Soldering Iron Recomendations

[SPL15]

Here's my US$30,000 Infrared Solder rework station. has a nice camera on it to masively magnify the tiniest things and shows it on the 13" CRT on the right of the unit. I can solder ten billion pin IC's with not problem with this sucker and the best of all is that it all looks factory fresh.

Edit: For the post above mine about the flux. Use no clean fluxes that dont use the goopy nasty contaminating resins.

No clean fluxes are alcohol based and leave almost no residue and in my experiances work the best. Also the quality of your solder makes a massive difference in how well your solder joints look. cheap solder looks dull like aluminum and doesnt hold up well to stress. A good solder joint should be slightly shiney and nice and smooth.

[cetoole]

Anyone use this iron? Looks like a Hakko clone, and I think I saw somewhere that Hakko might actually manufacture them.

[Rix2357]

i use the same one

i cant if i either really suck at soldering, or i need to use flux, or the iron sucks, but soldering stuff is really hard for some reason the solder never sticks to the wire, and then the wire never sticks to whatever pins i want it to so i just kind of brute force it on :P

I used to have that problem when I first began soldering. Some stuff to check before hand and you shouldn't have any problems with getting solder to stick to to your wire
1. Make sure wire is clean. If it is oxidized, strip it some more and cut off the oxidized part.

2. Make sure solder tip is properly tinned when you first use a new tip. It keeps the tip from burning up. Also, clean the solder tip by using a damp cloth and wiping it. It should be shiny when it is clean. Clean it whenever it turns dark and before you get ready to solder again.

3. Make sure you have good solder. I've had some solder that was just crappy to work with. Usually it looks dark and rusty, and it isn't so great for electronics. The stuff you should use should look relatively shiny when you use it

4. Solder will only stick to the wire when it is hot enough. If the solder doesn't stick to the wire after first three steps, then your not heating the wire enough for solder to stick in the first place. You shouldn't need flux since most solder comes with enough of the stuff.

[Tekdemon]

Sorry about ressurecting this thread from the dead...but I heard about this new "cold heat" electric cordless soldering iron from my friend. But then again there's something weird about a soldering iron that's "as seen on tv". Anybody have any experience? https://www.asseenontvnetwork.com/vc...ldheat/115818/
And yes, part of its appeal to me is not burning myself while soldering. I can be kinda clumsy, and my current soldering iron came with this shoddy sheet metal stand thingy (plus I dunno where I put it).
Hmm found a positive review here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6151688/ but it mentions that the pointy conical tip is an extra $10, and that's the one I usually use...dammit!

Hmmm...found it on Amazon and noticed the horrible reviews (mostly complaining about the tip being fragile)...although I it does seem like some of the bad reviews were nonsense (like the one about it eating too many batteries...I dunno which idiot wouldn't use rechargables)
Hmm...a LOT of negative reviews after reading through all the listings on Amazon, but also a few respectable reviews that gave it 3 stars or so, and said that it's only good for small electronic work like PCBs, which is what I'd be using it for.

Apparently you can get it under Radio Shack's own brand at Radio Shack so I'm gonna go guinea pig myself lol.

[Nubius]

don't get that cold heat crap dude lol. They have like 25w pencil tip irons at radio shack for like $8

[CaTalyst.X]

Cold heat will break stuff :P

-CaT

[SPL15]

Sorry about ressurecting this thread from the dead...but I heard about this new "cold heat" electric cordless soldering iron from my friend. But then again there's something weird about a soldering iron that's "as seen on tv". Anybody have any experience? https://www.asseenontvnetwork.com/vc...ldheat/115818/
And yes, part of its appeal to me is not burning myself while soldering. I can be kinda clumsy, and my current soldering iron came with this shoddy sheet metal stand thingy (plus I dunno where I put it).
Hmm found a positive review here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6151688/ but it mentions that the pointy conical tip is an extra $10, and that's the one I usually use...dammit!

Hmmm...found it on Amazon and noticed the horrible reviews (mostly complaining about the tip being fragile)...although I it does seem like some of the bad reviews were nonsense (like the one about it eating too many batteries...I dunno which idiot wouldn't use rechargables)
Hmm...a LOT of negative reviews after reading through all the listings on Amazon, but also a few respectable reviews that gave it 3 stars or so, and said that it's only good for small electronic work like PCBs, which is what I'd be using it for.

Apparently you can get it under Radio Shack's own brand at Radio Shack so I'm gonna go guinea pig myself lol.

if you need a soldering iron that protects you from human stupidity, then you shouldnt really be soldering in the first place . Soldering Irons can be very dangerous in soooo many ways, if you need one that shields you from the dangers of soldering, then well Maybe you should where a helmet when walking too .

But seriously, I would go with a normal quality iron. Bad soldering Irons just destroy the PCB or make it very difficult to make good joints and destroy the PCB.

[jaguarking11]

I use two irons personaly. A 25w iron for soldering on pc's and small things that too mutch heat would destroy and a large 140w soldering gun that I use for soldering wires and such as it heats up quick and makes easy work. I have also goten used of the larger gun and I dont burn wires anymore. In the past I have burned wires completly to the point where the shielding on the wire was completly striped.


EDIT: WOW magic number 69posts....

[komer]

i bought yesterrday weller 15w soldering iron for 25€ and i made my own tiny needles to solder small pins on my mbo...only problem is that is hard to get mbo out of case because so many things in...but sure i will do vdimm mod for nf7 soon

[koei]

What's a typical tip size one would want to use for modding video card?

[phobos]

What's a typical tip size one would want to use for modding video card?

That really depends on your habits and likings. I personally use a really thick one, about 2mm thick.

[hansbroken]

On the subject of soldering irons (I'm a novice at soldering) .. is the "standard" tip optimal for doing 'light' soldering, like say a drop mod on an Asus P4c800e (using Macci's mod)? I noticed that the solder points are rather small -- and the definition of 'standard tip' seems widely variable in their size. Therefore, I was wondering if an iron with the standard tip would work, or if a fine tip would be better.

I was thinking about something like this 25 watt one ( http://store.yahoo.com/webtronics/thbaprsoir2.html ). This place has other ones too .. this one seems to have a smaller tip, but looks cheap (http://store.yahoo.com/webtronics/ecgelco25was.html). And this one has variable control, but the tip looks rather large (http://store.yahoo.com/webtronics/phcovatesoir.html).

I wanted to check one out a my local Radio Shack BUT .. they have really gone down the tubes in terms of what they carry and advice / assistance (at least in my area -- the last good one closed and the alternative one by me is very small and does not have much). For example: This evening, I wanted to pick up a 50K Pot to do this drop mod. The one dude had no clue and called for some other guy to help find them. Once found, this other 'knowledgeable' fellow tried to tell me that the 10K Pot they had would work fine. He pointed out that it said "10K- Ohm - 15 turn" at the top, which he said "every turn will adjust the current 10k per turn" ... Ahh, yeah. OK … I’ll pass, thank you.

I have to say, I don't know a whole lot about Pot's and resistors etc.. But I DO know that what he said was so wrong.

Ok, sorry. I'm off topic .. But my point is: I was not going to ask about soldering irons after hearing him tell me about my 10K pot.

Anyone have any suggestions? Tanks!

[clkProject]

What you need is definately a Weller soldering iron. I have tried many other brands, and I have found out that Weller tops all of them.

[eshbach]

What you need is definately a Weller soldering iron. I have tried many other brands, and I have found out that Weller tops all of them.

weller is fine but it is not nearly hakko quality.

[hansbroken]

So, would this be a good choice then: http://www.all-spec.com/cgi-bin/fccg...3product=SP23L

I suppose 25 watts is about right for small soldering jobs on MB's or to just splice some fan wires etc.. Which is about all I plan to do at this time.

However, They do have a variable control unit on sale that looks sweet (http://www.all-spec.com/cgi-bin/fccg...=cat&sp=weller), but I don't think I'll be doing enough soldering to justify $40 price tag. Then again, I do hate to buy cheap tools. And the accessories look good -- and variable heat control is a plus... I know when I used to work on car engines back in my younger days, whenever I cut corners on a cheap tool, it either ended up stripping a critical bolt head or would just plain break. So I stuck to Snap-on (when I could catch the truck that is...) & Craftsmen and paid the extra $$$$

Ahh, decisions, decisions ...

[SPL15]

weller is fine but it is not nearly hakko quality.

I totally 110% percent back this up!!!!

My corporation has had lots of problems with weller and pace solder systems due to them needing lots of maintenance, expensvie replacement parts, Poor durability of the tips, Poor durability of the silicone rubber seals, and just poor performance and design in general.

We've switched over to hakko and we've saved tons of money, time, and headaches. You really notice the thoroughly thought out engineering when you look at the desoldering stations. If you looking for the best of the best in soldering equipment, hakko is not possible to beat. The soldering tips hakko uses last about 2 months for my technicians, Pace soldering tips lasted several weeks if that and cost more.

I can't say enough bad things about Pace soldering stations. But Hakko, I find it hard to think of any issues I've had since switching to their solder/desolder stations.

[elec999]

A iron with temperature control would be nice, and also with a small nipple end.
Thanks

[hansbroken]

Thanks all for the advice. Wow, some of those Hakko products can be pricey (for just occasional soldering work that it). But, they look pretty nice. Had to search around more to find just a basic iron and not a station type.

Here are two that simple models that are not too much, but still look like quality products:

1) simple "blue" 40 watt (I especially like the small & precise looking tip): http://www.electrowisehsv.com/cms/?p=423
2) A possibly nicer one (for just a bit more) .. converts from a pen to a gun -- the 30 watt one looks good: http://www.electrowisehsv.com/cms/?p=426

Wish they had one in this price range with variable temp control though (like 15w to 30w or something like that).

[delilah]

I am a newbee at all this and need to ask a question. I know zip about soldering irons, however, I read a few posts here and it seemed like a good one to purchase was a Hakko model. So, for a B-day gift to my brother I ordered a Hakko FP-102-01 model. Did I make a good choice or would some other model have been better? Has anyone had a bad experience with this model?
Next, I had no clue about tips to buy. I found out the station didn't have any, so I purchased several: 2 Conical and 2 Chisel? Did I do the right thing there? Should I have bought what they call a knife tip? I am sure each tip depends on how or when it is used, but I honestly do not know what a good array of starter tips would be to buy. Any help and/or comments here will be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.
Ps/ If I submitted my question the wrong way, that is, as a answer insted of a new post, I apologise. This is all new to me.

[Asazman]

i like my weller, not good for really small stuff when you need to be accurate, but it's dependable as hell