Which Weller soldering iron?

Thread Starter

alank2

Joined Jul 14, 2009
26
Hi,

I've used a radioshack 25 or 30 watt one for a long time, but I'd like to get something a little nicer. The Weller WP25 or WP30 both look pretty good, does anyone have any positive/negative comments on them? I think the 25 is 750 deg F and the 30 is 800 deg F. Any recommendations?

Thanks,

Alan
 
If you are just doing light soldering then a WLC100 would be great. I believe it uses a WP25 iron. After going through lots of the Radioshack ones it was AMAZING to see the difference in my soldering quality with a quality iron.
 

ELECTRONERD

Joined May 26, 2009
1,147
I have the WES51D Weller soldering iron, works great! You can adjust the temperature manually. They did have an upgraded version that had a digital display telling you the actual temperature but I cost too much. I don't really need anything that accurate anyway. I've had it for a couple of years now, never had a problem.
 

Thread Starter

alank2

Joined Jul 14, 2009
26
Hi,

Please tell me about temperature control - why it might be necessary. Understand I've always used a cheap iron before now and don't understand the benefits of using say 700 deg F for one thing a 800 deg F for another...

Thanks

Alan
 

ELECTRONERD

Joined May 26, 2009
1,147
Hi,

Please tell me about temperature control - why it might be necessary. Understand I've always used a cheap iron before now and don't understand the benefits of using say 700 deg F for one thing a 800 deg F for another...

Thanks

Alan
Usually it depends on Integrated Circuits (ICs), where temperature sensitivity is more critical. You'll see a maximum temperature range, and if you go over this temperature you can damage the IC. It also depends on the total volume and material of a substance. A certain metal might distribute heat better than another metal and therefore you wouldn't need as much heat in order to solder with it. On the other hand, if you were to solder something to a jumbo paperclip (colloquial fraze :D), you might need more heat than if you were to solder to the stranded type wire. The extra heat is nice for these types of applications.
 
I'm not sure how people view them, but I have a Hakko soldering station - a 936 I do believe. It's very nice... a little pricey, but a lot cheaper than the money I spent all those years on cheap ones that didn't perform well at all.
 

ke5nnt

Joined Mar 1, 2009
384
Soldier a piece of Coax to a PL-259 connector with a radio shack iron. You'll buy a Weller before the radio shack iron hits the dirt outside your window.
 

Thread Starter

alank2

Joined Jul 14, 2009
26
Hi,

The WES51 arrived in 1 day from Amazon which really shocked me as they are normally quite slow.

It is very nice and I love it compared to the Radio Shack one I was using.

Anyone have an idea what the best all around tip temperature is for regular solder?

Thanks,

Alan
 

ELECTRONERD

Joined May 26, 2009
1,147
Hi,

The WES51 arrived in 1 day from Amazon which really shocked me as they are normally quite slow.

It is very nice and I love it compared to the Radio Shack one I was using.

Anyone have an idea what the best all around tip temperature is for regular solder?

Thanks,

Alan
Solder doesn't take much to melt, so I'd just get a standard value. You can get solder rolls with lead inside or with no lead at all. Personally, I think lead works better. Lead wont be of any harm unless you swallow some or inhale too much vapor when you solder (I mean WAY to much).
 

Audioguru

Joined Dec 20, 2007
11,248
For 47 years I used a 700 degree F tip on my Weller soldering iron with a 1/16" chisel-shaped tip. I always used tin-lead rosin-core solder. Each solder joint takes about 1 second. I used an 800 degree F 1/4" tip for soldering huge wires.
 
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