Gio's starter guide to tools, when you know your going off the deep end

Learning and discussion Guides
81

M2x4mm

1 Like
82

Gio update pls

1 Like
83

Assuming most of the recs above are still valid.

Something I havenā€™t seen mentioned here though is eye protection ā€” do you guys use it? And how about magnification for those of us with poor eyesight? Maybe a loupe with attached light?

84

I use these and they work pretty well.

Iā€™d recommend trying to improve the overall lighting situation in your workspace first. Maybe a table top lamp you can have close to where you are working to illuminate everything. Otherwise, if you need some magnification, I think something like this would be the best. There are lots of options for PCB holders with magnifiers attached, but since you may decide to work on different sized PCB/components, I think something like this arm would give you more flexibility.

1 Like
85

Thanks for these! Iā€™ll have to do some research on the magnifier options to see what would work best for my situation, but this seems a good place to start. Improving my lighting set-up is definitely a good call, too. Makes a lot of sense.

86

I was already pretty nearsighted and astigmatic to begin with, but in recent years age has made it even worse, so I was facing the same problem. Because Iā€™m insane, I pulled the trigger on a wide-field Luxo with LEDs and itā€™s great - incredibly heavy base, stable arm and head positioning, adjustable brightness for the working field of view (at max brightness, almost too bright), and about the right degree of magnification for soldering. But given that you could use that same amount of money to score your favorite hype GB board, I would definitely recommend checking out all options.

1 Like
87

Glad to hear Iā€™m not the only one who needs magnification. That Luxo looks great, but DAMN, that price. You werenā€™t kidding. Good to have the option here though, and to know it works well for you.

1 Like
88

Great subject :slight_smile:

89

Received this kit from Amazon, thanks for the recommendation itā€™s perfect !

1 Like
90

Can recommend this:

https://amzn.to/2YxLUIw

I think it uses the same tips as the Hakko ones, both the iron and hot air heat up very quickly, the controls are solid, and itā€™s reeeeally cheap.

1 Like
91

I have one of these too. I like it for reinforcing magnetism on my screwdrivers. But the thing that DRIVES ME INSANE is that my flush cutters are magnetized somehow. And this tool will not demagnetize them for some reason. So every time I have to cut an led leg, it sticks to my cutters. Drives me batty.

1 Like
92

This is a bit off base and unnecessary for most people, but honestly one of the best ways Iā€™ve found to clear dust/crumbs/debris from a keyboard is with an air blower that youā€™d use to clean lenses with

1 Like
93

Ifixit kits are godsends for working basically anything with very small parts &/or odd drive fasteners (torx, security torx, tri wing, etc.)! Love my sets to bits!

94

Never thought Iā€™d watch a soldering kit review that felt like I was watching a Guy Ritchie movieā€¦

4 Likes