two mother ship companies producing it all. I wonder who they are?

Eno and Mooer have different cases and PC boards, so it would be reasonable there are more factories, but I'm pretty sure the Enos get some other label because I've seen it on a video at a trade fair.

Personally I prefer the Joyo Ironman series and the Hotones after that.

 

[tfarny]

I agree that there's probably one big assembly line with a few different options for paint jobs. My Joyo American Sound, probably the most famous of the cheap Chinese pedals, is actually Ammoon Brand. Same thing, down to color as the Joyo version.

 

[nojazzhere]

I only have experience with Donner and really dig them. I’m surprised how heavy duty they feel. I’ve been apprehensive about trying another brand. I’m sure Mooer is cool but since they’ve been in the game longer and have a bigger name, they’re more expensive than the others. I just wonder how the quality of casing, switches, pots, etc. compare.

Kinda by coincidence, I just re-did my board last night. One by one all my (mostly) twenty plus year old pedals have been giving up the ghost.....sometimes on a gig, which is NOT ideal. So I've been buying little "mini" pedals of various brands, and without actually getting inside them, they all look and feel pretty much the same.
I got a Donner Tutti Love (chorus), Neewer Delay, Mosky Mini Screamer, Donner Golden Tremolo, and a Donner Ultimate Comp.....as well as my older Mosaic 12 String Emulator. I am NOT a connoisseur of pedals, and my lack of proficiency with them proves that, but sometimes I need to "get close" to a certain sound.
I sure saved space with these little guys.....I cut about a third off my previous board. (in board size)

 

[schenkadere]

I'm using all Donner stuff for a bit...tuner, boost, phaser, delay. I'm really liking it. Thinking of a second delay to dedicate one to cleans and one to dirt.

 

[BB]

I've had good luck with 4-5 off shore mini pedals. While not the lowest priced, Tone City seems to have the best of what I like.

 

[bgmacaw]

I've bought a lot of these mini-pedals. My favorites are...

Mooer Radar - Not exactly what I'd call cheap, the most expensive mini-pedal I've bought.
Mosky Spring Reverb - Reverb circuit built around the popular PT2399 chip. Not exactly spring but kind of a plate/spring mix.
Rowin Trelicopter - Good copy of the Demeter Tremulator, same circuit is available under several other brands
Ammoon Opti-Comp - Optical compressor similar, but not the same as, the Diamond comp. Same circuit as the Hotone Komp.

My worst experience was with the Mosky Golden Horse. I've had two and both died due to faulty charge pumps. I got a MXR Sugar Drive to replace them.

 

[Grandy]

I have a few Mooer pedals and the best of them are really close to the ones they are supposed to be copying. If the price is a half, a third or even less and the sound is 90% there, it's good enough for me. It is no scientific study but I haven't had one fail me yet.

Small boutique brands use more manual labor and humans make mistakes. Huge factories have a computer controlled machinery working. It is efficient but you can't send your pedal back if you a have a problem with it. Small shops will often fix there own products, won't they? I don't know any of this. It's just common sense, isn't it?

 

[schenkadere]

I have a few Mooer pedals and the best of them are really close to the ones they are supposed to be copying. If the price is a half, a third or even less and the sound is 90% there, it's good enough for me. It is no scientific study but I haven't had one fail me yet.

Small boutique brands use more manual labor and humans make mistakes. Huge factories have a computer controlled machinery working. It is efficient but you can't send your pedal back if you a have a problem with it. Small shops will often fix there own products, won't they? I don't know any of this. It's just common sence, isn't it?

I've done two no questions asked replacements with Donnerdeal...and got them in 2 days.

 

[ClashCityTele]

I have Mooer, Rowin, Eno, Tomsline, Warwick & Caline (not really micro) pedals.
Caline Orange Burst was new & faulty. Took apart - footswitch needed tightened.
Warwick tuner was used & buzzed. Loose wire, easily fixed.
No problems with any other pedals.
Mooer are best built; Rowin 600 series are sexiest; Eno Trouble & AD6 delay are 2 of the best pedals I've owned. Tomsline tuner does it's job.
My older pedals are Boss/Behringer.
If I need/want anything else it would probably be Donner Yellow Fall/Blues Crab; Mosky Golden Horse; Tone City Bad Horse/ Golden Plexi. They're cheap enough to try & move on if not satisfied.