AmeriKit Learn to Solder Kit

I have been soldering electronics for years, both professionally and as a hobby. Recently I was asked to teach the Electronics Merit Badge to some Boy Scouts. I found this kit and ordered one from Amazon. I was impressed by what arrived. Not only does this kit include a soldering iron and all of the parts needed, but it also includes a very well done tutorial. I ended up strongly recommending this kit to the Boy Scouts. The main reason is because of the tutorial. The circuit board includes pads whose sole purpose is for practice. The tutorial in the manual walks you through basics like tinning the soldering iron, proper technique, advice on avoiding heat damage, and how to avoid a cold solder joint. Each of the parts is clearly labeled and the instructions are easy to follow. Putting this kit together will not make you an expert at soldering. Like most things in life, proper soldering takes practice. The soldering iron included is not a top-of-the-line model, but it gets the job done. If you are serious about getting into electronics you will want to upgrade your equipment. If you want to learn to solder this is a great starting point. Don't skip any of the tutorial, and pay close attention to all of the safety precautions. Before too long you'll have yourself a working siren and have gained a valuable skill.

I am a software guy working everyday with code and design for the web and device applications. I wanted to learn about the hardware side, and eventually build something interesting that would be programable. But I knew, with no previous experience in circuitry, I needed to start small and build my knowledge. I chose this Elenco kit because it was highly rated for beginners and came with the basic tools for soldering (a solder iron, stand, and solder). I was pleasantly surprised by how easy the step-by-step process was to understand and follow. The kit includes a simple project to produce blinking LED lights and a siren, but the primary goal is to teach you the basics of electronics and soldering. Soldering is more difficult than I had imagined, but that's why you spend the beginning of the project going over simple soldering exercises before jumping into the soldering of components to the board. The kit and instructions are not perfect, but I was surprised that it was very easy to understand the step-by-step instructions and construct the project. There are a few times where the instructions are not as clear as they could be, particularly when learning about resistors, but with a little thinking and supplementing the booklet with the internet I was able to learn and understand what the kit was teaching. You really can't beat the price considering you get a simple kit and soldering tools. I highly recommend starting with this kit if you would like to consider getting into electronics. While the solder iron provided is not amazing it is useful and I have used it to produce other kits as well, until I decide how serious I am about electronics and whether I want to invest any more money.

I'm 17 and I wanted to learn how to solder printed circuit boards. This is a great product that has (almost) everything you need to get started. The soldering iron melted the solder quickly, even though the solder was lead free. The instruction manual teaches you not just about soldering, but about the components in the kit. It teaches almost like a class, complete with detailed instructions and even quizzes you on what you have learned. In the end, the device you make is pretty useless, but here, its all about the journey not the destination. I do have a few cons however. There is nothing included to clean the soldering tip like a small piece of sponge. I also could not get the soldering wick to work, so I would recommend also ordering a desoldering pump as well. also, it can be a bit tricky to solder without some kind of helping hand device. However, for less than $15, this is still a great bargain. The value of this kit is great, however I'm sure that people would be willing to pay a bit more if it included something to clean the soldering tip and possibly a desoldering pump, however, with the value of this kit, adding those items to your order should be no problem. All in all, I greatly recommend this product to anyone trying to dive into the world of electronics.

I purchased this kit to do with my 15 year old son. I wanted him to learn about electronics, beyond how to work an x-box controller. And, I wanted to provide him a constructive hobby interest. I'd learned about component electronics from my father, and always found it a fun hobby. Even though my son is 15, older than I was when I started, I thought it might be a fun thing to do together. Boy, am I happy I did. My son took to this like a fish in water. He did all the work for this project, which we did together. It was a great way to spend a couple of hours together, and have him be exposed to a new area of technology. About this kit - it's a perfect starter kit for someone to learn how to solder and about electronic components. The instructions are awesome. They include reference material, how to read resistors and even a quiz (which my son had no interest in doing). You get to work One thing that I found incredibly useful in the instructions was a Troubleshooting guide! Even though the lights worked, we didn't have the speaker connected correctly. A couple of the solder points weren't making contact. The instructions/Troubleshooting guide was invaluable in finding the problems. We were able to trouble shoot the problems and get it working perfectly! This made a big difference in my son's level of excitement - he was really proud of his work, as was I. If you're looking for a way to expose your child to electronics, soldering and something you can share together - this gets my highest marks. I've very thankful for this product. One suggestion, if you purchase this, also buy a de-soldering tool. The kit does not come with one. I found one on amazon for $6 and it was helpful in making sure the soldering was clean/neat.

I highly recommend this kit for the beginner or for someone wanting to improve rudimentary or rusty soldering skills. I am well experienced at electronic assembly and soldering, and conduct soldering workshops at a nearby science museum. I bought this kit for my 12 year old grandson. Anyone working with the kit or observing should wear Eye Protection, either glasses or preferably safety goggles. There is danger from flux particles when soldering and especially from flying pieces of wire when trimming components leads or wires. You only have one set of eyes. Don't take chances with them. The Kit’s Contents - The soldering iron is a nicely made entry to mid-level one, almost alone worth the price of the kit. The stand is a bit flimsy but works. A set of wire cutters is included and the part of the blades closest to the handles serves as an insulation stripper. What's missing is a cleaning sponge. You can use a damp wad of paper towel, but I'd recommend getting a sponge (Weller TC205) or metal tip cleaner (Haako 599B-02). A roll of solid insulated wire, a coil of rosin-core solder, and a piece of de-soldering braid are also provided. The single-sided printed circuit board is marked well for component placement and the pads are spaced to avoid solder bridges, a common beginner's mistake. The quality of the printed track and pads is low as to thickness and adhesion, so care must be taken not to pull it off if a repair is required. Most of the electrical components are mounted on a card and are clearly identified. The booklet shows how to identify each component, whether on the card or separated. The Course and Project - The instruction booklet is excellent. It has a section about how soldering works along with useful illustrations to help understand what good and bad solder joints look like. There are separate pads and connections on the board used for practice in the beginning. The steps you are asked to perform are designed to teach you a number of soldering skills, including clean-up and de-soldering using the included braid (wick). The course part provides you a good foundation to move on to the project portion of the board. The project is straightforward and worked properly the first time after completion by my grandson. The student is asked to make a circuit change exercising de-soldering skills after first testing the project. A theory of operation, schematic diagram, and a brief quiz about soldering and the project rounds out the booklet. I recommend this kit as a complete soldering course for the beginner or for someone wanting to improve rudimentary or rusty soldering skills.

First off I just noticed that there hasn't been a review done on this product in almost 4 years. With that pointlessly said I would like to go on to say that this has been one of the coolest things I've bought here on Amazon. It all started because my TV quit working and I took it apart thinking it might just be a loose cable but what I found was a couple blown capacitors. After looking at what it would cost to pay some to do it and the cost of just buying a new circuit board (power supply) I figured I could just replace the parts my self for pennies on the dollar. Problem was I have never soldered before. I picked this out for the learning process and it did everything I expected it to. It told me what's going on threw out the circuit board and how to solder and desolder components. It only takes about 60 seconds for the soldering gun to get up to heat, don't let it sit for to long or you can burn out the tip. It tells you about that in the directions which is set up like a class room textbook format. The soldering gun worked awesome, the only thing I would recommend is picking up some rosin flux to use as you're desldering or soldering. It helps the solder melt and flow really nice. I did this whole project without it but picked some up for my TV project. The flux made everything way easier. I am still using the soldering gun weeks later and have had no issues with it. I highly recommend this to any first timers that want to learn. Its very fun.

This kit has a great instruction manual that is quite educational. The kit is straightforward to assemble but the solder quality is marginal. We (10yr old and dad) completed the kit but had to redo several loose solder connections with a good quality solder. After that, it worked fine. I would definitely order it again but recommend buying a high quality solder on the side, also helps to have the Elenco soldering tool kit with probes, brush and heat sink, and next time it's worth adding a switch to the battery wire to turn the siren on/off more easily.

The AmeriKit AK-100 should be your first experience with soldering. It teaches you by repeating exercises over and over until you get a solid foundation on how to use the tools in the kit. The practice will allow you to build your first electronic circuit. The value this project provides is fantastic. Search the model and my name on YouTube for a full, in-depth presentation. Features I like about this kit: Provides extensive training exercises to help the student become comfortable using a soldering iron. A manual that is done in a clear, textbook learning format. All components are nicely labeled. Includes a quality 25watt soldering iron. Includes a pair of small cutters. An enjoyable circuit to build once you have mastered the basics. De-solder braid included. Component removal is taught with this kit. Inexpensive. Features that could be added or improved on: Flux paste. This will help with lead-free solder use. Include a 9V battery. Overall, if you finish this kit, and all of your exercises were done correctly, you are ready to build or repair a radio! This kit should be your first. The price and the amount of knowledge learned here will go very far when it comes to building other circuits. The soldering iron and cutters will help you in the future as well.