Alternative Aduino Manufacturers

[TheToxicgamer97]

I've been looking into buying my first Arduino board and have found on Amazon that many manufacturers offer the same boards for much less. Are any of these brands worth investing in or are they made from cheap parts? Should I spend the $46 on an authentic Aruduino brand board?

[aeroencychris]

I've used clones before from Amazon and had no problems. Just make sure the actual controller chip on it is the one you're looking for (for example, an Arduino Uno uses a ATmega328P).

[Hackentosher]

Spark fun and adafruit make the best non-genuino arduino boards. 

[dany_boy]

If you want the absolute cheapest prices, then go to ebay and buy the Chinese versions. I have had no problems with them (1000+ USD spent on Chinese electronics). But if you want to support the developers, then buying a genuine board is the way to go. Cheers!

[r4tch3t]

If you want to support the arduino team get a genuine, if you want a cheap one, eBay.