Good Source for Solder Wick

[KL27x]

Yeah, that "MG" used in the first post/vid of that link looks weird, like it's falling apart or woven too loose. I have never used MG, but the Chemwik stuff I have is like a high quality copper cloth, super soft and flexible, and the threads don't seperate like that. It's way different from the cheap stuff, what looks like that vid. I am guessing that MG stuff is fake.

[rsjsouza]

I use at work Chemtronics and at home MG Chemicals. To me they perform equally well for my jobs.

[tooki]

Yeah, that "MG" used in the first post/vid of that link looks weird, like it's falling apart or woven too loose. I have never used MG, but the Chemwik stuff I have is like a high quality copper cloth, super soft and flexible, and the threads don't seperate like that. It's way different from the cheap stuff, what looks like that vid. I am guessing that MG stuff is fake.

Agreed. My MG doesn’t fray at all in normal use.

At work, we have Stannol wick, which is just as fine as the MG. First time I encountered a brand as good as MG.

[Psi]

I used a friends "soldamop" wick once, and it seemed just as awesome as chemtronics.
So if you find chemtronics hard to source have a look for soldamop.

Just make sure whatever 'good' brand you buy it's from an official distributor

[bostonman]

How about a source based on pricing? I didn't realize solder wick is so expensive because everything I have was donated to me from old stock people were tossing. Now I'm running out.

[Psi]

How about a source based on pricing? I didn't realize solder wick is so expensive because everything I have was donated to me from old stock people were tossing. Now I'm running out.

$18.34 for 7 meter spool
https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/chemtronics/50-4-25/50-4-25-ND/306989

[thm_w]

If you add some flux even the cheapest crap solder wick works well.

It works much better but it does not work quite as well as good braid. The problem with the ultra-cheap crap is the braid is thick copper wire, the good stuff has a very fine weave. tooki linked some photos for an idea.

[Russ314]

I just bought this MG Chemicals Superwick on Amazon last week:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008O9VZ3K/ref=twister_B008UH3HLE?_encoding=UTF8&th=1


It's incredible. I was replacing a roll of the exact stuff, except... it's not the exact stuff anymore. MG has changed the packaging and the formula. It has a LOT of flux on it now. It works a thousand times better than the old stuff (plus my roll was ~5 years old), but the downside is that if you twist the braid around, it sheds a bunch of powdered flux onto your PCB. More flux = better wicking = bigger mess. Overall, I much prefer this new formula because it works so fast that you really don't put any heat into the parts; it's literally instantaneous wicking. In 20 years of using various wicks, I've never seen it work this well or this fast.

[Psi]

the downside is that if you twist the braid around, it sheds a bunch of powdered flux onto your PCB

Yeah, that's normal. Chemtronics wick does that too.
Cloud of white powder if you bang the wick against something hard or twist it