Which soldering iron/station to buy?

[Maverick00]

Hey guys I finally want to upgrade from my pos radioshack soldering iron ive been using for the past year :neutral:

Ive used the weller soldering station before and loved it and was looking at buying the wesd51 digital version for 140$ (40 or so shipping). I then came across these soldering stations that include a heat gun that can also be used for heat shrinking, very handy! Some also appeared to have a dc voltage source as well. Anyone educated and/or experienced with any of these soldering stations and can give me some insight? Some of them were the same price or cheaper than the weller with more options so it appeared to be a win win quality depending.

Here were some of the stations i was looking at...

Weller http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Weller-Solder-Soldering-Station-WESD51-50-Watt-Digital-Adjustable-NEW-/380469820361?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5895c4bbc9#ht_3228wt_1029

YIHUA 853D http://www.ebay.ca/itm/SMD-3in1-853D-Rework-Soldering-Station-Air-Gun-Solder-Iron-DC-Power-Spare-Parts-/360488980754?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item53eed15112#ht_3594wt_1263

[subman]

I've used a hakko for years and it has always been very good.

[sphelps]

After using hakko I'll never go back to weller. Consider the FX-888, not digital but who cares, less than $100 local and a great iron.

[mike31154]

Depends on how much you use an iron & what for, but I'd say that YIHUA unit you linked to is a pretty good looking set up for the price, compared to the Weller. Personally I have a simple non adjustable iron, must be 20 years old by now, still works fine & a Weller pistol type gun for the heavy duty stuff. Also had a small rechargeable unit but the battery finally gave up the ghost & it's trash now. I remember when I was a working stiff, Pace kits were all the rage with the pros, but I haven't even looked to see if they still exist.

..quick search...

http://na.suzohapp.com/tools/92144000.htm

...a bit pricey though... what's your beef with the Radio Shack tool? If it gets hot & melts the solder...

[daplatapus]

After using hakko I'll never go back to weller. Consider the FX-888, not digital but who cares, less than $100 local and a great iron.

+1
I have the same unit and it rocks.

[Bryan]

I have the WESDS51 Weller and it is a excellent iron, handle is great and your hand doesn't get sore from continuous soldering, the cord is also excellent and doesn't tangle or loop up like other irons I have used. Iron warms up is seconds and maintains temperature. A big advantage with the Weller,10 years from now parts will still be available. Tips are relatively cheap and can be found easily.

[Bryan]

Forgot to mention, but if you are going to go with the Weller, buy it from Digi-Key, roughly the same price as the Ebay seller with his shipping added. Digi ships via courier in 1-2 days with no brokerage fees. Shipping is $8.00.

http://www.digikey.ca/product-detail/en/WESD51/WESD51-ND/555479

[Dez]

I've used a hakko for years and it has always been very good.

Hakko for the win. I'll never use anything else. Just bought my Hakko a month ago for $88

[Maverick00]

thanks everyone for the replies!, im leaning towards the hakko, seems comparable with the weller but around 50 bucks cheaper.


@mike31154
Theres nothing wrong with the RS iron to solder the odd wire or two but I have alittle more to do than that.

I was looking at..
- Temp control (leds or other sensitive components)
- Proper cleaning station with iron holder (not some plastic kick stand the radioshack one had, that constantly falls off and burns your table :P)
- More comfortable in hand (not heating up the handle) and no untangling the damn cord like bryan mentioned!