Can anyone recommend a good soldering iron?

[opticnerve]

Can anyone recommend a good soldering iron?

I've gone through three in the past year & they just don't get hot enough. It's very frustrating!

I keep going back to the one I bought 30 years ago which is ok, but has seen better days.

Any feedback will be greatly appreciated!

[8mileshigh]

Ha ha........I know the feeling. I can list 3 that are no good if you like!

[opticnerve]

Well Graham, I suppose that would help. I'll know which ones to avoid!

[collin]

I use a Weller portasol, which is a cordless butane powered type. Really convenient and gets plenty hot, but it's non-adjustable (for heat(, and can get too hot sometimes.

Still, that's better than it not getting hot enough.

[opticnerve]

Huh! A butane soldering iron? That's a new one on me! I like that it's a cordless. I'll definitely look into it.

Thanks for the tip mate!

[notviceversa]

When I worked at Fostex I had a Hakko 936 on my work bench. It gave me no problems. I would only have to change out tips every other month or so. It held target temps. great and was a very adjustable unit.

Apparently the 936 is discontinued and was replace by the FX-888. I have no experience with that unit.

[cjj]

It depends on how much you want to spend. I'll tell you what I use, but you probably won't like the price.

I use an older version of the Metcal MX5000. You can get the new model from Amazon for a mere $650. You can sometimes find them much cheaper on ebay, in fact, here's the exact one I've got for only $269.95:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Metcal-PS2E-01- ... 1850wt_888

These are great, something like 80-100 watts, get hot enough to solder to the back of a pot within 10 seconds of turning on (about 2 seconds after touching the pot), and yet with the right tip, can solder the smallest surface mount components without damaging them.

Another one I've used, which is also great is the Hakko FX-951, on Amazon for only $249.97. We have these at work. They are nice in that you can adjust the temperature (which I rarely actually need to do).

A long time ago I used a Weller soldering station like the WES51, on Amazon for $86.28. These are good, but they don't give you the instant heat, and take a bit longer to solder big things like pots...

[ken_j]

I still use a 40 year old Ungar with interchangeable heating elements of different wattages. Unfortunately these are no longer made. They can be had new on eBay though. If I were to buy today I would probably by a Weller soldering staion with adjustable temp and digital readout.

[collin]

Huh! A butane soldering iron? That's a new one on me! I like that it's a cordless. I'll definitely look into it.

Thanks for the tip mate!

Yep, they're awesome. Tips are expensive, but last awhile if you clean them correctly.

Like I said, they're not adjustable, and can get really hot with a new tip and refueled, but you just have to be careful not to melt pickup bobbins, pots, circuit boards etc.

[guitarist09]

Thank you for sharing your recommendations!

[paologregorio]

I have a soldering station that appears to be a knockoff of a Weller soldering station; it's adjustable, and was only about $40. It works great; I've done some soldering on Rich's AC30 and his 370 WB with it, and my own guitars and amps.

[opticnerve]

Thanks for the great info everyone!!!