What soldering iron should I get?

BlindedByScience said:
Here's your basic Weller 35 Watt soldering iron:

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=372-112

You can get cheaper irons, but this one has thermally controlled output, and you can get parts and tips about anywhere on the planet. It's a dandy; I've had mine for almost 20 years....recommended.

Rock On - B.B.S.
That's a little too heavy duty for fine soldering. I've always thought the Radioshack 15/30W iron was pretty decent for the money. Of course I wouldn't touch the thing - as I have upgraded to a Hakko 936-12...
 
i got a 30W iron for 5 bucks at walmart. its ok, but in retrospect, i would have gotten a cordless...
 
i gave into the infomercial amd got coldheat it works well and is very portable
 
At the budget you specify, I defer to BBS' suggestion. Above that, I would suggest going for a grounded-tip Hakko model.
 
NleahciM said:
That's a little too heavy duty for fine soldering.
....boy, I wish you'd have told me; would have saved me an ASSLOAD of fine soldering over the years....:D

Yeah, maybe a little rough and ready for smaller than 0603 SMT stuff, but for most folks, a 35W iron will solder wires, jacks, lugs, etc. much better than a little 15W iron will. My guess is that's the more common use for most folks starting out. And, frankly, if you ARE doing really fine SMT stuff, you need the high end Weller / Hakko / MetCal / etc stations.....and, $50.00 won't buy one of those.... :cool:

The Weller irons are like little tanks. They really get it done....a quality tool.

FWIW - YMMV - etc....Cheers - B.B.S.
 
for SMD soldering, I use a 1W soldering needle, with a grounded tip, for general stuff a 15W model with a shitload of different tips, and for the rteall badass jobs there's the good ol trusty 200w one.
 
xbreaka said:
i gave into the infomercial amd got coldheat it works well and is very portable

I've heard that because of the spark, they may not be safe for sensitive ICs.
 
Basically, coldheat kills most ICs it touches, due to a small EMP, and because part of its charge grounds out through the soldered part...

I learned the hard way, which is why I'm back to the needle iron...
 
I got this one from Circuit Specialists, the CSI-936: http://www.web-tronics.com/cispdeesdsas.html

It was only $35.00 and I was surprised at how well it works. The tip has a nice fine point, great for small work. The tip on my Radioshack 15/30 watt iron felt like a Louisville slugger compared to this thing. This thing is a tank, nice and heavy so it won't move around the desktop (a big plus to me). It heats up pretty quickly and seems to hold its heat, whereas, with the Ratshack model it seemed that as soon as you touched the tip to your part you would have to set it down and wait for it to heat up...again.

Anyway, I have had a good experience with this setup. Go ahead and take a look... you know you want to... heh.

...just my $0.02... :cool:

-DustMite-
 
I've heard of these; they're a chinese clone of a Hakko 936. In fact, it's a perfect clone. I can't tell any difference between it and my station, other than the metal connector and the different brand name...

Oh, and I own a Hakko 936 station, and use Hakko gear at work. Highly recommended.

DustMite said:
I got this one from Circuit Specialists, the CSI-936: http://www.web-tronics.com/cispdeesdsas.html

It was only $35.00 and I was surprised at how well it works. The tip has a nice fine point, great for small work. The tip on my Radioshack 15/30 watt iron felt like a Louisville slugger compared to this thing. This thing is a tank, nice and heavy so it won't move around the desktop (a big plus to me). It heats up pretty quickly and seems to hold its heat, whereas, with the Ratshack model it seemed that as soon as you touched the tip to your part you would have to set it down and wait for it to heat up...again.

Anyway, I have had a good experience with this setup. Go ahead and take a look... you know you want to... heh.

...just my $0.02... :cool:

-DustMite-
 
Well I'll be damned. That would be the iron I'd go for if I had $15-50, especially if it works well like gee says.
 
I love my Hakko 936. But I seriously need to get some more tips for it. You guys that use them, what temp setting do you use for fine-point soldering?
 
700 degrees F, though I have never really been instructed as to how to select temperatures for the job.
 
This is my new favorite toy (mostly cause I just installed an entire car audio system with it)

But it really kicks ass if you do a lot of "non benchwork" jobs. (I work in pro audio, so it's a big plus)
 
cgrant26 said:
I love my Hakko 936. But I seriously need to get some more tips for it. You guys that use them, what temp setting do you use for fine-point soldering?
I usually keep the iron around 11 o'clock... it goes up to 2 or 3 for heavy work.
 
DustMite said:
I got this one from Circuit Specialists, the CSI-936: http://www.web-tronics.com/cispdeesdsas.html

It was only $35.00 and I was surprised at how well it works. The tip has a nice fine point, great for small work. The tip on my Radioshack 15/30 watt iron felt like a Louisville slugger compared to this thing. This thing is a tank, nice and heavy so it won't move around the desktop (a big plus to me). It heats up pretty quickly and seems to hold its heat, whereas, with the Ratshack model it seemed that as soon as you touched the tip to your part you would have to set it down and wait for it to heat up...again.

Anyway, I have had a good experience with this setup. Go ahead and take a look... you know you want to... heh.

...just my $0.02... :cool:

-DustMite-

This is a really great deal to be honest. I'm pretty supprised.

I personally use my Edsyn Loner 952 Dual Station, but if I had to replace this 300 dollar unit, I'd go for this one above. Pretty sweet
 
DustMite said:
I got this one from Circuit Specialists, the CSI-936: http://www.web-tronics.com/cispdeesdsas.html

It was only $35.00 and I was surprised at how well it works. The tip has a nice fine point, great for small work. The tip on my Radioshack 15/30 watt iron felt like a Louisville slugger compared to this thing. This thing is a tank, nice and heavy so it won't move around the desktop (a big plus to me). It heats up pretty quickly and seems to hold its heat, whereas, with the Ratshack model it seemed that as soon as you touched the tip to your part you would have to set it down and wait for it to heat up...again.

Anyway, I have had a good experience with this setup. Go ahead and take a look... you know you want to... heh.

...just my $0.02... :cool:

-DustMite-
OK, Looks like I just found my new soldering iron to replace my cheapo Ratshack 30w iron. I plan on getting a couple of those "Kits" to put together, I found a VU meter that would work great for a case mod I was thinking about and also 2 of those electronic dice. What tip should I get for doing stuff like this. It comes with the 0.8mm Chisel, would the long fine point be better?
 
DustMite said:
I got this one from Circuit Specialists, the CSI-936: http://www.web-tronics.com/cispdeesdsas.html

It was only $35.00 and I was surprised at how well it works. The tip has a nice fine point, great for small work. The tip on my Radioshack 15/30 watt iron felt like a Louisville slugger compared to this thing. This thing is a tank, nice and heavy so it won't move around the desktop (a big plus to me). It heats up pretty quickly and seems to hold its heat, whereas, with the Ratshack model it seemed that as soon as you touched the tip to your part you would have to set it down and wait for it to heat up...again.

Anyway, I have had a good experience with this setup. Go ahead and take a look... you know you want to... heh.

...just my $0.02... :cool:

-DustMite-

I found a good deal with the same Iron, go here and you can get a Digital MultiMeter for free if you spend $50. Just get the Iron and add a couple extra tips and you get the DMM for free. Just remember to use the coupon Code :D
http://www.circuitspecialists.com/level.itml/icOid/190
 
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