After 30 years of faithful service my soldering iron has died - RIP
Trouble is I have no idea what to replace it with. I've tried the Jaycar irons but have had two DOA (or shortly afterwards) and the one I have now barely works (supposedly 42W more like 4W).
I'm thinking of getting a proper Wella solder station (again 42W) but will that do backs of pots etc? How much power is enough? And are watts now somehow smaller (and made in China like everything else)?
50W with auto-off feature and variable temperature range.
I've had mine for 5 years. Never a single problem. I've used them for about 15 years. Never a problem.
I was in a bind when my old iron died and ended up buying one of the Radio Shack digital soldering stations (60W) on the spot, that was almost 2 years ago. I got it on sale for around $50 and it's been a great unit. It's the same thing as the Madell AT201D, only problem I've had with it is getting replacement tips for it. The only tip it comes with is a small needlepoint tip that has trouble melting solder at the very tip, especially if you are trying to heat a large surface with it and can only fit just the very tip of the iron in the space you are soldering. You have to ask the right person at radio shack to find them (to order, not in stock) for you, they do sell them contrary to what 2 other sales associates told me. They can also be ordered directly from Madell but the shipping kills the deal...
Last edited by Bruciep07 on Wed Jun 17, 2009 3:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I'll second the Weller WES51. I have 3 older WES50 solder stations. You can't kill them. I bought the last 2 on ebay for cheap. They will do everything except chassis grounds. For that I use an 80 watt Weller , like the ones they use for stained glass work. Others do like the Hakko, but I don't know if the tips are interchangable. Weller tips are available everywhere.
It was excellent, however pots took a while. I recently upgraded to a Weller WSD-81 and I've never looked back. I got a splendid deal on it, and everything from pots to chassis soldering is SO fast, it's incredible.
Remember to get a couple of different tips - it's fantastic to have a big one for the heavy duty work, and a finer one so you don't hit wires and stuff like that.
My Hakko 926 is going on 10 years and I bought it used. I've only had to re-tip it once and that was well before the tip had expired. I can crank it up enough to solder to chassis if need be. It doesn't have any auto shut off but I'd probably get pissed at that feature and disconnect it anyway.
All excellent things are as difficult as they are rare__B Spinoza
Get the Hakko 926. I have had mine for over 5 years now and it is really the best of its type I think. Unlike Noel, I have had to replace the tip/iron heating element. This cost $30 from Frys. Also I have only run three tips over the years - good mileage. (The element would have lasted longer if I hadn't left it on overnight a few times at a high temp. My bad.)
Also you will find that Hakko is a very interesting company, offering more than 50 different tip types for the 926 alone, not to mention replacement parts for the rod and the power station. Really, once you check them out, it becomes pretty clear that Hakko is quite beyond Weller on so many levels. I am sure, too, that if you did a world survey of quality eletronics assembly plants the Hakko would be number 1. Check one out if you can.
Oh, yes, I have used Wellers in the past. Actually, I think I have kept that company in business over the years buying so many tips! I wish I had that money back.....
Most people stall out when fixing a mistake that they've made. Why?
I've had real good luck with the Xytronic brand.
The 379 to be specific.
Very fast heat up and fast recovery.
If I crank it all the way up I have zero trouble soldering to pots.
Not sure it would do can cap tabs but maybe.
I recommended this station to a lot of my friends and they all like it.
Best bang for the buck.
Best part is it's only $50.
Be sure to order extra tips to save on shipping.
It comes with a pencil point so I would recommend a chisel or screwdriver type tip to go with it.
I've gone through 2 lbs of solder with mine and it still is going strong.
There are a multitude of tips available too.
If price is acceptable, the newer Weller WSD80 series is excellent.
Having 80W solves alot of problems with larger parts, PCB ground planes, chassis lugs etc.
