Thanks for the links! I was hoping to stay in the bargain basement end of prices, but within reason - needs to be to Cat5e spec at least
I was looking at some cheap cables I've bought in the last year, comparing to the most recent one. I attach pictures for your enjoyment
pic1 :
This is a 1 metre cable I got from a bargain bin in Tesco for less than 50p (may have been 39p)! It's branded Tesco on the cable, feels quite stiff, you can feel the twists in the conductors through the outer insulation and, I've only just noticed, it's marked FTP as well - so it's foil screened twisted pair. Seems pretty good quality. Thickness approx 5.9mm
pic2 : This is a 5 metre cable I got from Amazon last year, for around the £2 mark I think. It's not as thick as the Tesco cable (5.1mm approx), and is more flexible. The marking indicates that it's stranded, and 24AWG. But you can feel twists in the conductors through the outer, and apart from one of the little lugs snapping off (which makes it loose in the socket) it's not given me any problems.
pic3 : This is the cable I've just bought, and am very reluctant to use. I don't think it's up to Cat5 spec. It's very thin, 3.9 mm approx, and you can feel the conductors quite loose inside the outer insulation. I cannot feel any twisting in these conductors, you can roll them about through the outer. It is incredibly flexible, which I don't regard as a good thing - I think it further illustrates the thinness and lack of twisting. I had intended to run this cable through the attic to another room, but if it's not up to spec, I imagine it'll be liable to interference and it'll fail or be unreliable.
Regarding
Asbokid's link to the concerns over cheap cables that aren't 100% copper, well, I have no idea what these have inside. We might have a guess though
I have seen some advertised (may have been Amazon) that claim to be 100% copper, so perhaps that's my route to go - get one that's actually advertised as being better quality.
Ian