Essential Tools Bundle

Everything you need to build your first kit (and your 50th).

The best thing you can do to make your first project a success is start with the right tools. Using the cheapest tools makes soldering a struggle. But you also don’t need to pay a premium for quality gear. We tried a bunch of tools to find ones that sit at the sweet spot of quality and value. In fact, these are the same tools we use for building and prototyping our own gear.

What’s included

• OSS T12-D+ 75W Soldering Station. Heats up in about 10 seconds and shuts down automatically when not in use. It uses the widely available T12 tip family, so replacement tips are easy to find. Comes with a fine-point tip, stand, sponge, and wire tip cleaner.
• Rosin Core Solder 63/37, 100g. A smooth, forgiving leaded alloy with a low melting point. The rosin flux core cleans the joint as you go, so you don’t need extra flux. There’s enough here for several PCB projects.
• Flush Wire Cutters. A thin profile reaches tight spots and clips leads right at the solder joint. Your builds stay neat, and long leads can’t short together.
• Desoldering Pump. This is your undo button. When you make a mistake, you’ll be very glad you had this.

Note: The availability of each tool shifts between different manufacturers. The brand and appearance might be different from the photos.

WARNING: Leaded solder can expose you to chemicals including lead, which is known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov.