Which good quality soldering iron?

[scottc19]

Hello everyone, I have decided that I can no longer stand the cheap radio shack soldering irons that keep changing the temperature on me :mad: . I am looking for a nice soldering iron that will hold a constant temperature very well and should also be a lower wattage one for circuit board work. I am looking to buy a sub $100 one, but may consider a more expensive one if I can buy a used off ebay or something. What would you guys recomend I look for?

[scottc19]

No one has any thoughts, am I in the wrong section or something?

[EnJoY]

I'd give you tips if I had any idea, but I don't. Here's a bump hoping someone will chime in for ya.

[yankee]

I've heard(but not experienced) that weller is a good name.

What I'd really like to know is what differentiates a good soldering iron from a bad one.

[Roger_D25]

I know how you feel Scott because I recently came to the same conclusion with my crappy Radio Shack iron! After doing lots of research I realized there are a few different routes to go. If you just want an iron than you can get a decent one for under $100. If your looking for a soldering station however with decent temp control than your probably looking at closer to $200-$500 depending on brand and quality? HERE (http://www.howardelectronics.com/jbc/AD2910.html) is a soldering station I've been eying for a few days now that had very good reviews and seems to be of high quality. Granted this one is way out of your price range but if your going to be soldering alot its worth it I guess to get a decent setup (at least that is what I've been told from people who know much more than myself)! The site I linked to above has other irons/soldering stations on it, plus this was a good starting point for me when I first started researching irons.

[billb]

I've been soldering for fifty years, all with "hardware store", $10-$40 soldering irons.

I broke down and bought a Weller WS 51 soldering station. Well, for an everyday kinda hobby guy this is a giant step forward. Whatever heat you want, you get it now, and constant. Makes soldering a dream compared to anything else I have used.
And you can get them for less than $100 ...Amazon has them now for $92.

I don't know if you need a "professional" setup, but as a step up from a standard soldering iron this is a major step. I've had it for over a year now and every time I use it I'm amazed. Even just having a place to put the hot iron is great. Soldering is a whole other ballgame now!

[Roger_D25]

Thanks for taking the time to post Bill, that is exactly what I was looking for myself! After posting above I realized that the iron I linked to is way more than any "hobbiest" would ever need (and I'm just a hobbiest)! Plus I don't think having a more expensive iron is going to make me a better solderer, lol!

[scottc19]

Thanks, I will look into those... This is what I was looking for... I am going to declare my major to Electrical Engineering after next quarter, so I am sure I will be using it more and more, most likely just on my free time. But as of now I am with you guys and just using it as a hobbiest, with volt mods and such... Thanks

[Roger_D25]

After checking out the Weller WS-51 I would highly recommend it, especially for the price! My favorite part is the nice short iron tip, keep the point close to the handle for good control!

[alexio]

https://store.sra-solder.com/product.php?xProd=6144

I use this and it's really good at just $33.

[QuantumZero]

http://www.cooperhandtools.com/brands/CF_Files/model_detail.cfm?upc=037103191922

Wont regret it. Its a good starters kit :P

[ZOMGVTEK]

https://store.sra-solder.com/product.php?xProd=6144

Thats the same thing as the hakko 936.. Like, exactly.

How is it soo cheap?

If its built the same, thats a good unit. Or you can get a hakko 936 used off ebay.

[QuantumZero]

https://store.sra-solder.com/product.php?xProd=6144

Thats the same thing as the hakko 936.. Like, exactly.

How is it soo cheap?

If its built the same, thats a good unit. Or you can get a hakko 936 used off ebay.

Thats not bad either.

[sb1racing]

It's hard to get much better than the Hakko 936 for the price. I've been using one for over 4 years and LOVE it...

[cyberspyder]

It's a knockoff, but a good one albeit. I have the Circuit Specialists 936 knockoff and I love it.

[scottc19]

Thanks guys, I finally broke down and bought the weller ws-51 digital. It works amazingly, it was just what I was looking for - heats up fast and holds a constant temperature amazingly well! Now to experiment with tips, until I find the best one for small items like smd's.

[uwackme]

Just stick to the Weller, consider it an investment in a quality tool. Ive had mine since 1986 and it is working flawlessly.... and Ive soldered surface mount low volume manufacturing with it, 1000's of units. Just stock up on tips, and sponges, and use distilled water for the sponges.

[MichelinGuy]

I have a Weller as well, great iron :up:

[Deezle]

We use Wellers mostly at work, I've stuffed and soldered a lot of boards and they are nice to work with.

[Kilyin]

Do any online retailers in the U.S. sell the Weller WS-51? Or a brick and mortar shop for that matter. Can't find it anywhere.

[scottc19]

I got mine off ebay, but I am pretty sure amazon has it.

[phelan1777]

subscribed..................now I have an idea of what/who to look into for a soldering station/iron.

Thanks for creating the thread and those that contributed.

[qdemn7]

Old thread http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=35882

Edsyn http://www.edsyn.com/ or Haskko http://www.hakkousa.com/

[Thasp]

Not a weller fan.

http://mro2go.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=82193612

Hakko is great. absolutely does not suck. makes desoldering irons that never get clogged, as well.

[chris.y2k.r1]

For doing electronics you really don't want a gun. You want an iron with a very good tip.

[Kilyin]

I'm having trouble figuring out what kind of iron to get for doing volt mods, specifically what wattage? Some people say 15-25w, others say higher. I did find this post...just wondering if it's entirely accurate?

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showpost.php?p=2552913&postcount=13



You need more heat!

A 20 Watt soldering iron is good for about nothing

I use temperature regulated HAKKO solding irons and I set them to 750F to 800F.

If you have lots of heat and your solder STILL wont stick, you need better solder. Flux is what chemically cleans the surface to be soldered. If your solder is old, poor quality, or the surface is oxidized your solder wont stick.

Super glue on a solder joint to keep it on is... well... umm... counter productive to put it VERY nicely.

Also, now that you have put super glue on the contact surface you must remove ALL of it every last bit or it will burn and stick to the surface to be soldered and and prevent the solder from sticking.

A good way to clean off regular oxidized contacts is with a nice fresh pink eraser from a pencil. It has to be nice fresh and CLEAN. If the rubber is hardened or has gunk on it, it will just smear on the contact making it worse. After you "erase" the oxidation, you gotta wipe off the residue or it will burn and prevent contact also.

My recommendations:

45Watt Fine tip Soldering Iron
Kester 77 Solder Fine stand

With this combination you wont need to rough up the surface or use flux or do any wierd things to get the solder to stick unless your surface is really oxidized and even then, a little more heat will do the trick.

Stay away from lead free (RoHS Compliant) solders if your less than 800F iron temp. They need more heat and I havent found them to stick as well as regular lead solder.

There is a BIG misunderstanding about soldering iron heat and damaging electronics.

It is MUCH MUCH better for the components being soldered if you use lots of heat and get the job done quick. It is more damaging to components if you have to keep the iron on the joint to heat it up and then have to hold the iron on the solder to melt it. You end up with a "Cold Joint" it may look OK, but it isnt nearly as strong as a good hot quick joint. Lots of times with cold solder joints the solder hasnt melted the surface of the copper well enough to bond with the lead and tin solder. The solder flows, may even look good, but give it time, heat and high current, the joint will fail.

Typical components are rated at 300C for 10 Seconds before damage may occur. If you use a really hot iron, you can quickly get the joint done in less than 1 second which doesnt heat up the component to 300C and the duration is a fraction of a second. If you use a warm iron you must heat up the part and reheat the part when solder hits it and it is enough to heat the actual component and for longer duration of time. If your iron is hot enough to melt solder, it is hot enough to damage components no matter how low the temp is. The quicker the job the better and the only way to do that is with a good hot iron thats at the minimum 700 degrees F.

Also, NEVER use super glue to secure a solder joint. If you wanna use it to electrically insulate a GOOD solder joint thats ok, but Super glue is not conductive and defeats the whole purpose of a solder joint. Super glue to fix a solder joint is like using Duct tape to fix a fiber optic cable (which I have seen before)

I get back LOTS of electronic PCB's in my job that have been poorly soldered and superglued... I usually send the customer back the board and dont even bother with it cause it's gonna cost them double the time for me to clean up the hack job.

Remember good Hot Iron, Kester 77 Lead Solder and you wont think twice about soldering a good vmod ever again, and you wont have to douche the contacts with flux or rub 600 grit sandpaper, or any other little tricks to get it to work. I gaurentee ya that 110% I promise.

Oh Ya, the yellowish gunk is flux from the solder. It's not laquer or special coating, just excess flux from the solder. Dont bother removing it, just use Kester 77 solder and you'll be fine

[Lestat]

i use an adjustable Weller

[Pacha]

I use a 2.90€ noname iron bought in a electronic store, and I must say it's quite a piece of :banana::banana::banana::banana: which make me own everything around all the time but it works and mods are ok so... maybe when I'll burn something with it I'll consider buying something else

[jmilcher]

Hello everyone, I have decided that I can no longer stand the cheap radio shack soldering irons that keep changing the temperature on me :mad: . I am looking for a nice soldering iron that will hold a constant temperature very well and should also be a lower wattage one for circuit board work. I am looking to buy a sub $100 one, but may consider a more expensive one if I can buy a used off ebay or something. What would you guys recomend I look for?

I absolutely love my weller WLC100. About $50-90 depending on where you find it. Sears generally carries them for around $85 or so if you wanted to pick it up locally.

Anyways Ive had mine for atleast 8+ years and never had a problem with it. Works wonderful for moy electronics projects and works with a few different types of solder.

http://www.toolbarn.com/product/weller/WLC100/

[Monkeywoman]

u guys ever heard of cold heat? it works very well for 20 bucks. http://www.coldheat.com/