[blaken]

I decided to pick up some premium solder for my pending CTH build so I went over to the bay to see what was available. My intention was to just pick up the Cardas because I assumed it would be cheaper. My assumption was wrong. After shipping WBT and Cardas Quad cost the same (within $1 anyway). For some reason a lot of the vendors have free shipping on WBT but the same vendor will charge $5.50 or so to ship the same amount of Cardas making it cost the same.

So if you have tried both solders tell me which one I should buy. I am looking for an ease of use comparison not a sound quality comparison. I don't think I have the golden ears that can detect the sound change between these two.

Thanks guys.

Edit: I forgot to add other to the poll sorry.

 

[FallenAngel]

Wasn't a fan of the WBT Silver solder personally. Not as bad as Wako Silver solder, but definitely not easy to work with.

 

[DKJones96]

Kester silver is $25 a pound for .031" rolls. Love that stuff.

 

[FallenAngel]

Do you guys solder a lot of silver contacts that you use silver solder?

 

[blaken]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DKJones96 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Kester silver is $25 a pound for .031" rolls. Love that stuff.

Where? I cant find it for half that. I don't know if I would use it for this project but at that price I might still pick some up.

 

[CodeToad]

Haven't used WBT but have used Wonder Solder Signature. It seems to be easy flowing but is a lot harder to desolder than Cardas. Cardas goes in and comes out easy.

 

[blaken]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FallenAngel /img/forum/go_quote.gif Do you guys solder a lot of silver contacts that you use silver solder?

I have never used silver solder before. Should it not be used for general circuit board use?

The only reason I was looking at this type of solder is the low melting point. I thought it would help avoid cold solder joints and me frying parts.

 

[DKJones96]

Kester "44" Rosin Core .031 Silver Bearing 1lb Solder - eBay (item 180405571626 end time Oct-08-09 11:03:01 PDT)

$19.95 + $6 shipping. He's fast and has the feedback he deserves(100%).

I wasn't aware of silver bearing solder not being suitable for general use. I use it all the time, in fact, I use the solder I linked above 90% of the time. The other 10% is divided between old radio work that I use 90/10 solder for, one time prototyping that I use 63/37, and SMD stuff where I get out the .015" silver bearing solder.

 

[Billyk]

Eutectic is the key to ease of use and good joints regardless of brand. A eutectic alloy transitions from solid to liquid and back with no intermediary state making it easy to use leading to a better joint. Eutectic is usually the 63/37 as opposed to 60/40.

 

[qusp]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FallenAngel /img/forum/go_quote.gif Wasn't a fan of the WBT Silver solder personally. Not as bad as Wako Silver solder, but definitely not easy to work with.

really?? I found it to be a breeze personally; nice low melting point and easy flow. all the same I still use cardas tri eutectic most of the time. I just ran out of the small roll of WBT I had, but found it good for interconnects. dont know if I would use it for SMD though.

just bought a pound of wonderclear to try out, percy recommends it over cardas and I usually get good info from that man. will report back when it arrives.

also; i'm using a lot of solderless connectors at the moment too; my buffalo32 I used the terminal blocks for easy tweaking, and about half of the connectors I used were solderless. what soldering I did do, I used the tri-eutectic cardas. the alloy works pretty well with the rest of the parts/hook-up wire i used for the build being that most were either silver or copper or a combination of both. havent been able to find any rhodium based solder ;P jk

 

[blaken]

Thanks everyone for all your input. I will be getting the Cardas quad and the Kester.

 

[dbfreak]

I've settled on Cardas. Two power supplies and three amps later, it's flip the switch and presto, music!

 

[luvdunhill]

Given those two choices, and only those two choices I prefer WBT. Much easier to work with. Also, smells better.

 

[Billyk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by blaken /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks everyone for all your input. I will be getting the Cardas quad and the Kester.

Be sure to report back on how you like them and what if any difference you notice.

 

[jnewman]

I find the Cardas Quadeutectic very pleasant to use. It does not eat iron tips and I have not had a single cold joint with it, ever. (Which is not to say that it's impossible to have a cold joint or that using it can compensate for a lack of skill/practice.) I like it better than the Radioshack eutectic and silver solders I have used as well as the Kester 63/37 I have used.

I have never used WBT or Wondersolder for comparison, though.