Recommend a soldering iron for value and versatility

[TRA]

This Hakko knock off has served me really well.

Aoyue 937+ Digital Soldering Station - ESD Safe includes Spare Element UPDATED VERSION!!: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

[adamboon]

Weller temp controlled, wonderful

[hasbeen]

Hakko FX-888

NEW Hakko FX-888 FX888-23BY Soldering Station, Factory AUTHORIZED Distributor | eBay

I think I paid $75 shipped.

[Faderjockey]

We use these everyday..
They heat up very fast and cool very fast. Makes working much faster.
And allows to change tips much easier depending on the job.

PS-900 OKI/Metcal | 389-1133-ND | DigiKey

[jayson_p]

Hakko 936. I've got two of 'em: one for work and one for home. The one I have at work is about 15 years old and still going strong; I've NEVER needed to change the tip.

[Sean Sullivan]

Hakko or Weller are good time test options. Hakko has a ton of tips, which is helpful.

I'd also recommend a Hakko 808 or similar desoldering gun if you planning to do a lot of recapping.

[dualflip]

Originally Posted by jayson_p

Hakko 936. I've got two of 'em: one for work and one for home. The one I have at work is about 15 years old and still going strong; I've NEVER needed to change the tip.

+1 on the 936, best thing ever made!, ive had mine for 12 years now, it has been dropped several times, in fact my brother once accidentally droped it down the stairs, it went rolling all the way down. Still going strong with no issues whatsoever besides some chipped plastic edges.

The hakko tips are IMO amazing, they last for years and years, and the tin coating is just great. Im a big Hakko fan

[ekhan]

Originally Posted by hasbeen

Hakko FX-888

NEW Hakko FX-888 FX888-23BY Soldering Station, Factory AUTHORIZED Distributor | eBay

I think I paid $75 shipped.

absolutely 100% agreed!

[fastlanestoner]

Weller wlc 100. Variable temp and an amazing value

[Silent Sound]

A cheap solution would be a Velleman VTSS5U. They're usually around $20 and have a variable temperature control. Well, you can vary it from high to low with a pot, but there's not real accurate description of whatever temp you have selected. Overall, they're very decent low cost soldering irons that will get the job done. Not as nice as a good Weller, but also no where near the price. I've owned a lot of cheap soldering irons and a big problem can be finding replacement tips when your old one wears out. I can get tips for these online and at a local store (where I got it from). It's by far the best soldering iron I've used under $50 (and I've had about five over the years) and should last you for many years (going on three with no problems in sight). The stock tips are pretty good too!

For value and versatility, it's gonna be real tough to beat. For overall quality and features, you could do better, but it'll cost you.

[mds]

I've had one of these for 10 years. It works great and I've fixed and built a ton of stuff with it.

[Bob Ross]

in addition to the above- (and oft-)cited Weller and Hakko, check out Tenma.

[S2udio]

Weller TCP .... 35yrs ...1 T-stat no elements !!
Huge range of temp graded tips 300 - 700 deg, in all sizes & shapes.
Some times change tips 10-15 times on a big job.

[Faderjockey]

I used those for many years as well.. But we build so much and we have gone through so many of those Wellers.. The temps don't stay as even when working as the Metcal we've found.

Like anything it's personal taste I guess..
But with 10hrs a day on hitting so many joints I found I was working faster and building more after I moved away from Weller.
Which I wasn't planning to do..I used them since I was a kid and it's all I knew.

and every one at our company only ever used Weller.. We still have some.
But they are now just a backup..

I would like to try some of the other highend units like for surface mount work (which we don't do) but I want for mod's and repairs. haven't gotten around to it and some are really pricey.

[CurseesConnect]

Originally Posted by mds

I've had one of these for 10 years. It works great and I've fixed and built a ton of stuff with it.

+1. I build pedals and crossovers with it. Perfect.

[Aeolian]

There's no substitute for a good iron but they are expensive. Try to find something like the Wellers or Hakkos that have a screw on sleeve that holds the tip on. Stay away from the really cheap irons where the tip screws in or has a setscrew.

Most important, tin the tip and keep it tinned while working. Any time you're not actually soldering something and the iron is on, there should be a good glob of solder sitting on the tip. You only wipe it off right before you go to solder a joint. This is the biggest mistake I see people making in 30 years of being a manufacturing engineer in the electronics assembly industry. An oxidized tip won't transfer heat and trying to force it is when things get fried. I love the Metcal irons. Most of industry use them, and I have one at home as well. I've had the same set of tips for some 10 years, but I've seen people ruin them in a few hours. And at the cost of those things, it's not the system you want to learn on. You can still make a good joint with a $40 iron with practice. Especially on some simple 1/4W resistor or cable.

[dave gross]

Another +1 for the Hakko 936

[bugg100]

Amazon.com: AOYUE 936 Soldering Station: Industrial & Scientific

based on the above recomendation, I bought the non digital control version. Really liking after two projects. Seems a great value.

[tplaysguitar]

Originally Posted by hasbeen

Hakko FX-888

I think I paid $75 shipped.

+1
Great iron, heats up fast. Havent replaced the tip yet.

[hasbeen]

Originally Posted by dave gross

Another +1 for the Hakko 936

General info here. the Hakko 936 has been updated and replaced with the Hakko FX-888 Soldering Station.

[brianroth]

I've had a Weller W60 for literally decades. I learned about them back in 1975 (?) when I attended training "school" at Crown in Elkhart, IN. W60 was the iron they used on the production line.

They are temp. controlled via whatever tip you use, and it's just a "pencil' with no "base station".

Because I have to travel a lot to clients' sites, I like the fact it's just a pencil, so takes up little space in my tool box.

FWIW, I also carry a Weller solder gun for when I need megawatts <g> of heat for tasks like soldering female banana jacks.

Bri

[imixrecords]

Originally Posted by TRA

This Hakko knock off has served me really well.

Aoyue 937+ Digital Soldering Station - ESD Safe includes Spare Element UPDATED VERSION!!: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

spent a few months doing contract assembly work for a military communications company and the Aoyue was on every bench. Now who can tell me how to pronounce Aoyue???? For smd work hot air is the move and this same company makes a decent hot air gun. They are not the best but they work.

[Ike Zimbel]

"Now who can tell me how to pronounce Aoyue????"

I'm pretty sure that is the sound that we all make when we accidentally grab the iron by the hot part!
Cheers,
Ike

[Ike Zimbel]

I have been using these for the past few years in my road kit:
GootPX-201 lead free soldering iron temperature controlled.

I even persuaded Brian Roth to buy one. In the shop I use an Edsyn 951Sx, which is great, BUT, when I have a heavy solder joint to do, the Goot PX-201, with a heavy tip comes out, does the job every time.
best,
Ike

[Lotus 7]

American Beauty Model 3198 (pic below), but only for delicate work with surface mount devices. Otherwise get something larger.

Seriously, I use a Ungar Imperial (1/8 inch spade tip) for most cables and open-hole PC work and a Ungar Princess for the delicate stuff. Both have served well for decades, and both are controlled by a small Variac. Once you get used to using a particular soldering iron, it's like an old predictable friend. It may have it's "shortcomings" but at least you know what to expect.

[brianroth]

Originally Posted by Ike Zimbel

I have been using these for the past few years in my road kit:
GootPX-201 lead free soldering iron temperature controlled.

I even persuaded Brian Roth to buy one. In the shop I use an Edsyn 951Sx, which is great, BUT, when I have a heavy solder joint to do, the Goot PX-201, with a heavy tip comes out, does the job every time.
best,
Ike

My quibble with that Goot is that when I accidentally dropped it onto a tile floor at a client's studio in Mexico City, the internal ceramic heating element broke. Never had that problem with the Weller W60.

Bri

[Ike Zimbel]

That's a drag. The reason I stopped using the WP-60's, after many years, is that I had a couple of problems with thermal runaway. The tip would get super hot, really fast, and then burn the plating off, ruining the tip. I never could get a satisfactory answer out of Weller as to what caused that. I subsequently had that happen with the Goot once...I think I tracked that down to some voltage between ground and neutral causing its temperature sensor to get bad information.
Cheers,
Ike

[Faderjockey]

Originally Posted by Ike Zimbel

That's a drag. The reason I stopped using the WP-60's, after many years, is that I had a couple of problems with thermal runaway. The tip would get super hot, really fast, and then burn the plating off, ruining the tip. I never could get a satisfactory answer out of Weller as to what caused that. I subsequently had that happen with the Goot once...I think I tracked that down to some voltage between ground and neutral causing its temperature sensor to get bad information.
Cheers,
Ike

Yes!! Had that happen on lots of units. It was random. One of the reasons we switched to Metcal.

[S2udio]

The magnetic tstat in wellers gets lazy after many years use
Cheap and available to replace