Soldering Iron

SMN · 21 Jul 2009 at 14:53

Random question: What are the traits to look for in a good soldering iron? There are ones on eBay for like £10.00~ but i'm guessing they arent very good.

JonJ678 · 21 Jul 2009 at 15:00

Not much of an answer, but I'm fond of the ones which melt the solder using electricity directly. They have graphite fork like tips. Perhaps not as good as a normal one, but a lot more difficult to damage oneself with

Lakeland · 21 Jul 2009 at 15:32

http://www.rapidonline.com/Tools-Fa...s/High-wattage-soldering-irons/61413/kw/200pt

MAINS SOLDERING IRON - 25W (RC) - £9.95

Use these in a secondry school for electronics and they are great. tips and elements replaceable too!

SMN · 21 Jul 2009 at 16:20

Nice one! What does the wattage of the soldering iron affect, the heat?

Cuchulain · 21 Jul 2009 at 16:31

I got a nice variable voltage one from Craplin a few months ago, the tips are gash but are replaceable, dirt cheap too.

Chaos · 21 Jul 2009 at 16:57

Antex and Weller always seem popular so cant go wrong with one of those brands.

lvad48 · 21 Jul 2009 at 17:02

I've got a 40w Weller one that i use mainly for guitar related issues

Mal X · 21 Jul 2009 at 17:43

jaxon said:
http://www.rapidonline.com/Tools-Fa...s/High-wattage-soldering-irons/61413/kw/200pt

MAINS SOLDERING IRON - 25W (RC) - £9.95

Use these in a secondry school for electronics and they are great. tips and elements replaceable too!

that one will be fine

daniel_bourton · 21 Jul 2009 at 17:57

how to you tell though how one is better tyhen another?
is it wattage
make or wah?

krugger · 21 Jul 2009 at 18:03

weller

Skyrunner · 21 Jul 2009 at 19:04

I would say Metcal but slightly out of your price range!

Antex or Weller, avoid cheap irons they eat tips, you can pick up a fairly cheap temperature adjustable from about £30 IIRC.

For an 18W+ Antex (£15) should be perfect for most jobs, just get a fine tip.

PhillyDee · 21 Jul 2009 at 20:02

daniel_bourton said:
how to you tell though how one is better tyhen another?
is it wattage
make or wah?

Wattage is a measure of the heat to the tip.

Depending on what you want to solder.

I would buy a variable temp one myself. (As I have one) mine is a 48W LCD Display Solder Station. Adjustable temp, and replaceable tips. I solder SMD/S<T components with mine and it does the job nicely! Should have been £70, but I got mine for half price.

capriboy1978 · 21 Jul 2009 at 20:13

as posted which iron you buy depends on what you want to solder.

Too hot an iron can have disastrous effects on components and even pcb's. Variable temp stations are a good all round choice, buy a known brand from a known retailer and you'll be fine.

I have one that displays tip temp and can be adjusted accordingly. It was a spare from one of our workshops when we invested in hot air desoldering stations. Don't even think about these- big big mula and dozens of tips for different sized ic's etc.