I bought all Mogami gold connector patch cables and guitar cables for my first and second pedalboard builds because the salesman said they were the best he sold. Expensive. I recently learned of the high capacitance per foot and ordered new cable and connectors from Evidence Audio for my new build. It now makes sense why my boards lost briteness from all the capacitive loading.
Still havent decided on the PedalPad or the Schmidt Array. And I can’t decide how large is large enough.
Too many choices…
Mogami is certainly excellent cable, if you're running line line level signals. It rejects noise well, and it lasts forever. But yeah, you experienced what I was talking about.
The pedal pad boards are super nice, as are the Schmidt. I've had both types (my son took over my mint pedal pad when I needed a larger board), and the choice might depend on how you plan to use the board. It might be 'horses for courses', unless you prefer the features and looks of one or the other, which might be important if it's going to sit in your studio or home, and you have to look at it every day.
Size for size, the Schmidt boards are lighter. For me, that's a big deal. As nice as they are in features, the wood is less thick and heavy.
The ply used on the pedal pad types is serious business, it's heavy stuff. That makes the assembled suitcase pretty darn strong. On the other hand, the large and heavy deck of the pedal pad is a little more difficult to work with than the lighter decks of the Schmidt (though they now offer piston supports), the lid weighs more, and the whole assembly is heavier.
I like carrying as little weight as possible; I'm so ancient that I might drop dead at any moment carrying something heavy!
I don't need the bombproof strength and weight of the heavy plywood build of the pedal pad.
But others certainly do.
My suggestion would be if you're going to hand-carry your own pedalboard, or put it in your car with a guitar and maybe a small amp, you like the features and can live with the cost, the Schmidt is a great choice.
On the other hand, if it's going to be in a band van, truck or SUV with all the gear loaded in, where it might possibly be banged into by a 100 pound speaker cab, our jumped on by gigantic dogs or kids, and you need an extra strong case, the pedal pads are great. The pedal pads are also really nice looking; mine looked great in my studio, tan tolex with a black stripe down the middle. Beautiful piece of gear.