"Best" soldering iron -- Tom's Hardware

[PRR]

The Tom's (PC) Hardware site has posted a "Best" soldering iron article. What's best for them may not be best for you. But I see whole categories of irons that are new to my eyes. 80 Watt temp-regulated for $10 may be interesting even if crap.

https://www.tomshardware.com/best-picks/best-soldering-irons

[Focalized]

I have the red Weller 40w station. Only issue I've had is the little screw loosening enough for the tip to fall out. That would be bad. Like the blood in Alien. You could grind a little groove to set the tip, I just wrap it in a layer of tin foil and it's fine. If that can hurt anything like fusing to the inside I don't know. Seems fine comes right out. One pencil tip has lasted me a year so far.

[mark2]

I used one of those 60W $10 irons for a year or two, and it got the job done.

Takes a long time to heat up, doesn't keep its temperature stable as well as a good iron (e.g. ground pours), and the tips are trash but can and should be replaced with Hakko tips.

BUT if you know the fundamentals of soldering it's just fine.

I think it's a great tool for beginners who aren't yet committed to any electronics hobbies.




Regarding the pinecil: I'm curious peoples experience with powering it. That's been my hesitation to try it. My hakko's cable is heavy, bulky and stays where I put it. The idea of a little USB wire sounds like a nightmare. Those kinks that get into the wire and never come out? The wire is always where IT wants to be.

Those who use one, what's your actual experience?

[drdn0]

For a while I've been using (and recommending) Yihua stations - I got a 948II (with a great desoldering gun) for about $130AUD, and I've done probably a thousand hours on it now without a single issue that wasn't user error. The vacuum isn't AMAZING, but once you get a hang of preheating for 4-5s before desoldering it's a piece of cake to use.

I bought a handful of 950's for a local Makerspace for under $90AUD delivered each - 150w (!) eddy-current heater, and reaches temperature in literally a matter of sections. Insane value for money.

Never been a huge fan of the super cheap irons (including the USB powered ones) as I don't feel they have enough thermal mass to allow soldering bigger components.

[Locrian99]

I used one of those 10$ ones to start out with.   My only real complaint was the crap holder.    It finally got to where it was getting not hold temp well and replaced it with a yihua.   Think im going on two years
Now no complaints.  Use the cheap tips too lol

[PRR]

> the crap holder.

I have an Ungar holder and am not impressed. Instead:

I took a slat of wood as a base, glued a slanty wood scrap to it, and screwed a tomato paste can to that. Didn't bend, was sturdy enough, and easy to hit safely. I have not seen it in years (I use that Ungar, re-bending it every time I dig it out of the drawer.)

Accck! That dratted Ungar #8000 sells on eBay asking $20 to $30. I remember $8 in the 1970s. (OK, gas was $0.34-$0.50 so $8 to $30 is below inflation.)

[GGBB]

I have that Hakko and it's awesome. Apparently it's discontinued (replaced by FX-888DX) and Hakko USA is clearing them out right now: https://hakkousa.com/fx888d-digital-soldering-station.html.

The description of the new model is interesting - it hits on the two main complaints (and really the only negatives) about the original version:

The HAKKO FX-888DX Digital Soldering Station improves the user interface from the FX-888D using a more intuitive method for adjusting temperature and includes a parameter lock to prevent accidental digital calibration of the station when attempting to change temperature.

[mark2]

I'm typically able to retain volumes of information, but every time I need to use or adjust a preset on my FX-888D I feel like a monkey banging on a keyboard. It's so anti-intuitive I'd consider it downright hostile.

[GGBB]

I'm typically able to retain volumes of information, but every time I need to use or adjust a preset on my FX-888D I feel like a monkey banging on a keyboard. It's so anti-intuitive I'd consider it downright hostile.

Ditto. I'm afraid to touch mine - but I rarely need to. I actually made the mistake of accidentally re-calibrating mine and ended up buying a knock-off Hakko tip thermometer for ~$25. Not a bad thing to have as you should calibrate if you change tips.

[Focalized]

I once left my iron station on for 4 days in the basement. I'm sober now.

Auto shut off is a good option.

[mac]

I took a slat of wood as a base, glued a slanty wood scrap to it, and screwed a tomato paste can to that. Didn't bend, was sturdy enough, and easy to hit safely.

Much like mine. A 500mL tomato can screwed to a thick pine wood base, a vegetable cutting board older than me.
I added 2cm of sand into the can to clean the iron tip, a cheap 25w btw. 
I fixed two construction wires to the board with alligators at the extremes to hold the parts to be soldered, and a third one with a magnifying glass the size of the Hubble telescope.

mac

[moid]

I'm typically able to retain volumes of information, but every time I need to use or adjust a preset on my FX-888D I feel like a monkey banging on a keyboard. It's so anti-intuitive I'd consider it downright hostile.

Ditto. I'm afraid to touch mine - but I rarely need to. I actually made the mistake of accidentally re-calibrating mine and ended up buying a knock-off Hakko tip thermometer for ~$25. Not a bad thing to have as you should calibrate if you change tips.

I love my Hakko as well, but I would agree with it being unintuitive to set - I haven't changed the temperature settings now for a couple of years, but I seem to remember I had to find a Youtube tutorial to show me how to do it! The Hakko is soo much better than all the cheap irons I bought previously to that (whose combined cost was of course more than the Hakko cost...grrrr)