# Best Brand of Terminal Blocks



## gpop (May 14, 2018)

we use phoenix contact because our sales rep has some experience in the field. He knows that we will require end stops, joining strips, etc when we place a order and will take the time to call us to check we have all the parts we need. 
They have a lot of nice toys that make building panels easier.

I use to buy AB but there part numbers and catalog made it more complicated that it needed to be. Nothing worse then having to daisy chain 20 blocks because the joining strip did not match the blocks and now you have a 10 day lead time on a job that has to be done in 2 days. 

On a down side phoenix is all about the panel builder and they sell a lot of stuff to designed to make the panel builders life easier. 
I personally hate blocks that do not have a way to get a meter onto the contact for testing so i avoid a lot of there stuff as i will be the one in the future doing troubleshooting in the panel. (but the do have a valid point that loose wires and insulation nips account for a lot of the problem, So maybe its better to use the spring loaded blocks).

Im still not sold on some of the new blocks that terminate on top but they do save a lot of time as you are not standing on your head trying to locate the hole when using standard din rail. You just have to spend longer arranging to wires to make them look neat and tidy.


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## splatz (May 23, 2015)

Thanks I will check out Phoenix Contact. I like the brand in general and I am using their power supplies for this project. I just looked at their terminal block catalog, not bad. I'll just have to see if pricing and availability are reasonable. 

I like the idea of top fed blocks for some situations like ridiculously small enclosures with the blocks right close to the walls. 



gpop said:


> we use phoenix contact because our sales rep has some experience in the field. He knows that we will require end stops, joining strips, etc when we place a order and will take the time to call us to check we have all the parts we need.
> They have a lot of nice toys that make building panels easier.
> 
> I use to buy AB but there part numbers and catalog made it more complicated that it needed to be. Nothing worse then having to daisy chain 20 blocks because the joining strip did not match the blocks and now you have a 10 day lead time on a job that has to be done in 2 days.
> ...


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## glen1971 (Oct 10, 2012)

I've had good luck with Weidmueller blocks. The WDU series ones were my preferred choice, with SAK thermocouple ones being the exception. They have a ton of selection for pretty much any application. Their relays are good and mount on the same rail. Different accessories such as spare fuse boxes too..


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## splatz (May 23, 2015)

glen1971 said:


> I've had good luck with Weidmueller blocks. The WDU series ones were my preferred choice, with SAK thermocouple ones being the exception. They have a ton of selection for pretty much any application. Their relays are good and mount on the same rail. *Different accessories such as spare fuse boxes too..*


That's brilliant! I never even thought about putting spare fuses on the rail. Much better than leaving them taped to the wall of the enclosure


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## gpop (May 14, 2018)

A new idea i am starting to see in the field is a IR sender/receiver mounted either side of a group of blocks (low voltage surge suppressors, fuses).

When something faults a tab drops over a hole the IR is using so you get a input to the plc that you have a problem. 

I thought that was interesting.


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## splatz (May 23, 2015)

Has anyone used Entrelec lately, used to be ABB, sold to TE Connectivity now?


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## sparkiez (Aug 1, 2015)

I use Eaton because that is what the supply house has. They are good blocks. Pretty similar to ABB, which are also fantastic blocks. Even their basic blocks have a 30A limit.


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## splatz (May 23, 2015)

sparkiez said:


> I use Eaton because that is what the supply house has. They are good blocks. Pretty similar to ABB, which are also fantastic blocks. Even their basic blocks have a 30A limit.


I was looking at the Entrelec which I used for a while, somebody gave me a PILE of them. They were really nice. They are now owned by TE (Tyco / Amp), hopefully they don't crap them up. Entrelec has pretty good catalog and it looks like the bigger online electronics retailers are stocking everything. 

The Automation Direct catalog has cross reference for Allen Bradley, ABB, Phoenix, and Weidmuller, the exact brands that came up here, so they are probably the market leaders.


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## telsa (May 22, 2015)

glen1971 said:


> I've had good luck with Weidmueller blocks. The WDU series ones were my preferred choice, with SAK thermocouple ones being the exception. They have a ton of selection for pretty much any application. Their relays are good and mount on the same rail. Different accessories such as spare fuse boxes too..


IIRC Weidmueller invented the DIN rail // fuse block scheme in 1927.

The last I looked, they had opened up a factory in New Jersey.

AFAIK, they focus on the EOM market -- not field troops. :crying:


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## micromind (Aug 11, 2007)

I used to use the A/B W type; had all the accessories stocked on my van. They were great blocks, never had a lick of trouble with them. 

Then, apparently some sort of executive decided that we should all switch to the J type. The Ws are still available but the price went into the stratosphere. 

I don't like the J type as well so I started using Phoenix Contact. They were great blocks too but the only distributor for them was Graybar. Ordering them became a major pain so I started using the Eaton ones. 

The Eatons are perfectly fine, they do everything I want. They are also exactly identical to the Schnider ones (except for the name), and I believe they are the same as the Phoenix Contact as well. Might be wrong though.


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## micromind (Aug 11, 2007)

splatz said:


> What's the top of the line brand of terminal blocks these days?
> 
> I have been buying Automation Direct for a while. Like their relays, they are OK quality, not great but adequate, but I'd prefer they were not made in China. However their prices are OK, their web site is great, the documentation / catalog is great. I haven't been able to find a brand that goes through supply house distribution that you could say that about. I decided that's more important.
> 
> ...


I had the same problem with A/B fuse holders. Further, the tab you pull to open it will break off sometimes. They're terrible!


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## joe-nwt (Mar 28, 2019)

glen1971 said:


> I've had good luck with Weidmueller blocks. The WDU series ones were my preferred choice, with SAK thermocouple ones being the exception. They have a ton of selection for pretty much any application. Their relays are good and mount on the same rail. Different accessories such as spare fuse boxes too..


I use mostly Weidmuller as one of my biggest customers specs them. I've found them to be excellent but be forwarned: the online parts catalogue is absolutely horrible. I have an old 1997/98 paper catalogue that is in 3 pieces but still far better as a reference than the online one. I've been told by a weidmuller rep that the catalogue is worth it's weight in gold even in that condition.


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## splatz (May 23, 2015)

I really should not have done this from a blood pressure perspective, but I just went through Automation Direct's site with the same order I picked up Friday. 

Took about 5-10 minutes, way more rigmarole with the Allen Bradley. 
Bought the 25 packs so I'd have some leftovers with Automation Direct. 
Didn't have to settle for gray because two level color coded blocks take longer to get. 
Fuseholders might not be junk that I have to put up with. 
Everything in stock ready to ship, I'll have to wait two days but it will come to me rather than me driving to supply house. 

Price between 1/3 and 1/4 what I paid. A little over $200 versus $800. 

Son of a bitch.


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## sparkiez (Aug 1, 2015)

I really don't like the AD terminal blocks. I find them to be very, very flimsy, but it is what it is for so cheap. Those are one of those basic things that I don't mind paying $10 for a fuse-holder for. Enough **** breaks that I don't want to worry about a stupid TB burning up.


Same goes for wire nuts
Insulated tap connectors
etc.


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## Cow (Jan 16, 2008)

sparkiez said:


> I really don't like the AD terminal blocks. I find them to be very, very flimsy, but it is what it is for so cheap. Those are one of those basic things that I don't mind paying $10 for a fuse-holder for. Enough **** breaks that I don't want to worry about a stupid TB burning up.
> 
> 
> Same goes for wire nuts
> ...



Can't argue with your logic there. I feel the same.



I'm building a couple of good sized AD PLC cabinets but using AB terminal blocks.


Never tried AD blocks, only because I know AB gets it done without issue. If even ONE connection goes south on me down the road and results in down time and a service call it would of more than paid for the TB upgrade to AB.


If I was just starting out and didn't have a brand preference, I might of tried AD. But once you have the leftover blocks, jumpers, dividers, end stops, etc from previous projects, it only makes sense to me to keep going with the brand you have...


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## SpaceMonkey (Sep 19, 2018)

splatz said:


> What's the top of the line brand of terminal blocks these days?
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Have you checked out galco.com? I got some ABB/Entrelecs off there, seemed to be decent quality, and has the same ease of ordering as AD


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## JRaef (Mar 23, 2009)

What you guys don't know is that there have been things taking place in the background that are affecting everything we use now, and some of you are not going to like the result.

Elsewhere in the world (and coming soon to a market near you) there is an all encompassing rule called RoHS (pronounced ro-hass) that stands for *R*eduction *o*f *H*azardous *S*ubstances, implemented in Europe and spread to the rest of the world in order to eliminate hazmats ending up in landfills. RoHS started about 20 years ago with time for everyone to implement it, but the last big rule change came up against a deadline in July of 2017 that requires that ALL components used in electrical equipment must now be 100% recyclable. So for any manufacturer wanting to sell all over the world (which is everyone), components had to be redesigned over the last decade with this in mind. In some cases old line US mfrs have kept some products available for use ONLY in the US and Canada, because the RoHS laws are not applicable yet. But it can get machinery OEMs in trouble if that stuff accidentally ends up in something that gets exported, and the cost to "dispose" of it is borne by the mfr. So more and more, these older product lines are being eliminated. So that's why you have seen some favorite old stuff becoming unavailable. In the TB world, cadmium plating on the terminals and screws became illegal, and the type of plastic used in the bodies had to be one of the recyclable types, no more "FRP" (Fiberglass Reinforced Plastic), better known as "glastic", the material that took the place of old Bakelite decades ago. 

It's also why you will be seeing melting alloy OL heaters start fading away (lead), old contactor lines going away (cadmium in the contacts), older circuit breaker lines disappearing (FRP bodies) and lots and lots of electronics getting redesigned (to remove lead from the PC boards). Again, even though RoHS rules don't apply to us here (yet), it doesn't really matter because now the equipment and component mfrs must protect themselves from stuff ending up overseas where it is now "illegal".


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## splatz (May 23, 2015)

JRaef said:


> What you guys don't know is that there have been things taking place in the background that are affecting everything we use now, and some of you are not going to like the result.


I clicked "Like" on this post because I appreciate the detailed informative answer, not because I like this new world order bull****. This kind of thing is why grumpy old farts that bitch about how things used to be better are often RIGHT ABOUT EVERYTHING. 

Some unelected bunch of lawyers, academics, and political appointees in the Hague or who knows where make up some ill considered half brained rules to save the world, and pat themselves on the back, probably drinking a $3 plastic bottle of water at the same time, and the quality of industrial durable goods takes a dump. Nice work.


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## paulengr (Oct 8, 2017)

The big hazard with RoHS is that it eliminates lead-tin solder one favor of silver-copper-tin (silver solder). This solder has a maximum life in a power joint of 15 years because as a solder it sucks. Second and huge problem is that plants that have H2S around eat anything with silver in it. It can destroy connections in days. Worse still in severe cases it can create silver whiskers where somehow the corrosion reaction reversed and grows long whiskers of pure silver. This is never mind silver contacts on larger contactors to try to reduce contact welding. Of course the best solution for contact welding is using mercury switches...oh yeah, banned!

This would seem like a rare thing that affects almost nobody. Not true!! Sewage plants, paper mills, pulp mills, tire plants, sulfide metal mines (copper, silver, zinc, lead, pretty much everything but aluminum and iron), ALL have lots of H2S around. In terms of reliability RoHS has been a total disaster. It’s great for business for me when drives last maybe 3 years and I can sell a conformal coating upgrade and use some installation tricks to slow it down to get maybe 5-8 years out of a drive. The old pre-RoHS ones lasted 10 years (normal expected life).


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## JRaef (Mar 23, 2009)

paulengr said:


> The big hazard with RoHS is that it eliminates lead-tin solder one favor of silver-copper-tin (silver solder). This solder has a maximum life in a power joint of 15 years because as a solder it sucks. Second and huge problem is that plants that have H2S around eat anything with silver in it. It can destroy connections in days. Worse still in severe cases it can create silver whiskers where somehow the corrosion reaction reversed and grows long whiskers of pure silver. This is never mind silver contacts on larger contactors to try to reduce contact welding. Of course the best solution for contact welding is using mercury switches...oh yeah, banned!
> 
> This would seem like a rare thing that affects almost nobody. Not true!! Sewage plants, paper mills, pulp mills, tire plants, sulfide metal mines (copper, silver, zinc, lead, pretty much everything but aluminum and iron), ALL have lots of H2S around. In terms of reliability RoHS has been a total disaster. It’s great for business for me when drives last maybe 3 years and I can sell a conformal coating upgrade and use some installation tricks to slow it down to get maybe 5-8 years out of a drive. The old pre-RoHS ones lasted 10 years (normal expected life).


 Most people have come up with alternatives to silver solder for the very reasons you mention and/or are moving toward conformal coating for everything (A-B conformal coats everything now without surcharge). But the H2S problem is even bigger than the joint solder itself. PCBs used a lead solder substrate (base) for the "traces" on the boards, because the lead adhered to the fiberglass better than anything else. The substitute, which is more tin based, is also not lasting as long, especially on any stab-in "fingers" for edge connected boards where they use gold plating. Turned out that the exposed edges or lead, when cut in the machining process for the fingers, would form a lead-oxide barrier that stopped further corrosion from the H2S. Without that, the H2S, when combined with airborne moisture, forms sulfuric acid (H2SO4) which attacks the tin based substrate and the gold plating flakes off from underneath. This is affecting all electronics and this issue cannot be mitigated by conformal coating because these fingers have to stab into connectors. So what you will see as time goes on is the elimination of edge connected PC boards, meaning fewer flexible options for things like communications, I/O, special adapters etc. on things like VFDs, Soft Starters, servo amplifiers, HMIs, even PLCs.


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## splatz (May 23, 2015)

I decided to go with Automation Direct. I had to get this done without a lot of rigmarole getting the order processed. Automation Direct really does a great job: 

* Good info on web site 
* Accurate inventory on web site
* Everything I needed was in stock 
* BOM feature works GREAT 

The terminal blocks are fine. They aren't quite as nice as the old Entrelec I had a pile of but they are good. The fuseholders were much better than the AB for literally 1/10th the price. 

I also bought some Wera screwdrivers to ship with the panel, they were so nice and cheap I bought myself a couple on my next order for some odds and ends. 

So it was easy to set up an order over multiple visits, 

I got everything right away in one shot when I pulled the trigger, 

I paid so much less than AB I can't believe it, like less than 1/4th the price

They are at least as good and in some instances better than AB. 

Overall, credit where due, Automation Direct is knocking it out of the park, and Rexel for Allen Bradley SUCKS. I am an Automation Direct customer in the future, I just can't afford to deal with Rexel for Allen Bradley, their ridiculously arcane catalog / web site, horrible inventory issues, and with their quality slide from great to below average, I won't miss the products.


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## dronai (Apr 11, 2011)

I used the AD also for my own projects, and they work fine. I have to use the Allen Bradley for the factory I work at, but everything is at a premium price


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