IntroductionFirst and foremost, big shout out to Dogie on the format and general outline for which this thread follows. I admire all of his write ups and consider him an inspiration for this simple guide. Hopefully you like the clean look as well. If you are in the market for a Bitcoin ASIC, head on over to his
thread and check out what he has compiled!
There are a lot of questions regarding the legitimacy of current companies in the marketplace. Its not an easy task for us to search through many different threads that contain information interspersed within them, so I've assembled the below summary of current scrypt miner manufacturers and distributors. All of this information compiled below is of my own accord and through my own eyes along with discussions from other forum members. I have gone through countless threads and have many hours into this research. None of the ratings below, as they adjust and conform over time, are necessarily what you will experience yourself when ordering with them. Consider your own risk/reward and gather as much information as possible so that you may make an informed decision and protect your own peace of mind.
If you have input, or an issue that isn't already described below, post in the thread so it can be evaluated by the community, determined and posted. If any manufacturer or distributor has an issue with or takes offense to ratings or comments set below, please feel free to shoot me a PM and we can discuss. I do not consider myself an absolute pro in the mining industry, but what I am is a person who can gather information quickly, assemble, and present in an easy to read format and tool for the community. I am dedicated to cryptography and the future of currency by technology, and hope to assist in decentralizing information through the community for this industry so that we all are informed.
General Rating SystemThe letter grade in the list signifies trustworthiness, an A grading denotes excellence, while a G rating means they are on the same level as BFL (absolute crap, go ahead and PM me
) The entire grade will include such things as the use of a pre-order, delayed shipping, incomplete shipping, immoral behavior, not honoring guarantees, price gouging, customer service and so forth.
A = A clearly established, top tier manufacturer or distributor, with a track record of delivering on their promises and producing/selling solid products to clients and members of the community
B = An established, near top tier manufacturer or distributor with isolated negative feedback, coupled with median to pro/positive support from majority community clients and members
C = A top or middle tier company with a few problems noted by community members. These problems stem from shipping issues, performance, or poor communication. Can also be a new company with visual evidence of prototypes, but not yet shipped
D = A middle tier company with many problems, or a new company yet to prove any products with visual evidence and/or give much detail on their products + potential trust issues
F = A self proclaimed established manufacturer or distributor with horrendous problems and mismanagement. A company with customer facing issues, problematic shipping, and overall difficulty proving to be legitimate
G = BFL
Ratings| Company | ASIC Products | Thread/Forum | Website | Delivered? | On time? | Rating | Comments |
| Gridseed | Dual Miner,Blade,A2 | Link | Link | Yes | N/A | A | Has sold thousands of dual miners and blades. Very strong customer and business relationships, almost no negative feedback except for the sharp price reductions and not communicating directly with resellers on price reductions. Major gripe has been around the price reductions. |
| GAW Miners | Fury,Falcon,War Machine(based on Zeus chips),Gridseed | Link | Link | Yes reselling GSD, Not yet on in house products | May 26th | B+ | Has resold many Gridseeds and accessories, very strong customer base, some negative feedback from few devs and customers. Most problems resolved in a timely fashion with a handful still lingering. Major gripe has been around the price reductions on GSD blades. |
| Zoomhash | Lion,Dragon,Blizzard(resell),A2 | Link | Link | Yes reselling GSD, Not yet on in house products | May 28th | B- | Has resold many Gridseeds and accessories, moderately strong customer base, some negative feedback surrounding delivery and pricing changes. Most problems seem to be resolved with some isolated cases still hanging from the clients end. Gripes on price changes just like other resellers of GSD Blades. Low presence on these forums. |
| Alpha Technologies | Viper 18MH/s,Viper 90MH/s | Forum | Link | Not Yet | Q2/Q3 | C++ | A new company that has not shipped yet, has a decent following and evidence for their projects. Responds fairly quickly to inquiries and appears to be on schedule. Nice site, good info with screenshots of their GUI interface, pics of boards and video. If ships on time will be upgraded to a minimum grade of B depending on feedback and successes. |
| Hashra | Lunar Landers 12MH/s+ to 72MH/s+,Upgrade Module | Link | Link | Not Yet | May 31st | C++ | A new company that has not shipped yet, but has resold Gridseed products. Hashra has a moderately large following on these forums and evidence for their projects. One of the lowest $/MH in the lower tiered MH/s miners. Responds fairly quickly to inquiries and appears to be on schedule. Has a good site, good information with video and pictures. Updates almost entirely on these forums. If ships on time will be upgraded to a minimum grade of B depending on feedback and successes. |
| ZeusMiner | Blizzard,Cyclone,Thunder,Lightning | Link Link | Link | Not Yet | May 31st | C++ | A new company that has not shipped yet, has a large following and evidence for their projects. Speculated to have strong relationships with resellers GAW and Zoomhash. Is ahead of schedule, though has a low community presence on these forums. Has a good site, good information with video and pictures. Updates almost entirely on their site. If ships ahead of schedule will be upgraded to a minimum grade of B depending on feedback and successes. |
| KnC | Titan,Mini Titan | Link | Link | Not Yet | Q2/Q3 | C+ | KnC has been around for a while producing and shipping Bitcoin miners. Has a good site, and strong presence on these forums. Had some glaring issues with product lines in the bitcoin miner space, has compensated clients on order issues and delays. Rating of C+ in the scrypt space due to not having any scrypt miners to date and the previous minor issues. If ships on schedule will be upgraded to a grade of B+/A- depending on feedback and successes. |
| Mining Asics Technologies | Excalibur 250MH/s,500MH/s | N/A? | Link | Not Yet | July/August 2014 | C | A new company that has not shipped yet. MAT has a low community presence on these forums, nearly zero. Has a decent site with press releases and some decent information. Updates almost entirely on their site. I am struggling to obtain valid 3rd party information, though a few community members I trust have ordered from them and also been in contact with MAT directly. They also have a youtube channel. If ships ahead of or on schedule, will be upgraded to a minimum grade of B/A depending on feedback and successes. |
| Fibonacci | Recursion,Axiom,Epsilon | Link Link | Link | Not Yet | Unknown | C | A new company that has not shipped yet. Fibonacci has a community presence on litecointalk forums. The site is limited with information, but has datasheets on their miners. Updates and question/answer can be found on the link to their thread. If ships ahead of or on schedule, will be upgraded to a grade of B/A depending on feedback and successes. |
| Flower Technology | Daisy,Orchid,Lilac | Link | Link | Not Yet | Q3 | C | A new company that has not shipped yet. Flower Tech has some pretty amazing prices currently on their site, almost too good to be true prices? They have a good thread with updates and a decent member following their every move on litecointalk forums. The site is setup well and information is easily obtained through their pressers. If ships ahead of or on schedule, and at these prices, they will (as of this writing) hold the best $/MH. Rest assured, the market will adjust if these come to fruition. If deadlines are met, will be upgraded to a grade of B/A depending on feedback and successes. |
I am certain to have missed a manufacturer or distributor in this list. It is rather difficult to keep up with this industry, and it is crazy how fast paced it runs. Prices are flying all over the place and changing nearly every day, so make sure you keep your ears to the ground on those fronts. If you have information you would like considered or added, please feel free to send me a message. I am trying to rate and review these companies as honest and without prejudice, only going by the readily available information at hand. If you feel a company has been under or over rated, or that more information need to be gleaned over and added to this list, speak your peace and send me a pmsg! I will keep this thread updated as the market evolves, new companies come online, as more information is gathered, and/or deadlines hit or missed. Hopefully this thread can assist you in your ASIC research.
Again, big ups to Dogie!
