Bought a cheap thermal paste applicator kit online and it was a total waste

I mean, I spent like $25 on this kit from some random brand called 'CoolFlow' that had a bunch of little plastic spreaders and stencils. Tried it on a laptop repaste job and the paste just gummed up under the stencil, made a huge mess, and I had to redo the whole thing with my old method. Has anyone actually had a good experience with those fancy applicator tools, or should I just stick to the pea-sized dot?

2 comments

2 Comments

leo_lopez16d ago

That CoolFlow kit sounds like the exact one I tried last year. The plastic stencils are way too thick, so the paste just smears under the edges. I've had way better luck just using the little plastic spreader that came with my Arctic MX-4 paste, and even then only on direct-die chips. For most stuff, the pea method is still the move.

hugowells16d ago

Wait you actually spread paste on a direct-die chip? That sounds like a great way to crack the die, man. I just put a tiny dot in the middle and let the cooler press it.