How long to wait for Wyeast starter to take off?

[BarryNL]

I may have spoken too soon... there is certainly a little activity in the starter now - I think I might be using the 1028 after all...

[BitterTed]

In the US it seems that most homebrew stores sell the larger wyeast 'Activator' packs. They cost around $6-7 (£3). Over here we get the smaller 'Propagator' which cost £5 ($10). The recent Timothy Taylor Wyeast was a special and was only available in the bigger packs and the stores here charged around £7.50 ($15)!

Given the low price of the liquid yeasts in the US you can easily understand why they are so keen on them.

$15?!! Youre kidding, right!! I'd use dry yeast at that cost too!! Paying that, I'd get a starter going then split it into 4-6 smaller starters to make the yeast last longer. Store it under distilled water and the little starters will last some time in the fridge. Or you can swap with other homebrewers to get a few strains each, that would help defer the cost .
I agree that even though they say they are pitchable, they are not. That goes for both Whitelabs and Wyeast, especially after shipping and handling and temp variances in a trip to Britain. I would consider using them without a starter.
On a side note, I make up slants from tubes/activator packs and now pretty much don't need to buy yeast, it works great!!