Genuine Hakko FX-888D?

[nanofrog]

FYI, Amazon.com (the USA Amazon) sells a number of 63/37 solder wires from Kester and MG Chemicals that they can ship to Europe. I got some lovely Kester .31" (0.8mm) that was just $29 for a 1lb (450g) reel. Together with some MG Chemicals solder wick (#444 Super Wick, which turns out is SUPERB -- much finer weave than Soder-Wick or 3S-Wick/Spirig -- and inexpensive!!!) and other stuff (solder paste, ESD brushes for PCB cleaning, some tools), even the shipping wasn't too bad. Cheaper than buying local, I can tell you that...

Sorry, I don't think of Amazon when pricing out items. Their labor practices appall me (it's global, so the UK & German facilities are affected), so I try to buy elsewhere if possible.     

The only thing I can't seem to find is a good third hand for soldering.

You won't in the mass produced stuff. For an effective third hand solution, you'd want to look at DIY solutions that use modular hose (such as Loc-Line).

Some examples (not all are for electronics, but could still offer up some ideas).

• Gorilla Pod
• Desk Squid
• Third Hand++
• Helpful Helping Hands
• Soldering "helping hands" made with Loc-Line coolant hose
• Loc-Line, I Love This Stuff (camera mount)
• Examples of Solutions Made with Loc-Line from Modularhose.com (.pdf)

FWIW, Wiha sells something similar (not sure who makes it, but it's Swiss; thinking this might be the easiest to locate), as does Jeton, SnapFlow, Cedarberg/Snap Loc, and Enco. There's also the super cheap Chinese version you can find on Aliexpress or eBay, but I've no idea on quality.

Even with a decent set of helping hands, they're not an all-in-one solution. An interchangeable head vise system is very handy IME (I use stuff from Panavise, which can be had in the EU/UK, but it seems it's limited). It's not exactly cheap here, but it's actually worth it (don't abuse the heck out of it, and it will last a lifetime).No idea if you'd be able to import it yourself cheaper, but I've seen some of it listed on Amazon.co.uk.

Bernstein's SpannFix system is even nicer, but it's also more expensive IME (not sure if importing Panavise from the US would be cheaper or not).

As an aside, if you know a source for high-quality alligator clips (like the ones on the ground leads of my Rigol scope probes), I will love you forever.

OK, lets not get carried away with this love thing....    But you might want to take a at Mueller (particularly good at making alligator clips).   

Not sure of the best place to get them price wise, but Farnell carries them. US stock of course, so they'd be stupidly expensive (sorry, I don't know where to get them at a reasonable price in the UK/EU market  ).

But I do have one idea; What about buying from a US source, and using a reshipping service to get them to your door as a means of importing them?
A bit indirect, but I suspect this would be a lot more cost effective than Farnell (~half the price at most I'd think). Or Amazon in a pinch I guess ().

[tooki]

I'm not so good at listening English, but the automated YouTube transcription does a somewhat good job that makes me understand most of it.

Then it'll be good practice!!

JBC (a similar-caliber soldering equipment maker) is based in Spain. Perhaps they have training materials en castellano?*


*I had Jehovah's Witnesses ringing my doorbell yesterday, asking if I "¿Habla castellano?" just because my last name is Spanish. (As if there were many Spanish speakers here...)

[Deathwish]

For wires, I'd like to find the coil contraption shown in this NASA soldering training:

Seek and ye shall find.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/358-Panavise-Vice-Accessory-Wire-Manager-/141748618935?hash=item2100e046b7

[tooki]

Sorry, I don't think of Amazon when pricing out items. Their labor practices appall me (it's global, so the UK & German facilities are affected), so I try to buy elsewhere if possible.     

I wish I had viable alternatives to Amazon, because of those issues. But frankly, I simply am not wealthy enough to go through other channels, which rape my wallet either with the price (local dealers) or import duty (almost all foreign vendors other than Amazon).

You won't in the mass produced stuff. For an effective third hand solution, you'd want to look at DIY solutions that use modular hose (such as Loc-Line).

Some examples (not all are for electronics, but could still offer up some ideas). [...]

Wow, I'll take a look at those in detail when I have a moment!

But I do have one idea; What about buying from a US source, and using a reshipping service to get them to your door as a means of importing them?
A bit indirect, but I suspect this would be a lot more cost effective than Farnell (~half the price at most I'd think). Or Amazon in a pinch I guess ().

Unfortunately, it's not necessarily the item or even shipping costs that are the problem; it's that the Swiss Post charges seemingly arbitrary customs admin fees anywhere between about $15-50 just to inspect a package and determine that you owe 84¢ in sales tax. (Packages under about $65 value are exempt. Usually...) So a simple $100 order can easily balloon to $150. Amazon's big advantage is their AmazonGlobal program, under which Amazon itself handles customs clearance (at low cost), so there are absolutely no surprises. But of course, Amazon doesn't really sell electronic components, and even if they did, not all products are AmazonGlobal eligible.

[nanofrog]

I wish I had viable alternatives to Amazon, because of those issues. But frankly, I simply am not wealthy enough to go through other channels, which rape my wallet either with the price (local dealers) or import duty (almost all foreign vendors other than Amazon).

How did Amazon manage a monopoly of that sort?

Unfortunately, it's not necessarily the item or even shipping costs that are the problem; it's that the Swiss Post charges seemingly arbitrary customs admin fees anywhere between about $15-50 just to inspect a package and determine that you owe 84¢ in sales tax. (Packages under about $65 value are exempt. Usually...) So a simple $100 order can easily balloon to $150. Amazon's big advantage is their AmazonGlobal program, under which Amazon itself handles customs clearance (at low cost), so there are absolutely no surprises. But of course, Amazon doesn't really sell electronic components, and even if they did, not all products are AmazonGlobal eligible.

I'd have thought there was a way around this issue with reshippers (i.e. they put the US orders in a shipping container, bring it in the country of destination, then repack & label and send it via the local postal system; Swiss Post in your case). Which makes me think you won't get hit with those ridiculous variable fees just to open it to see what the import charges are (as I understand it, the reshippers have agreements with various customs agencies, and it's included in the final fee they charge). 

I may be wrong, or it may turn out Switzerland doesn't have such customs agreements or something, so would need to be checked out. But it seems like it might be worth the research to find alternative sources. 

[gilbenl]

I've kinda come to the conclusion that there is no one all-in-one holder that works well for PCBs and wires. For PCBs, I picked up a dedicated holder (see post above). For wires, I'd like to find the coil contraption shown in this NASA soldering training:

Little diversion, but...

Notwithstanding those of us assembling satellites and flux capacitors, does anyone actually go to these lengths when soldering? I'm particularly interested in the opinion of those in industry. Do you really sit there with your box of Kim-Wipes and EtOH dobber and spend 10 minutes on a single join?

Also +1 for the guy who posted a link to the panavise spring accessory. That setup shown in the video seems to be the ticket. Certainly better than the pair of curved hemostats I've been using...
 

[Augustus]

Notwithstanding those of us assembling satellites and flux capacitors, does anyone actually go to these lengths when soldering? I'm particularly interested in the opinion of those in industry. Do you really sit there with your box of Kim-Wipes and EtOH dobber and spend 10 minutes on a single join?

Judging by the looks of the solder joints of the last Chinese GU10 LED lamp that blew up on me, the folks who build that booby trap for sure didn't... 

[Deathwish]

also get it from.

http://cpc.farnell.com/1/1/207578-panavise-vice-accessory-wire-manager-358.html

http://www.tequipment.net/PanaViseAccessories358.asp

http://www.alliedelec.com/panavise-358/70200035/

[neslekkim]

crap, I wonder about Farnell, the cpc have it as your link, but the no.farnell.com of course doesnt have it..

[tooki]

I wish I had viable alternatives to Amazon, because of those issues. But frankly, I simply am not wealthy enough to go through other channels, which rape my wallet either with the price (local dealers) or import duty (almost all foreign vendors other than Amazon).

How did Amazon manage a monopoly of that sort?

It's not technically a monopoly -- it's just that most vendors don't bother to set it up. There are companies that offer this to shop owners, for example http://www.globalshopex.com/howitworks.aspx

I'd have thought there was a way around this issue with reshippers (i.e. they put the US orders in a shipping container, bring it in the country of destination, then repack & label and send it via the local postal system; Swiss Post in your case). Which makes me think you won't get hit with those ridiculous variable fees just to open it to see what the import charges are (as I understand it, the reshippers have agreements with various customs agencies, and it's included in the final fee they charge). 

I may be wrong, or it may turn out Switzerland doesn't have such customs agreements or something, so would need to be checked out. But it seems like it might be worth the research to find alternative sources. 

Nope, the reshippers I've seen use ordinary express couriers (FedEx, DHL, etc). If there are ones that do it by the containerload, I've never heard of it. (Excluding China perhaps.) If you hear of any like that, let me know!

[sanchaz12]

From what I have seen shipping from SparkFun in the USA isn't that expensive at all. For regular mail aka snail mail they charge €3 somewhat for shipping a few tips to the Netherlands. Not sure about packages and other large items but they may only stick to EMS and the regular shipping options (USPS, FedEx etc.).

[tooki]

Again, the problem isn't the shipping charges. It's that Swiss Post will charge a huge fee for customs clearance. (All the courier services use Swiss Post for customs clearance.)

[sanchaz12]

Again, the problem isn't the shipping charges. It's that Swiss Post will charge a huge fee for customs clearance. (All the courier services use Swiss Post for customs clearance.)

Sorry, I didn't read everything properly. But yes indeed, that kind of limits you to buy locally (or at least within Europe).

[tooki]

Not even within Europe: Switzerland is not part of the EU, so customs is due even if you order just across the border in Germany or Italy, for example.