Unpopular opinion: perfboard beats PCB every time for one-off builds

I know everyone these days is all about ordering fancy PCBs from JLCPCB or whatever, but I’ve been building pedals on perfboard for 6 years now and I honestly think it’s better for a single build. Last month I had to mod a fuzz circuit mid-build because I messed up a resistor value, and it took me maybe 2 minutes to swap things around on my perfboard. With a PCB you’d be scrapping the whole board or cutting traces, way more hassle. Maybe it’s just me but I’d rather save the $15 and the week of shipping for something I’m only making one of. Anyone else still stick with perfboard for their personal builds?

2 comments

2 Comments

chen.james1mo ago

My buddy builds guitar amps and he's exactly the same way. He jokes that PCBs are for people who plan ahead too much lol. It's kinda like how I still use a cast iron pan instead of non-stick even though the non-stick is technically easier. Sometimes the tool that lets you fix your mistakes on the fly is actually the better tool in the long run.

oscarh161mo ago

And that's the thing, right? There's a whole pattern of people choosing the harder but more repairable option over the convenient one, like sticking with a manual transmission car or a bike you can fix with a wrench instead of a computer. It's like we're all slowly learning that "easier" doesn't always mean "better" in the long run, doesn't it make you wonder what else we've traded for convenience?