As I do some online looking for a 11-32 8 speed cassette I have a question. I have Sram cassettes on all our bikes but I see Sunrace and Suntour brands quite a bit. Has anyone had any experience with these. Good or bad?
Thanks!

Suntour**********
They're extinct and weren't compatible.

Some company in Asia bought the rights to the Suntour and SR brand names several years ago and are making components under those names again. I don't know their cassette quality but current Suntour labeled suspension forks are pretty much department store quality.

Sunrace is also a second-tier Asian brand and I expect they are functional as I haven't heard a lot bad about them. Me, I'd stay with Shimano or SRAM cassettes.

I know they make forks & cranks, but my answer was to their cassettes.

I too would tend to stick with Shimano or SRAM, but it appears SunRace is making a few cassettes with possibly "desirable" cog selections that the other 2 don't.
Might be worth a try, since they aren't too expensive.

Cannot talk about what I cannot See..

To function as a aftermarket spare parts company you make your stuff compatible with the Big One.. Shimano.

Sunrace cassettes have improved in quality so they last and shift as well as a Shimano or SRAM... they meet a nice price point too.

I find that SRAM cassettes tend to deliver the best life and tend to be priced a little better than Shimano too.

The SRAM cassettes are OK budget-level entry cassettes. They aren't making any really nice cassettes any more in 8-speed. What you get is a bit heavier than better designs with clusters of carriers. SRAM still makes better 10 and 11-speed cassettes, but you are going to pay extra...

I just don't think the SRAM cassettes available in 8-speed shift nearly as well as the high-end Shimano ones (that are not made any more either.)

I've used both on my bikes and comparing a current SRAM PG-850 8-Speed cassette to a Shimano Deore XT CS-M737 8-speed Cassette really highlights the deficiencies of the SRAM low-end product. Beyond the fact that the SRAM cassette is a boat anchor, it chatters and shifts poorly compared to the Deore XT component. It's just getting harder and harder to find the out-of-production 105 or greater Shimano 8-speed cassettes these days,new or lightly-used. I've always got my eyes open at bike swaps. A month or so ago I picked up another 11-30 CS-M737 XT for $15 in like-new condition, and it even was in the original box. Not too shabby. The best I've ever done on Ebay in the past couple of years has been $45 after shipping which I thought was an awesome deal too. I see they have an 11-28 on Amazon right now for $100. I bet the guy even sells it for that price eventually. The NIB examples are getting pretty scarce.

Both Shimano and SRAM are going to keep making 8-speed cassettes, but only the low-end entry-level quality components that mirror the low-end bikes that are still being sold with 8-speed drivetrains.

I haven't tried the new Suntour cassettes, but I would imagine that they are on par with the SRAM PG-850 anchors. They are probably both assembled with cogs made in the same chinese factory.

Mostly you pay for appearance .. since the Hyperglide tooth pattern stamped in Steel is Now common ..

you get a surcharge for Plating and a Brand's distribution and Promotional Costs.

Thanks for the replies. I ordered a Sram from my LBS. Gotta give them some business this time of the year!

And then there's Miche...........

My most recent 8 speed cassettes are a mixture of Shimano with Miche 1st position cogs.

I was gonna say. I think it was them who've done some pretty fancy stuff compatibility-wise; two-piece cogs for interchangeable splines, and variable spacing, IIRC.

ETA: although, looking at their site now, I can't see any such thing. There's this, though: Primato 8/9 SH cassette | Miche Bike Components

Are SRAM and Shimano Cassettes interchangeable? I have been looking at new rims online and some of the rims say Shimano or SRAM compatible and some just say Shimano compatible.

From 8 through 10-speed, with very few exceptions, yes they are. For a brief time Shimano made an alloy freehub body with taller than standard splines that took only Shimano 10-speed cassettes but these were limited to Dura Ace 7800, 7801 hubs and one series of Ultegra and Dura Ace wheelsets. You are unlikely to come across these. I'm not sure about 11-speed cassettes so someone with more recent knowledge will have to answer that.

Shimano/SRAM 11-speed road cassette are also interchangeable. The SRAM 11-speed mountain cassettes are a totally different interface, which would be impossible to confuse.

You can even use a Campy 11-speed cassette with Shimano/SRAM shifters, provided you have wheels with a Campy compatible hub.

Thanks! That's what I thought, but the way I read those rim specifications made me wonder.

I have tried one Sunrace 8-speed cassette and it was acceptable but wore out quickly. Could be coincidence, but only Shimano or SRAM for me since then. Minor differences only between the latter. SRAM might be noisier, or again just a coincidence or installation. At the low end price point I don't think that there's much to objectively choose one over the other.

If you are not in a hurry, and patient, you can get a new or like new Shimano 11-28 (I got 1 NIB Shimano 11-28 for $1, plus $6 shipping) for around the same price that you would pay for a SRAM or Sunrace cassette. ($15-$20). I've gotten several Shimano 8-speed cassettes off eBay in the past year for between $6 and $10 (plus shipping of between $0-$10).

The only problem that I've had is that despite the cassettes being advertised as Shimanos, I was sent SRAM cassettes in some cases (some of the SRAM cassettes are still sitting here).

I don't care for the SRAM cassettes, they seem flimsy in comparison to the Shimano cassettes.