AmazonGlobal is one of the most awesome things ever for someone in a country with awful import fees. My example: Switzerland's VAT is very low, but the f••king Swiss Post charges anywhere from about €12-50 simply to calculate how much VAT/duty you owe!!
Ouch!!!
Hearing that we shouldn't complain as we "only" have to pay € around 15 for them to calculate that, but only if the value of the item + shipping amounts to more than approx € 38. And of course the 25% VAT.
If the total value is less you don't have to pay any VAT or be charged the € 15 either.
Not sure why Amazon can only use Express to Norway (I noticed that, too), but even with that it still ends up being a better deal than anything else.
Let me know how you like your Nano!
True, a good deal.
I'll let you know if/when I decide to get a soldering station. After reading all the comparison the Ersa Nano seems to be the best investment for a quality "low cost" unit. I do like the
Goot RX-711 with its analog control knob, digital readout and professional looks (sure beats the "toys 'r us" appearance of the Hakko FX888D) but in the end it's a tool where useability, reliability, cost (and availability) of spare parts is more important -and the Ersa Nano doesn't look half bad either. Finally it's compact and doesn't take up a whole lot of desk space, which I like.
But as this is still quite a bit of money for a hobby-investment I'd still like to hear pros/cons of a soldering station (like the Ersa Nano) vs. a quality soldering iron with temperature adjustments as I suggested earlier (my soldering so far has been through-hole parts, sockets, connectors etc. (nothing special in other words, just general old fashioned electronics), but I have no experience with SMD parts though I may eventually have to dive into that as well since that seems to become the norm for even a lot of DIY electronics).
Maybe such a soldering iron is "good enough" for my use, but it may also be "good for a short while, but after that I will need a soldering station after all", in which case I'd rather take the plunge, save my money by skipping the better soldering iron and just buy the soldering station. Confused...
As for tips: I've never really used anything apart from "sharp pencil" tips with my soldering irons -which tips should I choose for what type of work? I assume the flatter ones will conduct more heat and be better for soldering cables and big stuff while the "sharp pencil" tips might be better for delicate electronic components or electronics in general?