[sdiy] Soldering iron recommendations

[charlie wallace]

i've gotten about 20+ used metcals from ebay, occasionally a broken
wand or duff psu, the psu's are usually a transistor failure ,
generally its the old style case the rfg30 that ive had issues with
(more squared design) , i'd avoid those. the 500 or 5000s are better

i buy the tips in bulk usually since metcal is used a lot by aerospace
etc, so they always seem to available. new they can be expensive.

oddly the only metcal i had that severely failed is the one we bought
full price new, it smoked out after a couple of years heavy use,
metcal repaired it for free

the desoldering gun and talon tips are also very useful if you do
rework, unlike the hakko 808 which is still a good choice it requires
an external air source, but the metcal is better than the 808, it
clogs up way less and its better for long term use since its lighter
and more comfortable to hold, same goes for the hakko 472, which is
decent but clogs up quickly unless you hold it upside down

they're an rf based design (Except for the sp200) and use the curry
point to measure the heat, to set the heat you just change the tip

and we use them a lot, they get a lot of abuse from all skillsets
https://charliex2.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/6022847245_18e5603d27_b1_thumb.jpg?w=851&h=480


On Tue, Jul 8, 2014 at 7:03 AM, Dan Snazelle <subjectivity at hotmail.com> wrote:
> interesting....you got it used? and no issues eh? are there any negatives? are tips expensive?
>
> i think ill try one out!
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>> On Jul 8, 2014, at 6:21 AM, "Mattias Rickardsson" <mr at analogue.org> wrote:
>>
>> I got a used OKi (Metcal) PS-900 for $200 off eBay, and have never
>> been happier. What a solid heat transfer, it's like cutting through
>> lukewarm butter with a laser sword! Far better than every sub-$200
>> iron I've ever used - it actually makes their old temperature
>> regulation methods (and need for a temperature dial to compensate)
>> feel like a joke. Highly recommended. :-)
>>
>> /mr
>>
>>
>>> On 6 July 2014 23:10, john slee <indigoid at oldcorollas.org> wrote:
>>>> On 7 July 2014 05:14, Timothy Daugard <daugard at cox.net> wrote:
>>>> I went Weller for standard parts, no problems with weekly use over ten
>>>> years.
>>>
>>> I'm kinda wishing I'd investigated the parts situation before buying a Goot
>>> (RX-711AS) station many years ago. Tips seem to be rather less available
>>> than Weller/Hakko
>>>
>>> That said, the Goot is a joy to use
>>>
>>> John
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