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Can we talk about buying cheap solder wick from eBay?

I thought I was saving 8 bucks on a 10-pack of braid, but it wouldn't absorb anything and I ended up lifting a pad on a vintage receiver board. Has anyone else had bad luck with no-name desoldering supplies?
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2 Comments
wendy_bell83
Bought a cheap roll off eBay once. Looked fine. Actually tasted metallic when it touched the iron. Nothing would happen. No flow. No absorption. Ended up melting a pad clean off a tape deck board. Never again. Stick with name brand braid.
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dakota_murphy90
About three years ago I would have said you were wrong but after buying a 10 foot roll of no-name braid from Amazon I get it now. The stuff looked fine but it just sat there on the joint doing nothing and I cooked a trace right off a Pioneer receiver board. @wendy_bell83 that metallic taste thing is exactly what I noticed too, it's like they coated it with something that actually repels solder instead of pulling it in. Learned my lesson, name brand only from now on.
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