Handmade vs Store-bought CAT5e?

[Oberon.Smite]

I ordered some CAT5e in excess (50ft) so that I could make a couple smaller cables from the original size. My friend suggested that it was less reliable than the store bought variety. I'd consider myself pretty good at terminating and crimping CAT5e and I have my cables that I've made run at gigabit speeds with no problem but I was wondering, is it really that much better of an option to have commercial cables over ones I made myself? 

[brwainer]

depends on the store bought cables you are comparing them to. If they are cables from a place like Blue Jeans Cables, then I doubt you could ever make something as good as them. But compared to  the cheapest cables you can buy, with no strain relief boots? handmade is better. As for comparing to all teh rest of the cables out there, like comparing to the higher-end offerings from monoprice, you are probably getting about the same result either way, you just have to decide how valuable your itme is vs the cost of your cables. The big benefit of making your own cables is being able to make exact lengths.

[Oshino Shinobu]

Depends on the cables and connectors you use. I find that most connectors you can buy, especially in bulk, tend to be more fragile than pre-made cables, particularly the retention clip. I've taken to only using the cable I have on reels when they're going into a punch down type termination, then I just buy a bulk lot of patch cables for RJ45 to RJ45 connections. 

[ShadySocks]

Depends how much time you have on your hands

[KuJoe]

If you know how to terminate them and you have the proper tools and materials then go with whatever fits your needs best. I usually make my own cables because I got a 1000ft spool of cable for cheap, but I also buy pre-made cables if the project would make better use of them (for example, I bought a lot of thin CAT6 cables ranging from 6 inches to 1.5ft for my network closet for neatness).