All stainless steel spokes per given guage are wicked strong...they'll all take incredible amounts of tension.

But that's sales and marketing - not what works. I ignore the big bold flashy tension rating labels for spokes - instead I want to know the material, material quality, the finish, elbow size per guage, etc...


True test of a spoke per given elbow size and guage = How much flex can it handle at a specific point before fatigue sets in and it snaps.


If tension were the marker - we'd all still be riding zinc spokes from days of old cause zinc spokes can handle very high tension. The problem is that zinc spokes are more prone to fatigue caused by flex stress at a given point...


Today stainless steel spokes are all very strong as already noted. Cheap ones are made from lower grade stainless steels - so it's very important to get proper tension with them right at the outset. DT, Wheelsmith, Sapim, Asahi and other highly regarded spokes are made from higher grade stainless steels that can survive under-tensioned conditions for awhile - but even they will eventually fatique sooner rather than later if not corrected.

=8-)

For high-end custom builds - I prefer DT Swiss. For my inventory stock basic wheels - I use CN. The CN's do just fine because I tension the wheels properly at the outset.

=8-)