Name brand VS other sodlering flux paste

[bsahdy]

hello

i am kinda new to soldering world and i want to know if buying those ebay soldering flux pastes are any good or should i buy name brand ones?
the only bad thing that i could think of is that the Ebay ones have less flux or no flux and are just fakes. but i dont know much about it.

btw the same qu would apple to soldering wick.

thank you your responses are greatly appreciated.

[Johnny5]

Stick to the name brands, you know what you're getting
You can still find them on ebay.
As a newbie into electronics, i've tried the cheapy no brand stuff and it is crap
you get what you pay for

[bsahdy]

what other brand names are there that are good besides for kester and muiticore?

[Holograph]

Another good one is MG Chemicals

For flux, Chemtronics is good too

Keep in mind places like Ebay and Amazon Marketplace may try to sell no-name stuff as one of the name brands, or they may try to sell you old product that may not work as well. I'd only order from an actual electronic supply company (Mouser, Digikey, Newark, Allied, etc.) or possibly Amazon (NOT the marketplace / third party sellers unless it's a known-good seller).


Edit: Oh, and I'd like to add to the question a bit. Anyone know if there are any good Made in USA brands of solder/flux? This wouldn't matter to the non-US people here, but I'm from the US and would like to support the US economy when possible... Is Interflux a good brand for flux? Any good ones for solder? I buy from the brands already listed by OP and myself, currently...

[nanofrog]

Another vote to stick with name brands for flux, wick, and solder.  Too many issues with the no-name brands from eBay IMHO.

For flux, Kester, Multicore, MG Chemicals, and Chemtronics are excellent, and offer pens or small containers suitable for hobbyists (smallest container from other brands would be 1 gal/4 liters, and run ~$60 per). MG Chemicals sell small bottles of rosin flux, which is more economical than disposable pens.

If you live in the US, you could also opt for refillable pens from SRA-solder (here).

[mcinque]

Name brands, Stannol for me.