Comparing Irons for a beginner

cmartinez

Joined Jan 17, 2007
8,220
It won't get better. :(

(Approaching 57.) At least we get wiser?
Sadly, just as money does not guarantee a person's classiness, old age is no guarantee of wisdom either... I know quite a few 70 year old teenagers that should know better...
Nah... I'm not afraid of getting old, I'm just afraid of becoming unuseful...
 
I have had mixed experiences with soldering irons.
I have had medium prices irons that didn't last very long and cheap irons I have used for years !
On my cheap iron I have been using the same tip for about a year now and it is fine.
 

#12

Joined Nov 30, 2010
18,224
I very much enjoyed the wisdom of my mother. Then I enjoyed watching the world change while realizing why some of her beliefs did not always hold up. Both experiences were educational and enjoyable.
 

wayneh

Joined Sep 9, 2010
17,496
One problem we have is that evolution only works to cull the herd before people reproduce, and in the modern age most folks get the chance to live at least that long. The pressure is gone. Being successful or stupid at 80 has no impact.
 

cmartinez

Joined Jan 17, 2007
8,220
One problem we have is that evolution only works to cull the herd before people reproduce, and in the modern age most folks get the chance to live at least that long. The pressure is gone. Being successful or stupid at 80 has no impact.
true... but then there's always the Darwin Award for some...
 

#12

Joined Nov 30, 2010
18,224
Darwin is not as applicable as he was 200 years ago. The most genetically defective are sheltered from birth. Only the lucky few play, "Jackass" before they breed.
 

cmartinez

Joined Jan 17, 2007
8,220
Hey Calm down scooter... I personal like that movie and I have done alit of their stuff years before it came out and it was alot fun and would not trade it for the world..
Right... movies are a very personal subject to some... in fact they can be an issue of heated debate just like religion or politics ...
Anyway... I guess I'm sided with the critics and you're sided with the audience... I meant no offense
 

Thread Starter

Xmetalfanx

Joined Aug 23, 2013
8
Well I haven't placed any order yet (not in any rush to get one) ... I am open to suggestions though out of the ones I posted, I am leaning toward the Hakko. It's a bit more, though I am thinking of this a "down the road" investment too. I am not sure if someone of the "lower end" (please notice quotes .. i agree price high or low DOES NOT equal quality) irons are temp controlled at all.

I do have to say that I have seen a number of people I trust (that they know what they are doing with this sort of thing) all have a few recommended stations and this Hakko seems to be on everyone's list. Maybe for what I eventually do ... the Hakko vs the Weller (iron, not station) is complete "overkill" but I think I will be happier knowing I went that station instead.

Again thank you all for your time and input
 

wayneh

Joined Sep 9, 2010
17,496
One big plus to buying popular brands of equipment at the high end is that it is easy to sell on the used market, if you ever need to get rid of it. Cheap tools, not so much. So you can buy and own nice stuff with few regrets if it doesn't work out.

I'd wager that everyone on this forum has some cheap tools they've owned their whole lives. Might as well be nice tools instead.
 

Lundwall_Paul

Joined Oct 18, 2011
236
I know... I'm 50 and I can tell there's a sharp difference in my ability to see at close range than when I was 40...
I hear you. I did my career totally backwards I started off back in the early 70's with parts that I could see, count to at least 9 on vacuum tubes and ended my career with SMT resistors and caps that I couldn't tell what was what and I had to learn how to count +300 pins on devices that I needed a microscope to properly see. Knowing what I know now I should have started with that small stuff and worked into the vacuum tubes.
 

H-a-l

Joined Jan 10, 2015
1
Mike,

For someone starting out, the Hakko might be pricey at $91 and "overkill" but it can save you from spending $23 on the Weller and then buying the Hakko anyway.
On the other hand, even the Hakko might be a stepping stone. By then hopefully you could sell it to one of the people who had it on their list.

An alternative may be a manually adjustable variable power soldering station. No true temp control but you can vary power output. A true temp control unit has a sensor and automatically adjusts power output to maintain the tip's temp. The trick is how well it maintains temp and how fast it can respond. A unit with manual power output can be set by either trial and error, learning which settings work, or by measuring the tip temp at various settings.

After I followed your Amazon links, I ended up searching for "soldering stations". The top two best sellers are variable power (non-temp control): the Weller WLC100 $44, then the Aoyue 469 $30. I clicked on the Aoyue because it was $30. It has really good reviews, but only from 13 people. I also looked at other Aoyue's and the reviews for the customer service were good, so that's a positive if something went wrong. That was from a quick search, a little research may dig up a better unit.

If young me was dead set on buying a single setting iron I would definitely steer him to something with at least manual power output. Otherwise, of all the sets mentioned in this thread, I'd probably say it's between Mr. Martinez' Weller WES51 at $97 and the Hakko FX888D at $91. The Weller because they last, are simple, and easy to repair. The analog control is quick and easy to use one-handed, and presets are a pencil mark away. Of the people who've recommended the Hakko, someone has to be able to compare vs. the Weller - does it heat up faster?, are the tips substantially cheaper?, or does it have some other killer feature(s)? Since I haven't personally used the Hakko, I'd defer to someone who used both.

P.S. If you're trying to save on tip cleaners you can get uncoated 100% real brass scrubbers from the hardware or cleaning section of your local store and depending on the type of flux you have, you can soak it into the sponge that comes with most stations.

Hal
 
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