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Soldering Iron Recommendations

S

Steven

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Joined
Feb 29, 2016
Messages
94
Location
Staffordshire
Hi,

I have come across my first issue requiring soldering so I guess it is time to invest in a soldering iron.

Can anyone recommend a good one? Or have any tips on what to look out for?

Thanks
Steven
 
Steven said:
Hi,

I have come across my first issue requiring soldering so I guess it is time to invest in a soldering iron.

Can anyone recommend a good one? Or have any tips on what to look out for?

Thanks
Steven
Click to expand...

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depends what your going to do

i have 4.

left to right:
12w well we with micro tip for delicate circuit board repair

15w amtex for small jobs again eg circuit boards and delicate components

22-25w amtex. my workhorse use it all the time. it’s 44 years old and still going strong

100w silverline - just acquired. use to desolder lamp sockets off older pins. also good for tinning up the earth lugs on new lamp sockets

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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Thanks for the response. I have a wire which has become disconnected from a switch under the playfield. So just looking to reconnect it.
 
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Was about £50 when I bought it a good few years ago !
It has temperature control 150-450 degrees
Plus you can change the tips , big tips for big area and thin for small
And any board work you would need a solder sucker !!
 
I've got an older version of the above. Mines 10 years old now and going strong. Generally, temperature control rather than power control is useful, especially for working on PCB's. Lower wattage is good, but if its sat around switched on, the temp can creep up beyond whats ideal for circuit boards. Temp control eliminates that worry and keeps the tip at the temperature you want it.
Temp control irons are cheap now so i'd go for one of those, if nothing else it saves having multiple irons for different jobs. The maplin ones usually sell with a pack of different size tips.
 
elrikos said:
I've got an older version of the above. Mines 10 years old now and going strong. Generally, temperature control rather than power control is useful, especially for working on PCB's. Lower wattage is good, but if its sat around switched on, the temp can creep up beyond whats ideal for circuit boards. Temp control eliminates that worry and keeps the tip at the temperature you want it.
Temp control irons are cheap now so i'd go for one of those, if nothing else it saves having multiple irons for different jobs. The maplin ones usually sell with a pack of different size tips.
Click to expand...

If I was starting again from scratch, I'd go for the temp controlled one of course.

@Steven is just looking to re-solder a single wire, so £40 is probably OTT spend, when you can get a single temp one for £6 off ebay. I'd go for one with an angled tip rather than a pointed tip. There is more contact made, whihc is better for soldering wires. The pointed tips are best or Circuit board work.
 
A cheap iron with reasonably high wattage and a large tip will do for soldering wires back on a coil. Stretch to a temperature controlled station and a selection of tips and you'll have a setup which can do most things you will encounter.
 
These catch my eye on the Bay, being portable would be useful for simple wire jobs in and around the machine.

Has anyone used one or another few quid wasted on Chinese junk?

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