ESD laminate vs normal laminate

[jpb]

I wasn't sure where to place this topic/question - I know the technical facts about ESD laminate, what I don't know is how bad (ESD wise) normal laminate is.

I am looking to buy a bench that will be tall enough to go over my work table/bench and will hold most of my kit (meters, power supplies and so on). I'll have a normal ESD mat on my wooden (oak) table.

For the workbench there is a choice between normal laminate and ESD laminate. BUT whereas the normal laminate bench is £360 in round numbers the ESD version is £582!

It seems a bit OTT to pay for the ESD laminate but how bad is normal laminate for static compared to say MDF? I can buy an 1800x600 ESD mat for the bench for around £50 (vinyl rather than rubber but this isn't for soldering).

[nanofrog]

Normal laminate is non-conductive. So no different than using a piece of glass.

But instead of buying the expensive ESD top, check out the cost for getting a suitably sized 2 layer rubber ESD mat instead. I mention this as I find the rubber mat is superior to ESD laminate as it protects the table surface from dings, dents, scratches, and most importantly, thermal damage from soldering equipment. 

And as a general rule, this tends to be less expensive as well. Just not so sure about UK/EU sources though.

However, there's a Canadian seller on eBay (canvuO_O) that will do custom sizes and ship internationally*. His pricing is the best I've ever seen. To put his pricing into perspective, a 30"x60" mat shipped to the US would run $78.50 total ($58.50 for the mat & $20 shipping).

So sending an email in regard to total cost to the UK would definitely be worth it IMHO.

[jpb]

Normal laminate is non-conductive. So no different than using a piece of glass.

But instead of buying the expensive ESD top, check out the cost for getting a suitably sized 2 layer rubber ESD mat instead. I mention this as I find the rubber mat is superior to ESD laminate as it protects the table surface from dings, dents, scratches, and most importantly, thermal damage from soldering equipment. 

And as a general rule, this tends to be less expensive as well. Just not so sure about UK/EU sources though.

However, there's a Canadian seller on eBay (canvuO_O) that will do custom sizes and ship internationally*. His pricing is the best I've ever seen. To put his pricing into perspective, a 30"x60" mat shipped to the US would run $78.50 total ($58.50 for the mat & $20 shipping).

So sending an email in regard to total cost to the UK would definitely be worth it IMHO.

Thanks for the response. Digikey do a vinly ESD mat for £40 something plus VAT and I think that may well be the right option (I'd prefer rubber but it doesn't really matter as I don't intend to do any soldering on it).

[nanofrog]

Thanks for the response. Digikey do a vinly ESD mat for £40 something plus VAT and I think that may well be the right option (I'd prefer rubber but it doesn't really matter as I don't intend to do any soldering on it).

That would certainly be more cost effective, and the savings usable elsewhere I'd wager.