It's been OK for soldering wires together and light repair work but it's frustrating working on the smaller stuff I'm into now. Plus RS doesn't stock replacement tips.
I'm on a budget so I'd like to come in under $100. Anything would be an upgrade...
Any advise? I've looked at the combo iron/hot air deals on ebay but I'm not sure if I'd use the hot air part and it would just be taking up space on an already cluttered bench.
If my current project works out I may celebrate with a new iron :)
I've got the radioshack butane soldering iron and it works great for me, its like 20$ and 10$ replacement tip, but if you wipe it clean after each use it'll last a long time
I have a Weller WE50, the predecessor to the current WE51. Never had a problem with it. It heats up fast and there is a good selection of tips. More than anything, tip selection seems to matter the most as far as I can see. But I an not an expert.
OLD Wellers are very good. The new one are just cheap irons trying to masquerade using the Weller name.
The recovery time of the Hakko is far superior to Weller. This is of particular importance if you do a lot of
repetitive soldering, or a lot of soldering involving heat sinks or ground planes, or such.
I have found that the heat up time, and temperature regulation, of the Hakko are first class as well.
While I would not trade my Hakko for anything, if you do not do a lot of soldering, the Hakko may be overkill for you and your budget.
The one great thing about the Hakko is that it will be a one-time purchase. You will not find yourself needing to replace it in a few
years because it wore out or stopped maintaining tip temperature. A new tip now and then is all that you will need for YEARS of faithful
service with the Hakko.
Sorry to hear their quality took a dive. That is the stupidest thing a company can do. Increase prices is bad but not a deal killer. Lowering the quality of a fine product will absolutely kill you because that is the one thing that people were buying your product for. In a lot of cases people will pay 100% more for a 10% better product, it's just the way it works at the high end.
I'm in my 40's and I remember seeing some of my childhood friends dads Heathkit and HAM radio gear. Seems like they all had those really cool Weller stations and you knew they were the real deal.
My wtcp201 is definitely a good iron, but the temperature control on these old irons is based on the tip inserted in he pencil. It also does take longer to reach temperature and is slower to react to temperature loss from soldering... meaning sometimes you wait. I replaced my original with a newer Weller in 2003 but this unit had other issues the biggest of which was a ceramic heating element... which is fine until the day you knock over the iron onto a cement floor and it cracks. Having dial adjusted temperature setting like the hakko is a plus.
I have never had a problem with it. I use a 1/8 inch chisel tip and it solders everything I want to.
You have to remember I went through 5 or 6 radio shack irons prior to buying this one in the same time frame.
They are not inexpensive. I want to say it is more a moderate priced item for a hobby type use. I purchased it for my use in my profession of repairing office machines but use it daily for my hobby.
If this is something that you plan to use everyday, invest a little money into it and make your life that much easier. Good tools are a god send on your arms, mind and knowing your are doing things properly.
If this is a one off project and it will eind up in a drawer never to be used again, get the cheapest thing at walmart, kmart or harbor freight.
Tools that I use are one thing I am picky about. Soldering Iron, Volt meter and a screwdriver set.