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

If youre like me, you might think youre a noob at soldering. Again and again, I lift pads, make dull joints, and just overall have a crappy, frustrating time doing soldering jobs. Then I took a long hard look at the tools I was using... my iron was fine, a Hakko FX-888D. Probably the best in the business, for a casual home solderer. Next is the solder itself... Lead-free rosin core. Hmmm, could this be the problem? After getting this 63-37 leaded solder, I can most definitively say: yes, lead-free IS the problem. Love the lead. Live the lead. After finishing up a soldering job for the balance plug of a 2S Lipo (FPV quads, if anyone was interested), I looked at the joint and I was wowed at such a good job I did. Or rather, such a good job the leaded solder did. Shiny, flawless, just perfect. Live the lead! Lose the lead-free!

I do a lot of curcuit board work and this solder flows good

Works great for clean copper only. If you have slightly dirty surface you must use a stronger rosin then what is this. I love the option. If this doesnt stick I add a little Flux and clean after I solder. If it a clean surface I just use this and dont clean. Works great this way for.me.

Best solder on the market for both general soldering projects and also small detailed electronics.

Ok so I tried maybe 6 or 7 solders. Lead free is just garbage dont bother. I had super thick 1.6mm solder my dad gave which was amazing but wasnt exactly easy to use due to size. I then got some cheaper chinese solder and it was ok. But this stuff. Just WOW. It flows easier, melts at a lower temp, IT COOLS SHINY. And price per gram its actually cheaper than the china stuff. 100% recommend. Just try it its cheap enough. I want to try the .4mm but its twice the price -_-

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.

... and kind of amazed too. I mean, its 37% lead. About five ounces of lead per roll. That snaps off into little hanks that are just the right size for two and four legged friends to pick up and chew on. ROHS solder is a more sensible, safer option no doubt, but it just feels wrong to use Euro-weenie stuff on electronics made in an era when techs stuck the solder in their mouth for a third hand and made cheater plugs with alligator plugs, washed down with unfiltered Chesterfield breaks.

I typically use another formula of Kester solder. Decided to give this a try. It works very much like more common Kester solder. I noticed much less residue. It seems to have a slightly higher melting point and a bit less flow (I do through-hole components). The difference is small and the decreased residue is a real plus.

My old solder was from the 1970s, but I was having issues with it not flowing cleanly. I decided to try a newer roll, which has the same specs. For some reason, this one performs better.

Cant go wrong with Kester...