Stainless vs. Zinc Coated Spokes

I know this is an odd question but am rebuilding a rear wheel on my cb350 and need spokes.

Stainless - 100$
Zinc Coated 20-40$

Is stainless really worth it? Aren't OEM just zinc coated steal. They lasted 40 years.

Thanks

Depends on how much time spent outdoors. Most zinc coated from the factory that come on bikes into my garage to get rebuilt are usually totally rusted. I've bought a couple 90s dirt bikes with rusted, not super bad, but rusty spokes. IMO, unless you're on a super strict budget and you're making cuts, then the extra $60 will be nothing over the course of the build and with years of use.

Cheap zink spokes are potentially poorly made somewhere. Expensive stainless should be bought from Buchanan’s.

$100-$200 delta now is peace of mind forever. If you’re pairing them with alloy rims I’d go stainless and have on all my bikes. All from Buchanan’s. I think I’ve done 6 or 7 sets of wheels now with their spokes.

But if the zinc spokes are known to be good quality OEM level stuff then sure, they’ll be great so long as you keep it clean and dry over the years. I don’t know where to buy good zinc spokes.