[sdiy] Weller Soldering Stations?

[Erik Ribeiro]

I was thinking about upgrading from cheap hardware store soldering irons to a proper soldering station. I was thinking about the Weller WESD51. Anyone have one? What do you like or dislike about it?

I was also considering a little more for a Weller WD1001 or WD1002. Any real advantage to them? I'm assembling mostly thru-hole soldering for JH, Oakley and MOTM boards. Some of the JH boards can get pretty dense, but  suppose it's not like microscopic surface-mount work (mostly).

What about desoldering stations? I'm still not great with soldering. I haven't messed up anything catastrophically yet. So far everything I've done has worked on first try. No lifted pads. No scorched boards. But I always worry about rework and messing up boards and components if I have to rework or desolder too often. Any opinions?

Wanting to make an investment in tools that will work consistently and last a long time.

Thanks in advance for any advice! :)

Erik