Quote Originally Posted by tunghaichuan
The problem isn't the solder, the problem is that the vast majority of consumer grade electronics equipment is made to be disposable. Having lead solder in this gear is a bad idea as the lead will leach into the ground water after said gear has broken and dumped into the landfill. It is actually cheaper to throw stuff away than to have it fixed.

It wasn't so much of a problem when electronics components were made to last. I used to own Eico and Dynaco gear from the 60s that was older than I am. With minimal maintenance and tube changes, that gear will last another 40+years.
Wisdom indeed, Tung! A Fender from the 60s or 70s will outlast most of todays amps. The original specs used overrated components to avoid failures. These days nobody would use a 1 watt resistor where a 1/8 watt will "do".

As for the original question, the interweb is full of this kind of "knowledge" handed down by the Illuminati or Freemasons or somebody. A tin foil hat is highly recommended to screen out the voices

Of course, that means you shouldn't believe a word of my post either