soldering irons

Brian Marshall · February 21, 2004, 04:38:43 PM

I own 3 irons, and they are all from radioshack

i want to order one with temp control, and affordable replacement tips.

what, and where (interent prefered) whould i buy

B Tremblay · February 21, 2004, 05:09:18 PM

Based on Peter Snowberg's recommendation, I purchased this station:
http://circuitspecialists.com/prod.itml/icOid/7501

It is simply excellent.

If you haven't already, try the 63/37 solder as well:
http://circuitspecialists.com/prod.itml/icOid/6262

With the Xytronic station and the 63/37 solder, soldering is like waving a magic wand.

Peter Snowberg · February 21, 2004, 05:22:12 PM

Edit: In the time I took to look around, B Tremblay said what I was going to.

http://www.circuitspecialists.com/prod.itml/icOid/3528
I would recommend this iron above all others that I have ever used. It's only $79, which is unbelievable for the results you get. It's like night and day. I would go so far as to say this iron is like a fine pair of racing skis where as the RS irons are like 2x4s strapped to your feet with rope. The difference is just that big.

http://www.circuitspecialists.com/prod.itml/icOid/7760
They also have a version without the display for $20 less, but for $20, I can't image not getting the one above.

The cheapest one they have is only $39 and I'm sure it works great too.
http://www.circuitspecialists.com/prod.itml/icOid/7501

Whichever iron you get, I would recommend using only 63/37 solder.
http://www.circuitspecialists.com/prod.itml/icOid/6262

The combo of a good iron and good solder results is cleaner, faster connections that are much easier to make.

Circuit Specialists is also a great place for Mylar caps and bulk resistors.

Take care,
-Peter

Jered · February 21, 2004, 07:23:05 PM

Great prices! I just bought a new Weller but I'm going to order a roll of the solder. I couldn't agree more about the RS irons, the absolute king of the crap as far as soldering irons go. The ski analogy is perfect.
Jered

arielfx · February 21, 2004, 07:31:15 PM

I bought the WES51 from Weller just because I know I can always get parts for it even in ten years... And I was lucky because something went wrong with it one day after it did not turn on (micro chip died?) so Weller just sent me a new panel.

Alex C · February 21, 2004, 08:29:51 PM

I also bought the $39 Xytronics iron here http://www.circuitspecialists.com/prod.itml/icOid/7501 . It's unbelievably better than the RS iron, and the price is incredible. I love it. Get it now!

Alex

thumposaurus · February 21, 2004, 08:48:28 PM

Quote from: Alex CI also bought the $39 Xytronics iron here http://www.circuitspecialists.com/prod.itml/icOid/7501 . It's unbelievably better than the RS iron, and the price is incredible. I love it. Get it now!

Alex

I also got this one a month or two ago, and am loving it I had t ouse a cheap RS iron at my brother's last week to fix a broken mic adaptor, and I couldn't belive I had ever tried to use one of those seriously, it seemed like it took forever to heat up, and then when I was done for it to cool back down.

Peter Snowberg · February 21, 2004, 08:51:01 PM

Don't forget that you can get a free DMM if you use the magic word on your Circuit Specialists order if it is over $50.

XYZZY

http://www.circuitspecialists.com/level.itml/icOid/190

You are in a twisty maze of passages, all alike.

-Peter

Rick · February 21, 2004, 09:40:09 PM

Another vote for the Xytronic. I've got the $39 model and I'll vouch for it's excellence. Great price too for what you get.

Phiredog · February 23, 2004, 08:08:43 AM

I got a Xytronics model for Xmas and it really works great! After playing around with it, I noticed I did not get the tip cleaner with mine as advertised on the Circuit Specialist web site. I contacted them about this and they sent me a new one postage paid. I am more than pleased with their service, and the tools work great. The tip seems like it will last 10 times longer than the Shack iron I had.

Doug H · February 23, 2004, 09:07:33 AM

I bought the $39 Xytronics iron and am very happy with it. I think one of the secrets of long tip life is to keep the temp turned down or the iron turned off during long periods of no use. With a dc temp-controlled iron like this, it literally takes only a few seconds for the iron to heat up. I tend to strip a wire, solder, strip a wire solder, etc. When I'm stripping wires, I keep the iron temp turned down. This quickly becomes a no-brainer when you realize how fast this iron heats up. Another big advantage I've found is with desoldering. I have been scavenging some parts out of an old amp build, and cranking the temperature up even higher really makes the desoldering go fast & easy.

Between this iron and the 63/37 solder Peter recommended, soldering has become a real breeze. It goes much quicker and the results are clean & professional.

Doug

smoguzbenjamin · February 23, 2004, 09:08:22 AM

Collosal Cave if I am correct, peter

I used to play that game when I was little, it basically taught me how to type

Chris R · February 23, 2004, 09:48:20 AM

OT but has anyone ever ordered the alum enclosures from circuitspecialists ? what are the dimensions of the small mxr sized box ?

i could spend 50$ on enclosures and get another dmm ;p

C

mjaskula · February 23, 2004, 10:40:29 AM

I recently completed the beginner's project (NPN Boost) using an Iron and solder from Wal-mart. I only had one joint that I think looks professional, and had several that I had to do over again.

I had soldered before, but only to fix broken cables. How much of my trouble is my Iron/solder combination and how much is my inexperience?

Is it worth it for me to get an expensive iron? I am relatively certain that I will continue with this hobby.

Thanks for any advice.

smoguzbenjamin · February 23, 2004, 10:49:49 AM

A good iron is like a good couch. You can buy a cheap couch that isn't comfy, or you can splurge and you get a great couch, which will be comfortable for the rest of your life!

Now for me to get a proper iron

Peter Snowberg · February 23, 2004, 03:27:43 PM

I'm really glad to hear all the success with the $39 model. Never having used that one, I can only speak from experience about the $79 one. I think it's 18 years old now and it's been seriously abused by several people I let use it. What a trooper! Back then, the plastic on the top of the case was blue.

Even if you only solder once in a while, a good iron makes all the difference. Image if you only needed to remove one screw a year but only had a stripped screwdriver, or you only had to remove a nut every once in a while but your wrench didn't fit. It's the same deal.

I love Brian's comment as it really sums things up well.

Quote from: B TremblayWith the Xytronic station and the 63/37 solder, soldering is like waving a magic wand.

Going from a good temperature controlled station to a cheapo iron is like using fast broadband for months and then having to use a slow dial-up. It's just painful.

Tip: Just because you can crank the control up to 818 degrees doesnâ€™t mean itâ€™s a good idea to do so.

Ben:
Yep, good old ADVENT. That was the first game I had on disk back in 1978 or 79.

ErikMiller · February 23, 2004, 07:51:17 PM

Quote from: mjaskulaHow much of my trouble is my Iron/solder combination and how much is my inexperience?

Is it worth it for me to get an expensive iron? I am relatively certain that I will continue with this hobby.

If you're going to continue the hobby, get the $39 iron at Circuit Specialists.

Cheap irons are like cheap solid-state practice amps: good to get you started, to see if you like doing it, but once you decide to continue, you'll do better with better equipment.

Excellent equipment cannot make you an excellent solderer, but crappy equipment can hold you back.

rhinson · February 23, 2004, 09:55:11 PM

hello there, the circuit specialists also has a very good cheap soldering iron---sh-813a. i've got 2 i've had for 3-4 yrs. now (and i use them a LOT) and they'll solder rings around anything else for the price. not nearly as good as having a fast heat-up pro style station, but if you're on a budget these are a good bargain.

slackhammer · April 14, 2004, 01:53:28 PM

I ended up ordering the $39 iron from Circuit Specialists. Very impressive. Now I just have to learn how to use it!

Also, I can't say enough about those guys. I made a big enough oder to get the free multimeter. It came without the leads/probes. I made one call and taken care of...they're shippping a brand new meter, no cost/no postage.

In this day and age, customer service like that is a treat. I will definitely send more of my business their way and strongly recommend anyone do the same.

Peter Snowberg · April 14, 2004, 04:07:10 PM

I just got the Circuit Specialists spring/winter catalog supplement and they list the two top-end Xytronics irons at $59 for the 136ESD and $79 for the 137ESD (with digital display... the one I've been using for over 15 years). I can't enough good about these irons.

I'm guessing the $39 iron is the CSI-STATION1 which from the catalog may or may not have active temp control. Can anybody veryify what it does have? The CSI-STATION2 does have control and a digital readout and active control at $49.95.

Any of these irons is going to be head and shoulders ahead of a cheapo RS unit.

Take care,
-Peter

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Doug H