I'm building two sets of 26" wheels, one pair of 32h triple cross with Bullseye hubs with machined sidewalls for rim brakes, and another pair of 24h double cross with Alex A-Class hubs with Sun rims for disc brakes.
I'm now looking for which spokes to buy. I'm comparing double butted spokes between Wheelsmith and DT Swiss. The Wheelsmiths are slightly cheaper per spoke, but I'll end up paying the same because of the purchase quantities, so price isn't really a factor.
I'm looking specifically to compare the Wheelsmith Black DB14s 14/15/14 ga (2.0x1.7x2.0mm) vs DT Swiss Black Competitions (2.0x1.8x2.0mm), but if there are other opinions between the straight spokes (2.0mm) - Wheelsmith SS14 vs DT Swiss Champion, that would be also of interest.
Some issues I've heard before:
- The DT Swiss butt transitions are nicer
- The 1.8mm DT Swiss diameter makes the wheel feel more rigid (not always a good thing)
- The 1.7mm Wheelsmith allow more elasticity and give a nicer ride
- DT Swiss is more readily available (not a large concern of mine)
- Wheelsmith spokes work better with Wheelsmith nipples
At this point, I'm still on the fence between the two. Wisdom, experience, or differences would tip the scales.