Want to buy a soldering Iron, any suggestions?

[turbotalon1g]

Any suggestions, i had a cheapy radioshack one the tip went bad lent it to a friend and it was basically shit.

I want something that could do 10ga if I had too, if not just regular wire is fine.

Figure some of you might have some suggestions.

Thanks

Aaron

[turbotalon1g]

Did some research on radioshack, and to help you help me.

I am looking for a pencil style one. Was thinking maybe a dual wattage one.

watt ranges from 15 to 40. I think 40 would basically cover me for most wire, but I am worried it would destroy the smaller stuff which is what it would be most used for.

25 watt one seemed to get best review and I think its what I had.

Dual wattage 20 to 40 people seemed to have a hard time finding tips for it.

I think 40 right now and to just be careful with smaller stuff or maybe a 30ish one

[desolate]

Don't get a pencil style iron. They've never worked well in the past for me.

I bought radio shack's soldering gun which goes for ~$30 and I never looked back. It is one of the best things I've purchased. So overall I'd recommend a soldering gun. Usually they come with two power settings, low/high, allowing you to solder and cover almost any solder job.

[turbotalon1g]

^my issue with the gun style is that there isn't a tip, so you get a spade to heat up instead of a tip, but then again i don't really do circuit boards just wire. hmmm.

I found this: http://www.amazon.com/WLC100-Solderi...pr_product_top

Weller seems to be a name that comes up as one of the best, a lot of good reviews seems like the bad reviews 4 out of 30 were from people that got a bad one.

[hippiekiller]

Advice I got from one of my friends, get a butane one. They rock the socks off of any electrical one. Heats up WAY faster and does a heck of a lot better job. Also, no cords to get in the way. You should be able to find them at Fleet Farm or any good hardware store.

[hippiekiller]

http://www.amazon.com/P2KC-Portasol-...9569260&sr=1-1

Something like that.

[Kevin 1G Drummer]

I agree on the Butane. I have one and it pretty much kicks ass. I need more Butane for it though. It gets hot enough to do up to 10 gauge wire, but is also precise enough for 18 gauge wire.

[Matt D.]

This is what I have:

http://www.hakko.com/english/products/hakko_936.html


If you want a good soldering iron I wouldn't suggest anything else. Got it for about $100 with a larger chisel tip (helps hold the heat for heavier duty things) from Ness Electronics.

I have been through every imaginable type of soldering iron... Pencil, gun, butane, electric... Butane is great for the "handiness" factor, but they do not put out the heat that electric can and are aren't very good for heavier wire like 12ga and up, and can be finicky at times especially as they get older. Guns aren't very good, plain and simple, especially once they get older. I've used Radio Shack, Weller, Ungar and now my Hakko. Radio Shack and Weller are about on par with eachother, yes they work and will get the job done, but aren't very good quality. The Hakko is nice, designed for electronics work in a ESD-free environment.

If you want something on the cheap side get yourself a 40 watt Weller iron. If you want something nice that will last your lifetime get a nice soldering station like a Hakko, or Weller makes a soldering station with adjustable temp as well. The Weller station you linked will work decent.

[JET]

I agree to go with butane. If you are doing precise stuff, then a pencil style with a separate power unit like Matt put up. The butane rocks for what most people use it for. Port-a-sol is the big brand name for butane ones.

[95talonracer]

Do NOT get the peice of crap Cold Heat!

[x-pride]

It just depends on what you are soldering. I use my butane torch when working in the car or outside. When I am at a desk or workshop I use a pencil tip with temp control. If you don't soldier much just buy a 20 to 40 watt pencil tip soldering iron. If you want to solder 10 guage wire with a pencil tip trying using some flux.

[311evo]

When I worked at Innovative Audio we tested a lot of different styles and brands. This one was the best all around, you can use it for everything and is super adjustable.

http://www.amazon.com/Weller-WES51-A...9609445&sr=1-1

[turbotalon1g]

Guys thanks for the suggestions, Like I said I don't really solder that much but I do want a quality product and I thought that it would be one of those things you buy one and it lasts forever, esp. with the occasional use that it sees.

I like the Hakko 936 & weller WES51, but do you guys think that the entry level weller would be enough for me. (I'm down to these 3)

[scheides]

I've used a $12 radio shack iron for about 10 years with little or no problems. I'd recommend the butane one if you're going to be semi portable with it; in the car and whatnot, getting rid of the cord mess is a dream. If you have a station you're going to setup, go with the one mattd posted, great bang/buck and it'll last forever too.

[hellomynameis]

I have the Weller P2KC Portasol Professional Self-igniting Cordless Butane Soldering Iron Kit. I really like it. It comes with a tip, cutter, and hot air tips. It's great for working in the car and the hot air tips are great for shrink tube. I tried a cordless electric one and it sucked...for light duty, I'd say go with this one, get a 'station' style one if you have a bunch of work to do...

http://www.amazon.com/P2KC-Portasol-...9634416&sr=1-5

[Matt D.]

Originally Posted by turbotalon1g

do you guys think that the entry level weller would be enough for me.

Yes. I solder a lot because of my RC cars, so I bought something that I knew could handle everything from soldering small wire all the way to sub-C cell batteries and 12ga wire on motors. You'll be able to get by with the cheaper Weller just fine.

If you find that it doesn't solder thicker wire well, try a larger chisel tip before getting a different iron. The bigger tip holds heat better and will allow it to heat up what you're working on without cooling too fast and reduce the chance of a cold solder joint.

Let me know if you want some lessons or whatever. Get yourself some 60/40 rosin core solder (60% tin, 40% lead, and the core contains rosin flux to help the solder flow) and you'll be set. Feel free to get some flux paste as well, it'll help with tinning and getting solder onto things for the first time, also makes solder harder when it cools.

[turbotalon1g]

This is basically for stuff on the cars, I usually just run an extension cord with the pencil type and its alright.

So i went and did the sensible thing and got the old one out of the trash, it was right on top and actually not even dusty.
I will try replacing the tip and go from there, i looked at it and its a 40 watt.

$2 for new tip and I will pick some tip tinner stuff.

Matt D. I am down to learn some stuff.

[turbotalon1g]

So, I picked up a portasol pro piezo:

Portasol Pro Piezo PP-1K Cordless Self Igniting Soldering and Heat Tool Kit
Specifically for professional users that prefer the smaller pocket size. Combines 4 tools in one, soldering iron, blowtorch, hot knife and hot air tool. Kit contents include: Soldering iron, 2.4 mm tip, hot and deflector tip, blow torch tip, knife tip, wire stand, cleaning sponge and tray, storage case and instructions. The PTLPP-1K is a pocket-sized powerhouse, used in the automotive, electronics and telecom industries. Some features:

15 - 75 Watts; To 2,372 degrees F/1,300 degrees C - compact, Powerful precision soldering tool converts to a blow torch, hot knife and hot air blower
10 second refill time - no cords, No leads, no batteries to charge, simply fill with standard butane and use.
40 second heat up; 45 minute run time - ready to use almost instantly; pocket-sized powerhouse
Interchangeable tips - 2.4 mm tip, hot and deflector tip, blow torch tip, knife tip
Self Igniting - no flints, no matches, no lighters. This tool features a self-ignition push button for ease of use
One Year Replacement Warranty, Made in Ireland


This is exactly like the snap on one, its probably the same they sell for over $150, I got it at tool time outlet in albertville for $70 out the door and found some 4ga long jumper cable for $15 too.
Needless to say Shaun hooked me up, If you need one go get this soldering iron, my cousin has the same one at his shop and its bomb.

[b00sted_spyder]

Bumping this back from the dead. I'm in the market for a solder iron. I'd like a nice kit that can do small pins on circuit boards. Any recommendation?