I have a variety of irons, the big wall gun type is my favoeite cause it gets hot fast. I also have a weller 40 watt for small jobs, and a dedicated 40 watt with a wide tip for al tabs only.

Sounds like the hakko is the best bet as a "do all"...

I use this one, works good for me. Haven't used it much, but no probs to speak of yet.

http://www.radioshack.com/product/in...LAID=182978274

Hakko 936 all the way......I accidentally left it on at 700 degrees for over 3 hours yesterday. After I let it rest for an hour, I still had no problems using it on my Tekin motor.

I use a HAKKO 936 as well .It's the best iron i have ever used .

me and ben use this weller station, its kinda old, but the one tip lasted forever. i first got to meet it september of 07, and i dont know how long that tip was there before me, but we just replaced it about 2 weeks ago. I'll see if i can get a model number up here

I have this station- http://www.allelectronics.com/make-a...ATION/-/1.html for the small/medium jobs (up to 10AWG wire with a larger tip) and I use my Craftsman soldering gun for the large jobs. That soldering station is VERY high quality. I was actually surprised how nice it was when I got it. The tips are made of a very tough material (SS?) and show no signs of wear after 8 months of moderate use. It does some with the metal tip cleaner, too.