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Have a lot of 0402 work coming up, worth buying some soldering tweezers?

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jnz:
For the first time I have more than a few 0402 parts on a board. Mostly populating new boards, some rework. Is it worth getting a soldering tweezer unit?

It’s have a JBC Compact unit for soldering, love it, but can’t afford to also buy their tweezer + new base or their compact tweezer standalone. So I have pretty high expectations for soldering, never used tweezers.

So if it might be worth getting some, which is the best value? Looking to stay under $400, but fine with used.

Thoughts?

Kleinstein:
Tweezers are usually not that expensive and one usually already needs them with 0805 or smaller.

For the small parts the question is between classical mechanical tweezers and a vaccum version. With the vaccum parts the costs are usually not for the actual part you hold in the hand, but the vaccum pump. For the pump it is mainly about noise and durability - the normal function is usually OK even with the very cheap ones.

Which type is preferred depends and one may want different ones for didderent jobs (e.g. depending on the space and parts and tools to use with them). The spacing between the parts may be more important the the actual parts to grab.

ebastler:
I believe the OP was thinking about tweezer-style tips for the soldering iron itself, while Kleinstein may be talking about "cold" tweezers just to position the components?

To solder passives onto the board, I can't see how soldering tweezers would be helpful. Wouldn't it be very likely that you drag the component along or pull it upward the moment you lift the soldering prongs, while the solder is still molten on both joints? Personally I prefer using solder paste and hot air when I have to populate multiple small passives. Or I hand-solder them one side at a time with a conventional iron, holding the component in place with tweezers while I solder the first joint.

For unsoldering, I find that actually gets easier for the small 0402s: You can heat both joints at once by holding a flat tip to the long side of the part, then lift off or push away the part. I have felt more of a need for soldering tweezers with larger parts where I can't otherwise reach both joints at once. (But then I'm cheap and just a hobbyist, so I simply use two separate soldering irons in those cases...)

mikeselectricstuff:
Soldering tweezers won't be much use for 0402s. The package is small enough that you can just use a larger single tip to flow both ends for removal.

eugene:
As already stated, hot tweezers are mainly useful for rework. They are by far the fastest way to remove a passive that is already soldered down. If you do a lot of rework they can save time over hot air or other tricks, but lots of rework gets done without them.

If you have $400 to spend, I would suggest getting a stereo zoom microscope. Amscope is common source for adequate quality at a good price. Be sure to get a 0.5 Barlow lens. This cuts the power in half but doubles the working distance between the lens and the work. It's important to have room for your soldering iron etc.

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