I don’t doubt. The stations I used were part of a shared environment. Some of us tended to abuse stuff thinking it was always the other guys fault. The things were also left on 16 hours a day six days a week. I’ve often wondered if one would do much better as a personal unit that no one else used.
I really did like the temperature dial on the other unit too. Although not regulated or having accurate temperature indication, I found it easy to keep at just the right temperature.
I really did like the temperature dial on the other unit too. Although not regulated or having accurate temperature indication, I found it easy to keep at just the right temperature.
Da5id4Vz said:
Thats gotta be a shure yes. I have abused mine and generally used it a lot....pulled it by the wire when too far away to reach..etc. and its looking like new.
I have just one complaint about it.
The sponge fell apart very early in its life, i guess it didnt make it past 10 years
Magura
Here is another one
This is what i use, working out fine so far
http://store.yahoo.com/webtronics/autsolirstat.html
There are other soldering stations at this store too.
This is what i use, working out fine so far
http://store.yahoo.com/webtronics/autsolirstat.html
There are other soldering stations at this store too.
I use a Hakko at work (928, dual iron setup-great for popping surface mount parts off of PWB's). Very nice irons, wide selection of tips available. If you can get one for a good price, this is the way to go.
I haven't seen anyone mention this, but for working with modern IC's, you want a grounded tip iron to reduce the possibility of damaging semiconductor devices with static electricity. The sensitivity of devices varies, but better to play it safe. The newer Wellers likely have this feature.
The ultimate iron, however, is a Metcal. I just got one recently at work, and I absolutely love it. Temperature is determined by the element you plug in, so no fiddling with temperature. And, since the heat is generated by RF via skin effect, the iron compensates for drops in temperature instantly. A small (1/32") 700 F Metcal tip can handle jobs that make a 1/4" Hakko at 750 F stall. They also heat up in like 10 seconds, so you can turn it off when not in use without time penalties on startup. Of course, you are talking $$$$$ (like $600+) If you win the lottery, this is the iron to get.
Cheers,
bg
I haven't seen anyone mention this, but for working with modern IC's, you want a grounded tip iron to reduce the possibility of damaging semiconductor devices with static electricity. The sensitivity of devices varies, but better to play it safe. The newer Wellers likely have this feature.
The ultimate iron, however, is a Metcal. I just got one recently at work, and I absolutely love it. Temperature is determined by the element you plug in, so no fiddling with temperature. And, since the heat is generated by RF via skin effect, the iron compensates for drops in temperature instantly. A small (1/32") 700 F Metcal tip can handle jobs that make a 1/4" Hakko at 750 F stall. They also heat up in like 10 seconds, so you can turn it off when not in use without time penalties on startup. Of course, you are talking $$$$$ (like $600+) If you win the lottery, this is the iron to get.
Cheers,
bg
At that price you wouldn’t need to be too upset if it only lasted a few years. However, if you haven’t done too much soldering it would be a shame to have not know if it was the tool or your skills that need work.
Magura,
I never said I wasn’t the one who was ******ing it to pieces. Of course the ego says no way. The rational part of me says, yah I likely was the jerk who kept breaking it. I agree these things are highly rated. Most people likely could be as destructive as I was. I know for a fact I was the one who always killed the scope probes. (But don’t tell anyone)
Hey Check out this site from one of our DIY friends:
http://www.decdun.fsnet.co.uk/solderstation.html
*****
Found it, the station I like is the WCC100 and seems to be 2x the cost of the Red station. Its likely the next one I'll buy.
Magura,
I never said I wasn’t the one who was ******ing it to pieces. Of course the ego says no way. The rational part of me says, yah I likely was the jerk who kept breaking it. I agree these things are highly rated. Most people likely could be as destructive as I was. I know for a fact I was the one who always killed the scope probes. (But don’t tell anyone)
Hey Check out this site from one of our DIY friends:
http://www.decdun.fsnet.co.uk/solderstation.html
*****
Found it, the station I like is the WCC100 and seems to be 2x the cost of the Red station. Its likely the next one I'll buy.
Attachments
Thanks for the great replies.
I'm definitely with seemingly everybody, in that adjustability seems intuitively important, since I really don't know what I may be soldering in the future. My goals for plans are even diverse.
That being said... I was just at Home Depot today picking up goodies for the home, and I noticed that they sold Weller pen irons. They had a 25w, and a 40w.. and I believe each was only $20.
Also, I can get my hands on that Weller soldering station from Parts Express for only $45, it's adjustable up to 40w.
It's the most "no frills".. but possibly still good quality?
I'm worried that the Hakko units might have expensive replacement tips, which concerns me not even as much in the "replacement" realm, as much as it does the "what if I need a different size" realm
I did find a Hakko 936 station on Ebay, would come to $85 shipped, looks like a very basic unit. I don't know how that Hakko "entry level" model (if that's what it is, as it appears) compares to that Weller "entry level" model.
Seems many people prefer the Weller irons... I don't know how this preference scales across their diverse range of products!
Would that simple Weller WLC100 at Parts Express unit be a good "starter system" for me? Get me through a few years maybe?
Downside... I didn't see any tips listed for that unit, on the site selling Weller tips before?
It comes with a 1/8" screwdriver tip.
**EDIT** - yes, I did find the tips on that site!
Any thoughts on these?
I'm definitely with seemingly everybody, in that adjustability seems intuitively important, since I really don't know what I may be soldering in the future. My goals for plans are even diverse.
That being said... I was just at Home Depot today picking up goodies for the home, and I noticed that they sold Weller pen irons. They had a 25w, and a 40w.. and I believe each was only $20.
Also, I can get my hands on that Weller soldering station from Parts Express for only $45, it's adjustable up to 40w.
It's the most "no frills".. but possibly still good quality?
I'm worried that the Hakko units might have expensive replacement tips, which concerns me not even as much in the "replacement" realm, as much as it does the "what if I need a different size" realm
I did find a Hakko 936 station on Ebay, would come to $85 shipped, looks like a very basic unit. I don't know how that Hakko "entry level" model (if that's what it is, as it appears) compares to that Weller "entry level" model.
Seems many people prefer the Weller irons... I don't know how this preference scales across their diverse range of products!
Would that simple Weller WLC100 at Parts Express unit be a good "starter system" for me? Get me through a few years maybe?
Downside... I didn't see any tips listed for that unit, on the site selling Weller tips before?
It comes with a 1/8" screwdriver tip.
**EDIT** - yes, I did find the tips on that site!
Any thoughts on these?
And of course, this one looks promising , at least "bang for the buck"..
They do sell replacement tips...
And as Da5id4Vz said about it:
What are the differences? They look very similar, other than color, I'm sure that's not the difference.
They do sell replacement tips...
And as Da5id4Vz said about it:
And that's true for sure, it seems.Da5id4Vz said:
the "red station" you mean the WLC100?
What are the differences? They look very similar, other than color, I'm sure that's not the difference.
I survived a few years on an Ungar (I liked the color) and 4 or 5 different heating elements and tips and a light dimmer so I could adjust it. But after I got my Hakko from here, I'll never use another. Different solders flow at different temps, and having a repeateble temp setting method (digital with keypad) makes it easy to dial in what you need. The Hakko doesn't melt down when left idle for a few minutes, and when you push the solder to it, it doesn't loose it's heat. That makes soldering enjoyable.
Yah,
The WLC100 is the RED station; The WCC100 is the BLUE station.
WCC 100 uses standard Weller tips and has a Teflon cord. Its also been discontinued, although a couple of web sites say they still have them for around $114. They may be dead links.
WLC 100 looks like it uses lamp cord that likely isn’t heat resistant. I'm not sure if the tips are standard, but it does look like they have a side-mounted setscrew to hold them in place.
They both seem to have the same temprature range which I found agreable for printed circuits and XLRs
The WLC100 is the RED station; The WCC100 is the BLUE station.
WCC 100 uses standard Weller tips and has a Teflon cord. Its also been discontinued, although a couple of web sites say they still have them for around $114. They may be dead links.
WLC 100 looks like it uses lamp cord that likely isn’t heat resistant. I'm not sure if the tips are standard, but it does look like they have a side-mounted setscrew to hold them in place.
They both seem to have the same temprature range which I found agreable for printed circuits and XLRs
I've used soldering irons for about 40 years, and to offer up the
old geezer's perspective - you need a couple of fairly cheap
soldering irons, all of which will add up to less than 1/2 the
cost of a Weller.
Go to a Radio Shack - I know there's one in Buffalo - and buy
a small tipped iron, and a big tipped iron. They'll cost about
14 bucks each.
Go somewhere else and get some a nice roll ( at least a pound)
of decent rosin core solder. Buy some solder wick while you're
at it. (Save the Silver solder for later)
Use the small iron for the small parts, and the big iron for the
big parts. By the time you get tired of these and/or they wear
out, you'll know a lot more about what you're doing and you can
start making decisions on your own.
This is not to say that a Weller (or the other expensive brands)
is not good, but you need to have some education before you
spend a lot of money. And yes, the more expensive they are,
the faster they seem to break.
old geezer's perspective - you need a couple of fairly cheap
soldering irons, all of which will add up to less than 1/2 the
cost of a Weller.
Go to a Radio Shack - I know there's one in Buffalo - and buy
a small tipped iron, and a big tipped iron. They'll cost about
14 bucks each.
Go somewhere else and get some a nice roll ( at least a pound)
of decent rosin core solder. Buy some solder wick while you're
at it. (Save the Silver solder for later)
Use the small iron for the small parts, and the big iron for the
big parts. By the time you get tired of these and/or they wear
out, you'll know a lot more about what you're doing and you can
start making decisions on your own.
This is not to say that a Weller (or the other expensive brands)
is not good, but you need to have some education before you
spend a lot of money. And yes, the more expensive they are,
the faster they seem to break.
Hint to save money:
If you have one of those Weller soldering guns--not a soldering iron, but the gun--when the tip wears out, you can make cheap replacements out of something like 12 ga. solid core copper. The home made tips don't last as long as the factory made ones, but they're much, much, much cheaper. I use surplus lengths of house wiring as raw stock.
Grey
If you have one of those Weller soldering guns--not a soldering iron, but the gun--when the tip wears out, you can make cheap replacements out of something like 12 ga. solid core copper. The home made tips don't last as long as the factory made ones, but they're much, much, much cheaper. I use surplus lengths of house wiring as raw stock.
Grey
For a few years in the late 80s Ungar made the Radio Shack Irons and I bought a few. Working as technician everyday, I just got tired of using irons that overheat the tips and burn them out. The whole handle heats up. While those irons maybe alright for occasional use, for me the Weller temperature-controlled irons offer convenience and ergonomics, and are very practical for everyday use.
Hello Grey,
One thing that's not obvious about the factory Weller soldering gun tips is that the fat part at the "business" end actually has a smaller cross section than the "leads" that connect to it. This increases the resistance, so you get higher losses and higher temperature at the end. They add extra copper (while keeping the cross section small) in order to increase the thermal mass.
I don't think you could do everything they do, but it may be worthwhile to crush the end of your homemade tips with some pliers to reduce the cross sectional area. This would concentrate the heating action where it's most needed.
Best regards,
Charles Hansen
One thing that's not obvious about the factory Weller soldering gun tips is that the fat part at the "business" end actually has a smaller cross section than the "leads" that connect to it. This increases the resistance, so you get higher losses and higher temperature at the end. They add extra copper (while keeping the cross section small) in order to increase the thermal mass.
I don't think you could do everything they do, but it may be worthwhile to crush the end of your homemade tips with some pliers to reduce the cross sectional area. This would concentrate the heating action where it's most needed.
Best regards,
Charles Hansen
Nelson Pass said:
I'm not sure if I agree with this or not. I'm a firm believer in getting the best tools that you can afford. They'll reward you many times over the years. While someone who knows what they are doing can solder with almost anything, a good soldering iron will make life much easier. So for a beginner, a nice iron will definitely pay off.
That said, I actually went down the path that Nelson suggests. My first projects were built with a cheap Radio Shack iron and when I got tired of that, I bought myself a Weller WCTPT station thats done great service for more than 10 years. I hesitated greatly over spending $100 for a soldering iron, but once I got it I wondered how I'd lived without it.
Then last year I bought a used Metcal soldering station on ebay after a similar thread last year on this forum. Its even better than the Weller and when bought used on ebay not outrageously expensive.
---Gary
GaryB said:
Thats not quite right when it comes to something thats got to do with taste and feel. Most basic tools its perfectly right for, but with an iron you would need some experience with the respective types of irons, and then youd be able to make a choice.
It would be a pitty to go out and buy a weller, to find out that you really like the antex better
Experience is sure needed.
Magura
Well I bought a new iron from maplins electronics here in the UK. The 18 watt £15 antex that ive had for a few years is actually really good. Very good for smaller jobs but not poweful enough for a few things. Well this maplin thing is as far as I can tell maplin branded so its nothin fancy.
But its a 50watt iron with variable temperature (160-480). The iron is nice to use and the stand is heavey enough so that it doesnt fall over when the iron is used on thick carpet. No its not temperature monitored or digital like the super expensive models. But for £10 you cant ask for much more.
But its a 50watt iron with variable temperature (160-480). The iron is nice to use and the stand is heavey enough so that it doesnt fall over when the iron is used on thick carpet. No its not temperature monitored or digital like the super expensive models. But for £10 you cant ask for much more.
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