I'm ready to dive into the diy world and I've come up with this parts list. Tell me if I am missing something. All parts are from radioshack:

-AUTOMATIC, PROFESSIONAL-QUALITY STRIPPER 64-1919

-MINI LONG NOSE PLIERS 64-2033

-SOLDERING WORK STATION WITH DUAL-POWERED IRON 64-2184

-6 pc PRECISION SCREW DRIVER SET 64-1959

-TRUE RMS 48-RANGE MULTIMETER 22-174 (on sale)

-13CM (5") NIPPY CUTTERS 64-1833

-DESOLDERING BRAID 64-2090

-SOLDER 1/32" 60/40 8OZ 64-9 (won't carry 63/37 till march)

-VACUUM DESOLDERING TOOL 64-2098

Thanks for reading,

Biggie.

Also if you can recommend a good book on learning how to read schmatics that would be great. I've been reading reviews of a few books and they all seemed to be lacking in certain areas.

Biggie.

If you can afford it, try to get professional quality handtools, especially your nippers, pliers, screwdrivers. Erem and Wiha are good ones to look for - the best, and expensive, but you'll have them for ever if you treat them well.

The only vacuum desoldering tool even worth considering is the big plastic "Soldapullt" brand, the small aluminum ones just don't work properly, too small to generate enough vacuum for a start. On your list that's the only thing I would definitely say do not buy. Everything else you could get better quality but what you have listed will work.

A fume extractor would be a good idea or failing that a small fan just to blow across the work area and stop the rosin fumes from rising up directly into your face.

I have the 64-1833 cutters and like them a lot. They probably won't last as long as the expensive professional ones, but for $3.99 they're great. I would also recommend the RS 64-2060 desoldering iron. I've had one of these for years and it's awesome.

I would recommend going elsewhere for the soldering iron and solder. Get some Kester "44" 63/37 and a small Weller or Antex iron. Except for the desoldering iron mentioned above, I have not been enthusiastic about the RS soldering irons.

Erem's are great tools, but like it has been pointed out they are a tad expensive. You can also look at Klein and Excelite. I personally use Excelite wire cutters and a Klein minature needle nose. And I wholeheartedly agree with jamont's suggestion regarding irons. You can get a good Weller for around $50.00.

I agree! Get a Weller soldering iron! It's much better in terms of quality. The RS irons are not too good!

Xcelite mini pliers are nice too!

You will never go wrong buying well made pro quality. If they seem expensive, there is a reason. Properly used, you will never have to replace them. I use wiha screwdrivers just to repair my glasses. I'm lucky, there is a hardware store in Dallas that carries wiha and klein and weller pro tools. I did bleed a little when I broke down and bought a Canare crimp tool, trimmer and dies. For that money they better last a lifetime.

That said, I've become popular with friends who want cables for tv and stereo. That's it! Buy good tools, make new friends. I have learned why high quality cables cost so much. Tools, parts, labor. For non-friends who want cables, I just keystone (double) my costs for materials and that pays me a little for my labor. But I don't have overhead the advertised brands do. So you may choke when you shop for cables, but I sure love what tributarie cables have done for my dvd player and monitor. Have I wandered off point? Oh well, one thing leads to another.

If you are going to spend about $50 for a soldring station, you should see if damonpip has any of these left:

http://headwize2.powerpill.org/ubb/s...20&srch=hakko;

Thanks for the help so far. Now I need to find out where I can buy all these different brands hopefully in Canada. ^^

Should the weller be between 15-30 watts?

Biggie.

Depending on the application, 25w - 35w should be sufficient.

I like the quick replies.

Any small fan recommendations? I'd like to get a nice fan, not just for diy, and the ones at home right now a noisy and don't work all that well.

Biggie.

I promise, my final question. What type of cutters do I need?

Biggie.

4 1/2" diagonal cutters

not to really step on ur tread but id like to ask as i already have a weller WTCPT soldering station at 60 watts- would this do? or is it too much? i got this one before and i dont want to buy again.

If you want to cheap out on tools a bit, and if you were in the US, I'd recommend that you get a set of 3 mini Craftsman pliers. This is a common collection that includes smooth-jaw long needle-nose pliers, regular cutters, and serrated-jaw pliers with integrated cutters. This is ideal for electronics work: you'll use all three, and because you're buying them as a bundle, you do save money. This kind of set usually goes for about $20 here in the US. You can pay $20 or more just for a single plier from professional brands. I'm sure you can find something similar in Canada. Canadian Tire, perhaps?

The thing to look for is a lifetime warranty on the tools, and get them from a store that will honor that warranty locally and on the spot. You don't want to have to send the tools back and wait for replacements to arrive by mail order. You want to be able to drive over to the store and get a replacement without fuss. Sears in the US does this.

I'm not saying that the high-end professional tools aren't worth it, just that when getting started, it's very hard to summon the willpower to buy the tools you'll use for the rest of your life. From where you are now, it doesn't look like that, so there is no incentive to do it right the first time. But if you get into this hobby deeply, the better your tools are, the longer you can keep them before having to replace them. Don't completely cheap out and get tools you'll have to replace after a year of even light use.

I don't know if you've read it yet or not, but I have an article all about this:

http://tangentsoft.net/audio/new-diyer.html

There's lots of generic advice in addition to specific tool recommendations.

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There's a large range within the Soldapullt line. I recommend that for bench work, you get the biggest one they sell. The only advantage of the smaller ones is for putting into a kit that you take with you. The bigger the pump, the harder the vacuum, and the less likely you'll have to hit the joint twice to clear it.

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Any serious electronics shop (i.e. "not RadioShack") will probably have something suitable. I got mine at Contact East. It's powerful, dual-speed, reasonably quiet, and you can adjust where it's aiming simply enough. I point the fan away from me, so that it doesn't blow things around my bench, or annoy me with the stiff breeze it can put out, or cool my solder joints and iron tips. When you point it away from you, you create a very light flow of air across the bench which draws soldering smoke away from you without any bad side effects. A fume extractor is the same idea, just more expensive and elegant.

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I'll jump on that bandwagon.

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The only kind you absolutely must have are some small regular cutters, for cutting wire and cutting extra lead length from soldered parts. However, if you're willing to splurge a bit, I'd also recommend some low-profile flush or semi-flush cutters for getting into tight spaces and cutting things. They're great for cutting thru-hole parts off of a board, where the part isn't worth the effort to try and desolder it. Once the part is cut off the board, it's easy to use a desoldering pump to clear the remaining lead bits from the hole.