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Amazon asked the editors of a few magazines to put together a list of things we're eyeing for the holidays, here were my picks... I'm pretty sure this is the first time Mitutoyo Digimatic calipers hit a gift guide :)
- Weller WP35: Weller Fixed Temperature Soldering Iron with ST3 Tip, 35W
- Leatherman 830005 Charge Ti Multi-Tool with Nylon Sheath
- GB SE-92 8-22 AWG Strip-Easy Automatic Wire Stripper
- PanaVise 301: Standard Base PanaVise
- Fluke 110 Digital Multimeter, TRMS, 0.1 Ohms TO 40 MegOhms
- Peltor H10A Professional Earmuff Hearing Protector (Noise Reduction Rating 30dB)
- Xantrex 851-0400 XPower 400 Plus Compact Inverter
- Bessey BGPKIT General Purpose Clamp Kit
- Mitutoyo Digimatic calipers
- Bonsai Tool 9-piece Set
More from the editors @ MAKE - Link.
More from the editors @ CRAFT - Link.
The Digimatic calipers are great, but you should probably have recommended the solar Digimatic - no need to run out for a SR44 battery in the middle of a project.
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Those wire strippers are really good & priced lower than I'd expect. If you haven't used this type before, let me explain how they are different:
Stripping is done in four stages. When you start to squeeze the handle, a little bar comes down and holds the wire. Next, the cutters come down and cut the insulation. Continue squeezing, and the insulation is pulled off the wire. Finally, when you release the pressure the wire is released and the cutter shuts with a satisfying whack that usually knocks the removed insulation off the blades.
It's a well thought out tool and really helpful if you have lots of wires to strip. Even if you're only doing one, it's useful in tight spaces because it doesn't yank the wire.
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The weller WP35 is a pretty crappy iron (as are all unregulated irons). I think this type of iron only exists to convince people that soldering is a lot harder than it is. With a low end iron like this, it's difficult to get good solder flow across the joint, and your iron is always too cold or too hot.
Spend a little more, get a WES51 or something comparable. Use a decent iron for a few hours and you'll notice the difference is so extreme you'd rather not build the project than go back to a cheap iron.
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Skip the Weller, get a Metcal, and I definitely recommend the Mitutoyo digital calipers. 0.0005" resolution, switchable between Metric and Imperial, and the scales are absolute, not relative. Turn em off, move em, turn em back on and they read where they are. Very cool. (oh, they *will* do relative measurements from a user selectable zero position, great for measuring distances between things)
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Those calipers are awesome, but $100 price tag is just rape.
I bought they exact same thing off ebay for $15, same resolution, buttons, length, everything is identical except for the brand name.
Still a great choice of items though.
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