I own a Hakko 951 and a Metcal MX-500. I prefer the Metcal. It is more expensive and you need more tips because you cannot adjust temperature, but I don't like the Hakko feel or the time it takes to heat up. I also don't like the fact that you can't set a sleep time and have it automatically turn off after 30 minutes. I would stick with the Metcal. I am probably going to sell the Hakko, it's pretty much brand new.
Me too. I like the balance in my hand and the working distance to the tip better than my old Weller. The Weller solders just fine of course, but its just not as nice to hold and use. Also with a micro-soldering handle and tiny chisel tips its easily possible to hand solder .5mm pitch QFPs one pin at a time (not that its always the preferred way of doing it).
It was so long ago - many, many moons ago/40-50/🙂. Cables didn't stand a chance. 100 percent success rate. But thanks anyway🙂.
When I first tried a Metcal, I just had to buy one. I've never looked back. 🫶
For most soldering I am using a Hakko 936. I overpaid for it, but it is reasonable. Now if I need to step up the amount of heat, not temperature, but the available amount that can be transferred at the moment needed, I go with an old, larger Weller pencil. It is oversized for circuit board work, but great for cables and the larger amount of transferable instant heat. Yes, the solder being used can matter too, meaning don't bother with skinny solder when you need a bunch all at once. Sometimes a bit of flux is required to spread the heat faster.
For heavy speaker cables I have been using a Weller solder gun and thick solder wire. It can take quite a bit of heat to solder a pair of 12Ga conductors into a connector.
To be more accurate it takes quite a bit of power. The heat required in terms of temperature is the same: enough to melt the solder.
In 99.9% of cases when people reach for the temperature control, they don't need a higher temperature. They need higher thermal capacity and/or a better thermal connection. The way to get that is through a bigger tip. I use a 1/4" (6.3 mm) wide chisel tip on my METCAL for the tough jobs. I've soldered 10-12 AWG wire with it successfully.
Tom
Tom