I need a soldering iron

[Seten]

Sorry for the triple post.

I need a soldering iron. I would like to spend less than $50, and I need it to be good for any circuit board work. I understand with my budget I will be getting less than high quality, which is ok with me. I just need one to get me started to see if I like building pedals/modding and if I need to buy another higher quality one later if this one breaks, that's fine.

[Dr. Sherman Sticks M.D.]

i got a good deal on an older weller station on ebay a couple months ago. i think i paid like $40. weller, i believe, is a good company so i figured it was a good iron, but like you, didn't want to break the bank for it, as I was also trying to get into it, so it worked out real good

[Seten]

i got a good deal on an older weller station on ebay a couple months ago. i think i paid like $40. weller, i believe, is a good company so i figured it was a good iron, but like you, didn't want to break the bank for it, as I was also trying to get into it, so it worked out real good

Thanks! Do you know what voltage and stuff it was/what I would need?

[Seten]

http://buildyourownclone.com/collection ... er-station

What about these?

[Seten]

Or the weller wlc100 also looks usable.

[multi_s]

i would suggest Hakko or a hakko clone (japanese brand). the tips are cheaper and the parts are way easier to come by if you ever need to repair it. you can search "soldering iron 936" on ebay or aliexpress you will find all the off branded ones and parts. Definiteyl 50 dollars or less. You can probably get a branded one for about 40 usd (make sure it is 110V though if you are grabbing one from overseas).

my own 2 cents is that the weller one you listed from BYOC is a very poor choice and any money you save up front you will lose quickly down the road. It has practically proprietary tips that are hard to find and will cost more + have way less options. Also the iron is hardwired to the base, that's bad if it craps out or you want to change it, more hassle, you will definitely need an iron to fix your iron, aka unserviceable. also as a side, im pretty sure this model doesn't have a temperature sensor in the wand (the better wellers do), it just reduces the output power with no temp feedback, this means the tip isn't held at a constant temperature which could be a huge pain in the ass depending on what sort of parts you are working with, or if you turn on a fan, etc.

fyi here's a look at what tips fit on a typical hakko style iron, with tips costing very little, check ebay/alibaba you will see these are more than readily available.

https://www.hakko.com/english/tip_selec ... _900m.html

[Seten]

i would suggest Hakko or a hakko clone (japanese brand). the tips are cheaper and the parts are way easier to come by if you ever need to repair it. you can search "soldering iron 936" on ebay or aliexpress you will find all the off branded ones and parts. Definiteyl 50 dollars or less. You can probably get a branded one for about 40 usd (make sure it is 110V though if you are grabbing one from overseas).

my own 2 cents is that the weller one you listed from BYOC is a very poor choice and any money you save up front you will lose quickly down the road. It has practically proprietary tips that are hard to find and will cost more + have way less options. Also the iron is hardwired to the base, that's bad if it craps out or you want to change it, more hassle, you will definitely need an iron to fix your iron, aka unserviceable. also as a side, im pretty sure this model doesn't have a temperature sensor in the wand (the better wellers do), it just reduces the output power with no temp feedback, this means the tip isn't held at a constant temperature which could be a huge pain in the ass depending on what sort of parts you are working with, or if you turn on a fan, etc.

fyi here's a look at what tips fit on a typical hakko style iron, with tips costing very little, check ebay/alibaba you will see these are more than readily available.

https://www.hakko.com/english/tip_selec ... _900m.html

Something like this?
http://m.ebay.com/itm/390635897189?nav=SEARCH

[Jwar]

I'm just going to say it. For 50 bucks you're not going to get a decent soldering station. I've owned a crap ton of them and they all fall apart or go bad eventually. My latest one is a Radio Shack brand, and I've had the best luck with it, aside from it destroying the tip (which was a POS tip), but it was like 80 bucks.

I think if you're only going to occasionally use it, you could get away with it, but I've had irons, not tips, literally break in half from the tiniest amount of pressure. LOL. That to me says that the cheap stuff sucks ass.

For starting out, just buy a cheap ass one for 20 bucks. You don't need an electronic one or anything, just a shit one. That way you can see if it's worth it.

[Dr. Sherman Sticks M.D.]

i went the cheap $20 iron a couple times, and every time, i got a relaly crappy iron that made it really hard to solder, which in turn made it really hard to learn, and I eventually gave it up (after melting tons of parts).

this time around I went for a better iron, but ended up getting a good deal on one, because it was older and used. and the better iron def made a big difference for me. also doing more research, and getting some other tools (third hand, desoldering braid) this time around helped.
i was able to solder some shit and learn and progress, rather then burning shit and melting stuff, and basically just wasting my time.

everyones experience is different, just my 2c.

[multi_s]

Something like this?
http://m.ebay.com/itm/390635897189?nav=SEARCH

ya it looks ok.

the reality is eventually all irons will break in some way. the solution is just buy one that is easy to service. personally i think for 50 USD you can get something pretty reasonable.

[Seten]

Alright, thanks. Do I need a pencil or conical tip? And is 45w good?

[multi_s]

it depends on what you prefer. that hakko tip page suggests applications for the different sizes/shapes, but in the end i feel it's whatever works best for you.

45 watts is ok i think. here are some people talking about even a 35 watt version being fine to work with
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1202988

[LaoWiz]

Or the weller wlc100 also looks usable.

I use this one. Have had two of these since 2009 or whenever I started building. The first one broke or the cord was shorting out or something but that is because of my drinking and soldering probably. Works good and I can easily by tips from small bear but they are 5 bucks.

http://www.amazon.com/Weller-WLC100-40- ... B000AS28UC

[mcfx138]

I had a couple off Jameco's site before that were right around $20. I didn't think they would last or be decent. Eight months later still going strong! Good luck. :-)