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.