The tip that came with the iron lasted 3 days.
The iron got incredibly hot so I suspect that was the problem.
I got replacement tips from Farnell who are usually a reputable dealer.
T12 is by far the best value for the money IMHO. An open source (T12 ctrl - EasyEDA) soldering station for less than 80$ and a tip selection like this? You can even use Genuine Hakko tips (but they don't last as long as the Chinese ones I got from Amazon). You really can't lose.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Ok, so replacement Weller tips from Farnell was 3 days more of life span? Haha good joke but not true
This long history company Weller do the best soldering tools in the world at reasonable cost.
Soldering tips, desoldering tips and hot air nozzles | Burklin Elektronik
Weller WE1010 digital soldering station
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And that "gripe" is unwarrented, because Weller offers a mulitude of tips for their stations.
Different temps, different lengths.
I keep an assortment around, depending on the job.
I use one every day, and the short tips have a very short lifetime, especially the 800F tips. They dont appear to enjoy lead free solder that they are intended for.
The older Weller tips, have lasted literally years of every day use.
But this is the induction types, not variable temp ones.
I have a RS temperature controlled variable temp station as well. That was rubbish, the collet broke after a matter of days
For home use, valve, and IC circuitry, my Antek 25W does just fine. I dont require the speed, and "leave the iron on all day" advantage of a good Weller station.
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I have one of these also, and it's useful for tough spots, where I cant get a cable. Works quite well. Eats gas. No comparison to a good iron though.
Yes, true, the Weller tips are not for that lead-free crap.
I've had them corrode in short order too from that junk.
Stick to good old lead solder.
I agree.
Unfortunately, of the things I need to repair, the old stuff need good old eutectic 37/63, some high temp PbSn, and also low temp with Silver (I forget the details).
ROHS compliance is also needed in some of those situations.
If I was making something... and selling it...I believe it would have to be ROHS compliant, to avoid lawsuits
Unfortunately, of the things I need to repair, the old stuff need good old eutectic 37/63, some high temp PbSn, and also low temp with Silver (I forget the details).
ROHS compliance is also needed in some of those situations.
If I was making something... and selling it...I believe it would have to be ROHS compliant, to avoid lawsuits
+ 1
my is always with lead so soldering tips lifespan is much longer.Best regards
I've been using Wellers for well over 40 yrs. We have a whole stack of them at work, and I have several also in private use, from the trusty old TCP to the modern 80W stations. All have been and are still working good, but they also have one thing in common, - they are not particularly cheap.
The are cheap Wellers clearly intended for the hobbyist market, but I know nothing about them.
The are cheap Wellers clearly intended for the hobbyist market, but I know nothing about them.
I'm still using a Weller 8200 I got for Christmas about 55 Years ago. I still have and use a Weller 30 watt Iron I got when I was in college (though the tip is now frozen in; bought another of same model as a spare). And I bought a Weller WES51 a bit over a year ago; heating element became loose in handle, died completely in just over a year. Now have a HAKKO 888, don't think I'd buy anything new from Weller.
Hi,
@Soundhappy my Weller finally broke down electrically. And while that alone could have been repaired it also had a cracked handle and casing from several 'solderings on the fly' over the last 30 years.
Dave from EEVblog made a teardown and failure analysis video of a new Weller station (1010 iIrc). His findings were quite disappointing for such a reputed brand and put me off in the end. The T12 I have now delivers clearly better results than the old Weller. Shorter soldering time on the joints and I have more confidence into the quality of the joints ... besides of all the advantages listed in my earlier thread.
If I liked to change from the cheap T12s to a brand name, I' wouldn't go with Weller but with JBC ... even more powerful, faster and more precise in tip temperature.
jauu
Calvin
@Soundhappy my Weller finally broke down electrically. And while that alone could have been repaired it also had a cracked handle and casing from several 'solderings on the fly' over the last 30 years.
Dave from EEVblog made a teardown and failure analysis video of a new Weller station (1010 iIrc). His findings were quite disappointing for such a reputed brand and put me off in the end. The T12 I have now delivers clearly better results than the old Weller. Shorter soldering time on the joints and I have more confidence into the quality of the joints ... besides of all the advantages listed in my earlier thread.
If I liked to change from the cheap T12s to a brand name, I' wouldn't go with Weller but with JBC ... even more powerful, faster and more precise in tip temperature.
jauu
Calvin
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@ Calvin
Compare two new models ( not the new with the old ) both the same power.
EEVblog #1063 - Weller WE1010 vs Hakko FX888D Soldering Station - YouTube
Let's look at inside: components and construction design.
Photo 1,2 are Hakko 4,5 are Weller
Compare two new models ( not the new with the old ) both the same power.
EEVblog #1063 - Weller WE1010 vs Hakko FX888D Soldering Station - YouTube
Let's look at inside: components and construction design.
Photo 1,2 are Hakko 4,5 are Weller
Attachments
My first job was 2 years of soldering components ( 8 hours a day ) on the pcb's in electronic industry.
All stations and accessoires was the blue Weller's.
After very positive experience I am lucky user now and it's for me a keeper tool.
All quite true there.
Factories all used the Weller's, as well as all the service centers I've been at through the years.
Yet..... reading "internet" discussions, there's always some sort of biased negativity towards them.
If it was good for service centers and factory workers for its reliability..... I digress.
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