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A comment on Lead-Free Solder Is Better for You. Parent comment

Re:Lead-Free Solder Is Better for You by atoav on Monday March 30, 2020 @03:55AM (#22726061)
There are bad tools, and then there are tools that just aren't fit for purpose. If you are trying to melt metal with a machine and that machine cannot translate energy into the required amount of heat fast enough, it might just be the wrong machine to begin with.

Soldering with a bad iron is the equivalent of trying to chisel wood with a flat screwdriver: sure you can do something to the wood – it just might not be the thing you want.

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Re:Lead-Free Solder Is Better for You by crispyambulance on Monday March 30, 2020 @08:41AM (#22727534)
Yep. And honestly, leaded solder is far more forgiving and less sensitive to technique. If someone is just barely able to solder with leaded, they're definitely NOT going to have a good experience with lead-free.

I do think hobbyists should switch to lead-free, but it will involve getting rid of marginal equipment, refining technique through practice, and following instructions. The best way to make this switch, IMHO, is simply to make leaded solder unavailable to the consumer market.

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