Rapid have a rather cool and simple to use website for ordering stuff, but if you want to just browse around looking at what’s new then you can’t beat a catalogue. Whilst they are usually heavy and large, it’s good to keep a couple of previous ones around as they often provide useful technical information and it’s often interesting to see how the price of parts have fluctuated over the years.
Whilst I remember, if you think that there is something Rapid should be stocking but currently don’t, drop their sales people a quick note. They are always expanding their range and if there's interest in an item, they will add it to their range if possible.
So, what did I find whilst browsing, well, a couple of things caught my eye.
Product 85-5772 – A fine grit abrasive bar for removing stubborn oxides from soldering iron tips.
This is designed to be used when the bit is cold, and I’m hoping that it will help with a problem I’ve had from time to time, with new bits refusing to “tin” correctly.
Hobbyists and professionals alike will usually soon amass a collection of different test leads with all sorts of connectors, crocodile clips and other assorted plugs and jacks connected.
Product 01-0600 is a reel of extra flexible cable, available in six different colours and supplied on 25 meter reels with a maximum current rating of 6 amps.
I’ve been using this cable for a couple of years and I’ve found it excellent for making test leads with and the reason I mention it is that Rapid have reduced the price per reel.
Whilst electronics should be a safe and fun hobby, accidents will happen and Rapid has an excellent range of cost affective first-aid kits for the home, car, office and workshop.
Having accidentally burnt myself on a soldering iron a couple of years ago (it was very late and I was tired) I can certainly recommend having a small burns kit around the place. It was a painful remainder just how easy it is to injure oneself so I decided it would be sensible to have a proper first-aid kit and a small eye-wash kit… just in case. I also took the opportunity to add a second fire extinguisher and a couple of smoke detectors.
Screw-fix in the UK is a great source for these Health and Safety items as well.