Years ago I worked for a local well known electronic parts supplier and if we didn't have the part that the customer wanted we would refer them to RS components.
They used to have a catalogue that was over an inch thick that contained all the data and specs on a particular component which was streets ahead of Dick Smith Jaycar Altronics and Tandy. Now of course its all on CD Rom or a website as the cost of producing it was so high.
The only complaints I ever heard about RS was their very high costs but when you consider that their components are usually much higher quality and even sometimes military spec then sometimes its worth paying more for a better quality components, but having said that in this day and age I think their components now are cheaper than they once were.
