Kester 24-6337-8800 50 Activated Rosin Cored Wire Solder Roll, 245 No-Clean, 63/37 Alloy, 0.031 Diameter

After spending the last year soldering tiny whoops, headphone cables, TRRRS connectors, MIN XLRs, etc... and often times getting frustrated with not getting good results, I upgraded my iron to a Hakko FX888D-23BY and while I did get good results with the leaded solder I was using, I still struggled with getting good flow and not having to turn my iron up. Bought a roll of this of many folks recommendations, and problem solved! I was able to turn my iron down, solder those pesky 4 pole and 5 pole headphone jacks, tine whoops, etc. with ease and the joints look amazing and are strong. This solder is the real deal and reminds me why I fell in love with the hobby as a kid.

Cant go wrong with Kester...

easier to use than the cheaper lead free solder

Works well for small wires

This is the good stuff. Its more expensive than most solders, but the results are well worth it. I love the even melt of the lead and tin in this solder and the rosin is just enough to easily wet the joint being welded. It melts at a reasonable temperature for hand soldering and wicks easily into plated through-holes providing a strong, reliable weld with ultra-low resistance. Wish it came in a thinner wire, but Kester is much higher quality than other solders I have used that were thinner.

This is really excellent solder. It arrived fast

I made some research before ordering and found that Kester seems to be the brand to go for. I was tempted by cheaper products from others but in the end I did go for Kester 245 no-clean core solder 63/37. I am soldering not too much and wouldnt call me a professional but even as a hobbyist I noticed a difference between cheaper 60/40 I had before and this one. I am not sure if that is because of the 63/37 grade or because my previous stuff was from some unknown manufacturer but in the end I dont care. I feel it was the right decision to go with the Kester product. It works for me well.

This solder is very easy to work with, but to make it No-Clean as advertised, they use much less flux than regular solder. What this means is after you apply the solder for the first time, the small amount of flux dissipates, and youre left with dry solder thats very stringy and hard to work with, and youll need to apply your own flux to work with it again. That said, as long as you dont need to fix anything, this is still a very nice solder to work with.

If youre going to spend $27 on a roll of solder, you kind of expect to get a quality product. However, in my case the roll showed up with a big chunk taken from the side of the roll. The chunk cut through the first and second layers of the solder. Its still usable but prolly going cut the top two layers off.

Kester provides a good product which is consistent. It solders well and can be depended on.