If you're a small (<<100k units per week) consumer, you're likely to get 100% defective parts when they send you megacorp's floor sweepings.

You can't trust a U.S. distributor.

I never got 'scrap' from either Digikey or Mouser and both of them must consider us a "small (<<100k units per week) consumer" since all components for production is bought through the manufacturers representatives. We use Digikey or Mouser for prototyping components (it is not worth the time to collect components for a prototype through 47 channels), nothing else.

Of course, since Richard has posted other 'preferences' re component suppliers, he may have to test everything to save $0.17 on his micros. What I said about cost of testing vs cost of relying on parts from 'good sources' evidently apply to Richard as well.

Stay away from the small 'discount' suppliers, and skip the 'savings', you will save MUCH, MUCH MORE paying a bit more for your components and SAVING the cost of testing parts.

Erik