Spec me a fairly decent but not too expensive Soldering Iron

[Minusorange]

And possibly one of those magnifying glass jigs which have the claws to hold what you're soldering

Preferably no more than £50/60 but cheaper better as long as it does the job

 

[t31os]

You can build the "helping hands" (thing with the clips) for cheap(fraction compared to the cost), i could link you to parts but they'd count as competitors(against forum rules), something you can definitely google for though. I was looking into the same things i while back myself but worked around the need for them. You're gonna get what you pay for with a solder, i'd only say avoid the very cheapest and settle for something above bargain bin if it's only for a single use(or two), or perhaps even ask around friends and family(borrowing one might save you the hassle).

 

[Kei]

Personally, I use a weller tcp-1 but the current version (tcp-s) is way over your budget. Farnell do a range of duratool products that look pretty decent. The DURATOOL ZD-931/89-3106 looks like a good bit of kit inside your budget. Decent 60/40 rosin core solder is a must.

 

[Minusorange]

Personally, I use a weller tcp-1 but the current version (tcp-s) is way over your budget. Farnell do a range of duratool products that look pretty decent. The DURATOOL ZD-931/89-3106 looks like a good bit of kit inside your budget. Decent 60/40 rosin core solder is a must.

Yeah on further digging it seems entry level from known brands is around the £100-£200 mark, I found this thread over at EEV though http://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/(tip)-best-budgetcheap-soldering-stations-and-tools/ so probably going to go with a TS100

 

[Habakkuk]

If I didn't already have a Hakko FX-888, I'd have gotten a TS100 - it's within your price range & has open source firmware.