Homebrew PCBs

Pace vs Metcal

My experience is just the opposite, however it is dated a few years.. We got
rid of all the Pace equipment and switched to Metcal. We had way too many
breakdowns with Pace. My gut feel says that most outfits go with Pace as its
cheaper upfront, rather than Metcal, but in the long term scheme of things,
the Metcal was cheaper and was much less of a hassle, especially when you
don't have the staffing to repair and fiddle with the Pace units.

However.... The newer Pace equipment is still much cheaper than Metcal, and
according to a friend of mine, their quality has improved multifold. He
bought a couple of them last year and was pretty impressed. As such, he just
bought 25 new Pace rework stations. If he is still happy with them in
another year, looks like I'll have to change too. Those Metcal rework tips
at $50-$75 each do get spendy.... He told me the Pace ones were about half.
I sure hope they work out well... that would be a big savings!!!

Ron