TOOL REVIEWS

[asfastasdark]

Maybe a bit late to bump, but I wanted to add this for others.
More reviews from me! Yee!

:.:.: Techspray Prowick Desoldering Wick Blue
Mouser P/N: 577-1804-5F
Price: US$3.14

This is a great little desoldering tool, and cheap too. Just your average desoldering wick, comes in a little blue "roll" (its kinda... weird, but works very well for storing the stuff without having it roll off the "roll"). Anyway, it absorbs solder at a really good rate, great for cleaning up ugly blobs that you may develop on a piece of perf or vero or whatever your using if you're a bit messy (like me. This is a first build though... ). A problem with it is that the entire braid gets pretty hot while and up until about 15 seconds after desoldering, but that is probably usual and I'm guessing this happens for all desoldering braids. The main problem, though it can be avoided if you're careful and actually pay attention, is that if the soldering iron accidentally touches the case while hot, it melts the case and makes it smell pretty bad while it is melting. But of course that is a stupid thing to do and only happens when you don't pay attention .

QUALITY: 5/5
USEFULNESS: 5/5
OVERALL VALUE: 5/5

:.:.: RadioShack rosin-core solder (.050" diameter, 60/40)
RadioShack P/N: 64-006
Price: US$3.89

Much better than the RS solder I got last time (see my review on the first page of this topic). First time I got really thin stuff because me uncle (who had been soldering much longer than I have, but not for stompboxes and that kinda stuff) recommended me to get the thinnest gauge possible, which I did, and ended up bending so easily that it was hard to use it. Anyway, after my idiot friend threw it away (I left it at his house and he made up an excuse that he was afraid to get testicular cancer while the roll of solder was in his pocket... etc.), I headed over to RS again and this time got a bit thicker. This stuff works perfect. Just the right amount of flexibility for me, and not too expensive either. I've learned to tin my tips and how to actually solder correctly by the time I started my first stompbox (yeah, I know, right) and this stuff works great. Just the roll is a bit small and sometimes I wish they had put a bit (but just a little, little bit) less flux in there because I sometimes see it on my board, little oil-like blobs.

QUALITY: 4/5
USEFULNESS: 5/5
OVERALL VALUE: 4/5

:.:.: 20-function Digital Multimeter
Link: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEBDIX:IT&item=320313833478
eBay Store: source9850
Price: AU$6.99 + AU$6.99 shipping (~US$9.14 total)

Decent multimeter. Cheap, I think it looks the best of all of the cheap (<US$15) DMMs on eBay, nice black and classy. This seller ships FAST and I recommend him to everyone! Comes with two test-leads and the following features:
DCV:
- 1000V
- 200V
- 20V
- 2000mV
- 200mV
ACV:
- 750V
- 200V
DCA:
- 200uA
- 2000uA
- 20mA
- 200mA
ACA:
- 10A
Resistance:
- 2000K
- 200K
- 20K
- 2K
- 200R (good for checking continuity)

- Diode testing
-NPN/PNP transistor gain checking

It comes with a 9V battery included. And as a bonus, you get a box with a little red Chinese luck charm thingy! I don't know what the hell it is, but it's pretty funny! 

:.:.: Handmade wooden picks
eBay link: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&item=370114190609
eBay store: Fidis Custom Picks
Price: US$0.01 + US$2.00

These are really cool. I had about three bucks rotting in my PayPal account after I had spent five of the eight dollar something on some music on iTunes, so I decided to go ravage eBay for cheap crap I could buy. I don't know how many things I've bid for, it's crazy: Led Zeppelin picks, Hendrix picks, resistors, all kinds of stuff. But I won this at the starting bid of US$0.01 + US$2.00! You get three wooden picks and you can choose the woods you'd like. I didn't choose woods so he just sent me three random ones. I got kingwood and two other woods, they were labeled in a plastic bag. Anyway, these are thick, beautiful grain, and sound great! I really like these and will be ordering more in the future. I recommend these to anyone who wants to try some exotic picks!

That's it for today with the reviews!

[Paul Perry (Frostwave)]

That rotary wire brush a couple of posts back.. personally, I'm happier with a big wooden brush with steel wires.
I think that when I am brushing the solder side of stripboard (which I always do, in an attempt to remove any stray shorts from splashed solder) that it helps to be able to brush in the direction of the strips.

[jalien21]

okay, this is the soldering station i have.

it's $42 at http://www.circuitspecialists.com/prod.itml/icOid/6438 and has a variable temp knob and ceramic heater. it heats up in like 20 seconds and has a sweet squishy yellow grip on it (that for some reason, i think they advertise as anti-bacterial??). they have a bunch of different tips too, for just a couple bucks.

BUT, the best part is, when you spend 50 bucks at that site, you get a free prize. i got one of their multimeters and one of their 10-piece clipper/plier sets (which they don't offer anymore).

but the multimeter is sweet. totally, infinity percent worth it. 50 bucks for a sweet soldering station, dmm, and 8 bucks in whatever random parts you need? do it.

[elshiftos]

Impromptu vice - priceless! 

[studiostud]

DREMEL WORKSTATION




I just picked this up the other day with the help of my tax refund!  It is unbelievable.  One of those tools that you don't know how you lived without it before.  I bought this and a small Jacobs chuck attachment for my corded dremel that holds the miniature drill bits and it makes drilling PCBs an absolute breeze.  A larger board that would have taken me 25-30 min with a drill press, I got through in 15 with this.  Plus you can swivel the drill 90 degrees in each direction so you could attach a cutoff wheel/sander/polishing wheel/etc.  It's wonderful. 

[petemoore]

  Thick Rubber Band...
  Wrapped around the handles, it makes a quick 'light-vise' out of any pair of pliers.