Thanks, Psimet2001, for the best treatise on spoke breakage I've ever seen. I like that you include inclusions. The wheels I built in my racing days (mid '70s) were laced with Robergel Sports, the zinc plated ones because 15-17s were as light as anything out there, not very expensive and quite strong and reliable - except 3 spokes per wheelset broke in the early miles; almost always. 4-5 spokes per box of 100. Replace those three and the rest went 'till the wheel had to be rebuilt for other reasons. (Now those spokes had other quality control issues. Lengths, depths of threading and actual thickness varied. The thickness seemed not to matter much, The rest? It took well over an hour longer to start a build with Robergels than the later Wheelsmiths where you could start each nipple 3 turns and have a nearly true wheel. DTs the same. Best part was that I learned to true by ear really early. Second best part - the revelation of building wheels with uniform spokes later.)

Thanks for your input on BF.

Ben