Brands : Wheelsmith , DT , Sapim.. Japan, Swiss, Belgian companys.
long discussions on strongest .. all competitive professional racing suppliers.

lower the gage number thicker the wire

so 13-15-14 like DT alpine is thick on the j head, thin in the middle for elasticity and standard 2mm threaded end..
wheelsmith offers a 14/13 single butt, [butt is the gage change]

sport bikes use lots of 14/15/14 and 15 16 15.

I have used plain 14 gage for decades , cost less and is good enough .. DT was what my shop stocked.


my touring bike wheels were overbuilt for a single.. 48 spoke 700-40 wheel .
Only broke 1 47 spares already in the wheel..
trashing the rim would have been a long wait for spares , though