buying soldering iron, need help (Page 1 of 3)

If you can afford it, go for a Weller WTCP51.  Easily the best solder station for a reasonable amount of money.  The iron is preset temperature, not adjustable, but is thermostatically controlled at the correct temperature for PCB soldering.  I used one for repairing laptop motherboards and it's perfect.

If you can't afford one, the only alternative worth considering is an Aoyue (or CSI, which is the same thing with a different badge on). But after a Weller, nothing else compares.

First off, if you are buying this iron to do electronics work, do not buy a gun-type iron.  They are primarily used for larger, heavier connections that soak up a lot of heat.  One of those bad boys would peel the traces off a PCB before you could say "what's that smell".

Your best bet is a soldering pencil in the 25 to 40 Watt range.  If at all possible, avoid off-brand or Radio-Shack brand irons.  They are typically referred to as "wood burners" by serious electronics guys.  Their temperatures fluctuate wildly during use and they are cheaply made and thus will not last long.  Temperature control is almost a necessity, but BitPop's temperature-fixed iron will definitely be better than no temperature control at all.

Personally, my favorite iron is the Weller WESD51 Soldering Station.  Definitely the most comfortable iron I have ever used.  Of course, the only irons I've used are it and a 35W Radio-Shack wood-burner.  It's $130 at Amazon.com, and unlike the wood-burners, it should last you for years if you take care of it.

Last edited by scienceguy8 (Feb 24, 2010 4:26 pm)

Out of interest, why would you recommend temperature control for PCB soldering?  I've reworked everything from SMT netbook and laptop motherboards to through hole fibreglass boards out of a Marshall JCM 800 stack.  Never felt the need for more or less temperature.  Not wishing to argue, just wanting to know why you would need it.

Last edited by BitPop (Feb 24, 2010 5:10 pm)

Go for it mate if you really want to. I seriously wouldn't spend more than that though, it's quite a lot. I don't speak Italian, but I found this: http://cgi.ebay.it/SALDATORE-A-STAGNO-T … 4490wt_842

It looks alright and it costs much less than the one you listed. Its a cheap one but it might be all you need. It's your call really.

Sure thing. Normally I like to have it get as hot as possible without de-laminating the PCB, but in some cases you have very heat sensitive components which should not get that hot. Also, I use my iron for more than just electronics work, I also use it for doing stained glass leading, and there you really need to get accurate temp control to melt the solder but not the lead came. Gets tricky without the tem controller, for sure. Also, after you've used a temp controlled iron, you really begin to see how it comes in handy. Many times you simply don't need to have the thing running full blast, and if you keep the temps just right for the solder you are using etc, you can get more work time into the joints too without risk of burning your joints or components.

Thanks for clearing that up Arfink.  Always seemed to manage OK with the WTCP51, I must just have good technique

If you are going to spend more than 10 minutes per session, I'd recommend you go for a proper solder station.  I have two normal irons at home (both Antex), and they're OK for small jobs, but any more than 10 minutes and they just get annoying!  The cables always get in the way, the don't get hot enough, quick enough, and take ages to cool down.

That Weller heats up in about 30 seconds, the cable is low voltage, so very light and flexible and it cools down in a couple of minutes.  It's not cheap though.

I have my eye on a CSI or Aoyue for home

Last edited by BitPop (Feb 25, 2010 1:32 pm)