[sdiy] Soldering iron recommendations

[rsdio at audiobanshee.com]

Note that higher wattage is not always better. For small electronics like synths, 100 W would do some damage where 60 W would not. However, 65 W is a little closer to typical than 50 W, so maybe you're making the right choice.

As for me, I've had great luck with cheap irons. A Sears Craftsman iron with a Radio Shack long-life tip has lasted me for decades. As long as the handle is ergonomic and the tip doesn't corrode, there's not much magic to an iron besides delivering heat. I've never been a fan of the cumbersome power station with separate pencil and holder. Instead, I've nearly exclusively worked with soldering pencils that plug directly into the wall without a station. This makes my setup portable, so I can repair in the field or set up on any table in my house. I did finally break down and get a Weller WD 2M station because it was the only way to get soldering tweezers. The thing is heavy, and thus more difficult to transport, but I really like having both pencil and tweezers attached and ready at the same time. The soldering tweezers are indispensable for SMD work, and make removal of caps and resistors incredibly quick. There's even a tip large enough to desolder an 8-pin chip in one go (and I've managed to work around a 14-pin SOIC with enough heat to remove that).

I'm sure there are many good choices. So long as the tip doesn't get eaten away by the solder, you should be fine with any brand.

Brian Willoughby
Sound Consulting


On Jul 7, 2014, at 2:41 PM, Rkm wrote:
> Thanks to everyone for the information.  I think I'll go with the Hakko FX888.  The amazon reviews for it and the Weller WES51 were nearly identical and the Hakko is 65W instead of 50W.  
> 
> Thanks!
> Rkmoore