I’ve been thinking of dipping my toes in the DIY soldering pond for years now, and I think I’m ready to at least approach it! Could anyone be so kind to point me in the right direction? If all goes well, I’ll be doing some soldering, but it will not be a job, nor do I want the iron to break or be a PITA to use. In other words: what is a good soldering iron/station that will serve me good but will not break my bank? Extra points for pointing out other equipment/material I will need! Cheers!!!
METCAL.
There is no other.
i.e. ALL others are rubbish by comparison.
I know I solder for a living!
However they’re over £1000 for a new one so buy an older SH one.
Just seen one on Fleabay (MX-500P) for <£200.
Bargain.
Buy it, you wont regret it.
Ignore anyone mentioning WELLER.
Utter W*NK.
Str.
Hakko FX-888D seems to be about the cheapest thing worth buying.
Hakko FX-888D
Have been using cheap pencil type ones for prototyping and tinkering for years. They break now and then. One day I’ll grow up and get a station one.
We’ve been using Weller WES51 at Dwarfcraft for a few years now, really reliable. Temperature control, and a fast heat up! PLus you can get a shedload of different tips for it.
Wellers are fine, the WE 1010 looks decent and similar to the welller I currently use. Look to spend 100USD and that will get you what you need; Hako are good as well. You DO NOT need to spend 1000 euros on a soldering station to do quality work. As in most things technique is the 80%, and the tool is the other 20.
A screwdriver tip works well for almost all soldering applications. Avoid the pointy tips, with soldering heat transfer is your best friend.
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Never used it, but solder wick might have been a handy thing to have, should you need to remove components with multiple pins.
Having only ever used the cheap pencil type irons myself, I can’t compare the difference in use between these and the professional station type. Best advice I can give is to get stuck in to a project, you want the iron to heat both the component leg/pin and the board simultaneously, then offer the solder. Applying a little pressure and a wee wiggle at the point of contact helps too. I’d imagine that a decent iron is going to be hotter and so faster.
What are the justification for your Weller hate? Just curious. Very happy with the multiple WES51 stations that I uses at home and at work. Analog temp control suits me fine.
Ive heard good things about Hakko, but personally I cant accept their name or color scheme.
I bought a Madell AT201D on the cheap when the local Radio Shack blew them out ages ago (it was sold for a time under Radio Shack’s brand name). It has served me well for many, many years. Tips can still be purchased online. I have restored and serviced all of my vintage gear with it and even used it to build an entire 22-space modular system from the ground up for a friend. I’ll be heartbroken when it bites the dust. It isn’t fancy, but it has temperature control and feels like a trusted friend.
The only thing I like more is my fancy-pants solder-removing station - a must for a vintage gear hound like me.
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I guess hakko sounds pejorative in my mind and evokes associations with descriptive put-downs, like: junk-o, crap-o, wacko, etc. Its unfair, I admit.
I own a Hakko FX-888D and I really like soldering with it.
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Cheap rubbish.
Just a heating element.
Metcal is a 14 MHz class E RF transmitter. The cable to the iron is coaxial and the RF heats a resonant tip, totally OTT, but works so well.
Try soldering 0402 on a compact PCB and then going outside in a high wind soldering some large connector, all with the same iron and tip.
Depends what you want/need but if you want the best get a Metcal.
Str
Well, like I stated in the first post, I will not need the best, since I won’t be doing this for a living, nor will I do soldering in any other conditions than in my home. Thank you all for recommendations! Like I thought, it seems Hakko and Weller are widely used and liked. I’ll probably go for an FX888 or WES. I’m just curious, I’ve seen these generic 3 in 1 stations on amazon. My gut tells me they must be bad, but they come in a great package with tips, holders, and a hundred accessories for like the price of just a weller station. I should ignore this malignant temptation, shouldn’t I? I’ll link it here for public scrutiny
Thanks all!
Cheap rubbish?
Good Luck with it.
Str.
hahaha. right on. Do you have the same logic with all things in life? Sound wise, one could argue that Elektron stuff are “cheap rubbish” compared to other things! If so, what are you even doing on this forum here, good sir? <3
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And of course the right solder tin, which I am no expert in so I’ll let others advise.
Just bought a T12 kit, it’s currently being shipped slow post but it was a) cheap and b) well reviewed. If you haven’t decided by the time it arrives I’ll weigh in with a mini review.
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