[sdiy] Soldering station decision

[Scott Evans, Gen Mgr]

Don't know if it applies, but I bought a Xytronic Auto-temp 379 for $80.
Sucks. Buying a Weller.

Scott
-----------------------------------------

Trevor Page wrote:
> 
> Hi all,
> 
> The time has come for me to get myself a decent soldering iron station!
> There are two particular models stocked by Rapid Electronics here in the
> UK that I am considering, but having trouble deciding between:
> 
> 1. The Xytronic XY9-60. There is the analogue version which costs 65GBP,
> and the digital one for 80.
> 
> 2. The old faithful Weller WS81 and WSD81. The analogue WS81 costs
> 150GBP, and of course a little bit more for the digital model.
> 
> I'm very familiar with the Weller station because I use one at work, and
> I know that I cannot go wrong with this station. The Xytronic, however,
> would probably do exactly what I want but for half the amount of money.
> I've never used a Xytronic, however, and I have no idea how the quality
> compares with the Weller. I know that the method of swapping between
> bits is the same, which is good. The station will probably see fairly
> moderate use, mainly SMD, and I want this thing to last for ages. It's
> important to me that the quality of the iron itself is similar to that
> of the Weller.
> 
> Any opinions on this? Any user reports on the Xytronic products?
> 
> Regards and many thanks in advance for any advice offered.
> 
> - Trev
> 
> ---
> 
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