Soldering Irons

[xmus]

thats my 2 cents worth 25 watts (OUTPUT) is probably better..... but as in any hobby, who says you need just one soldering iron hee hee.

[YSEN]

thanks

[kostyun]

that unit should work pretty well - thats an tenma unit rip off.

http://www.mcmconnect.com/tenma/prod...ing%20Stations

[Sean Bowf]

One of the things I love about my HAKKO 936, is that I can plug it in, turn it on, and in 30 seconds, be melting solder with it. It heats up that fast.



It might be ESD certified (as previously mentioned), but I use sockets on pretty much all of my IC chips...so when I am soldering, that really isnt a player.

BTW, I received the soldering station as a gift...not sure I would have dropped that much cash on a soldering station if I had to buy it myself...but now that I have it, I don't know what I would do without it.

Sean

[synnie]

I bought a Dick Smith T1976 off ebay for $40, then found they are only $80 new from Tricky Dickies, but for the amount of soldering i have done with it ( 3 rolls of 100g solder) and it doesnt get turned of for hours once i start, i am very happy with it.

[Keith R]

I bought a Weller WPCPT. Best iron I have ever owned, bar none. About 110.00 at Fry's, list for about 140.00. Heats up in about 20 seconds and the heat is controlled through the tip somehow. I can solder all day long at 0.10" with my trusty Optivisor DA-5 (your eyesight is the first to go, then your memory. Now where was I.....

[tonypgst]

Today I received my delivery confirmation on the blackberry as I pulled into the driveway. Opened the door and found my wife asking me what I purchased this time. The box contained my Hakko 936 that I ordered last week.

While I miss the days of being spoiled using top notch gear performing micro/miniature repairs in the Navy, this unit looks to provide lots of quality soldering time. I had never ventured into buying a quality unit for the home before, but since I'm no longer in the Navy, I do not have access to the tools I had in the past.

Now I patiently wait for the Ren16 Coop to close so my boards can get to their new home.

[Mufassa]

It was suggested that a CSI unit would be much better. I bought one, and after the first use, I wish I had bought it when I started. There are better ones than this one, but it is really hard to beat the price for what you get.
When purchasing be sure to get extra tips, as it only comes with one.

Either of these units are great...
http://circuitspecialists.com/prod.itml/icOid/7307


8)

I use the CSI-Station2A listed above. I love it. Best iron I have ever used and a very affordable price, $49.95.

I am planning on picking up one of these. I would rather the 2A but it seems to be out of stock. Any suggestions on types of extra tips to get? I was looking at this:
http://www.circuitspecialists.com/prod.itml/icOid/7548

Mainly because it looked similar to the one on some of the videos that have been linked lately. Any suggestions as to what works best. I have always gotten by with my Radio Shack special till now. But time to upgrade!

--Greg

[Wayne J]

I am planning on picking up one of these. I would rather the 2A but it seems to be out of stock. Any suggestions on types of extra tips to get? I was looking at this:
http://www.circuitspecialists.com/prod.itml/icOid/7548

Mainly because it looked similar to the one on some of the videos that have been linked lately. Any suggestions as to what works best. I have always gotten by with my Radio Shack special till now. But time to upgrade!

--Greg

This is the replacement tips I buy and use. KD-M-B

http://www.circuitspecialists.com/prod.itml/icOid/7545

[Macrosill]

Mufassa,
For our needs a conicle tip, like Wayne uses, is what you need. A flat one like you linked to is going to give you trouble getting into some tight places.