Soldering Iron Recommendations
 

I am in the market for a new soldering iron. My weller 75w unit can't get the jobs done that I want, so I need something better. Mainly I need something that accepts standard tips.

A soldering station would be nice, let me know what's good. I want it to be able to melt some serious solder but also do the small jobs. I would like to spend as little as possible, but I'm open to all suggestions. You get what you pay for. One of those copper things to clean the tip with would be cool.

Looking around for a second I found a nice soldering girl on the Hakko website.:lol:

The Hakko 60W iron works quite well: http://www.hakkousa.com/detail.asp?C...ID=2932&Page=1

Yeah, it's only a 60W iron, but it's not just the power rating, it's the size of the tip. A larger chisel style tip has more thermal mass and will be able to solder 10-12GA wire with ease. And for the smaller jobs, use a smaller tip.

However, a smaller tip on that iron may get too hot, so you should have some sort of variable heat station. You could go out and get a full-fledged soldering station, but to save a few bucks, you could make a dimmer-controlled station, like I did: http://rc-monster.com/forum/showthread.php?t=19227

[ insert joke here ]


haha! in all seriousness, though, i have the hakko 936 solder station with the large broad tip, and the copper mesh cleaner thingy. while it was a bit pricey, it will certainly be the last soldering station i'll ever need.

I also have the hakko and really like it. you can also get the checkpoint station. Appears to be the same thing but its a little cheaper.

If I need to desolder this zippy, will the above irons work? Any tip recommendations?

http://i345.photobucket.com/albums/p...h_S7301885.jpg

I'm really liking what brianG did. I have most of the parts laying around here....

Finnster recommends the Goot TQ-95. He's been using it for a few years and swears by it.

It stays at low heat, but when you hit the button it heats up super quickly, then goes back to low heat again. I love this idea because I often have to leave my iron sitting there for a few minutes while I arrange cells or something.

I will be purchasing one this week.

Hakko 936 works a treat for me - Tips seem to last forever...

After burning thru several of the Radio shack irons I decided I needed a serious upgrade and bought the Hakko 936, Hellava iron ! Worth the $$$, Wish I bought it years ago.

I also have the Hakko 936, and it works great for me, 0 problems with it. Seems like it's the popular choice here. :yes:

Hakko 936...best iron I've ever used for RC

Hakko 936 as many suggested is a great iron for most RC purposes, and not too expensive for a soldering station. I personally use a Hakko 937, which is more than a lot of people want to spend on an iron, but I think is well worth it.

another vote for the 936. I used to work at stereo shops, thats what we used. I have had one at home for several years, has done everything I needed it to do.

90 watt for $5 at Harborfreight and a squiggly holder thing with a sponge for $14. 5 tips free. I just chuck it now and then and start fresh...how do you clean a tip..without a rican

Ditto and props to skellyo for originally recommending it to me!

Like others have said, the tips last forever.

I use a wood burning tip to do all my soldering with my 100 Watt Soldering Gun.. Or you could get the big 240 Watt Weller... I have the 140 Watt and it's plenty powerful enough...

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.