Free coldheat soldering iron!

Hal · April 30, 2005, 05:07:31 PM

For all of you who get nuts and volts, i'm sure you saw the coupon for a free holdheat iron with a $20 rat shack purchase...

They have good prices and i can always use their perfboard, so I'll pick up a couple of those. I also like their LED bezels, so I'm at about $10. What else could I buy that I would still be getting a good deal, and not just wasting my money for sometihng I don't _need_

troubledtom · April 30, 2005, 05:13:49 PM

they have a few cool knobs for a fair price.
peace,
- tom :twisted:

NaBo · April 30, 2005, 05:46:46 PM

errrr... their solder sucker is kinda hefty, but i think that's 10 bucks. it's served me pretty well thus far.

1N34A germanium diodes, 1N914's, 1N400x diodes, film cap variety pack, LDRs... those are the things i bought that i dont really regret too much.you probably don't NEED them, but they're definitely usable and not too bad pricewise.

radio · April 30, 2005, 05:53:58 PM

Hi

I bought one in Germany and first though this is a joke

4 aa batteries and 400Â°C thats empty soon!

Then I discovered the safety aspect isolation from solder tip

and "bridging" ie conduction makes ie work not heat

(have to do a metal joint to start heating)

I gave it a try and its different after a while you still

think to only use it outside .Now I use both old and new

solder methode.However I still dont know if the surrounding

plastic is strong for "rude" use.

Greetings JMErnzer

Hal · April 30, 2005, 07:11:39 PM

radio, yea I have heard bad things about it, but it turns out to be useable? I kinda want one just to throw in my guitar case, now that I'm gigging again. The price is right lol.

guitarmonky55 · April 30, 2005, 07:15:45 PM

dont waste your time/money. theyre crap. i bought one, didnt even make it through an entire pedal mod(doing a full workup on a crybaby with mods and bypass and such) before it started dying on me. then i went to add some stuff to the inside of my guitar control cavity and it just stopped working. the problem is that the little tip just cant get enough umph to heat up a part all the way in order to get solder to even melt, let alone flow well. after much frustration i went back to radio shack and returned it and sent off for a digital soldering station from circuit spec. much happier now

Paul Perry (Frostwave) · April 30, 2005, 07:51:48 PM

Radio Shack (and the Australian equiv, Tandy) have been doing everything they can to discourage DIY, to go by various posts here. I can only think that giving away ColdHeat 'soldering' tools is part of this dastardly plan :x

Hal · April 30, 2005, 08:07:06 PM

HAHA ok, you guys talked me out of it :-D lol. I'll just invest in a butane one at some point.

Jason Stout · April 30, 2005, 08:50:07 PM

Do you wonder why they need to give them away?

NaBo · April 30, 2005, 08:58:36 PM

My girlfriend has one of those for her work (dental technologist)... they work really well, and the adjustable flame is the next best thing to having a mobile soldering station. She won't let me use it with my pb/sn solder. ... and she won't let me steal her silver solder... but she did make me this cool necklace out of a dime!

Her tips last forever too.

I say go for it!

guitarmonky55 · April 30, 2005, 10:58:14 PM

pure silver solder? i wonder if that would add a cool mojo factor to pedals

Hal · April 30, 2005, 11:06:00 PM

Quote from: Jason StoutDo you wonder why they need to give them away?

I thought it was because the tips die, and the cost of a replacement tip is almost as much as the iron...

Jason Stout · April 30, 2005, 11:41:50 PM

Quote from: Hal
Quote from: Jason StoutDo you wonder why they need to give them away?

I thought it was because the tips die, and the cost of a replacement tip is almost as much as the iron...

What I meant to say was I wonder why they need to give them away. But I think you got the idea.

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Free coldheat soldering iron!