Best Soldering Gun
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xiao_haozi
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+1 for Weller...
I used to use a single wattage iron and recently (FINALLY!) upgraded to a station and it's wonderful.
Here's what I use now:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BRC2XU/ref=ox_ya_oh_product
Just havne't found as many tips for it, readily, as some of the other weller pencils...
I used to use a single wattage iron and recently (FINALLY!) upgraded to a station and it's wonderful.
Here's what I use now:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BRC2XU/ref=ox_ya_oh_product
Just havne't found as many tips for it, readily, as some of the other weller pencils...
xiao_haozi
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Yeah, really just depends on what you plan to use it for...
MonoTekETeA
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Buy one online, not from radio shack, and make sure it is adjustable. You primarily want something that can do 15w, since that is what you will mostly be working with in electronics. I used radio shack soldering iron for a few years, and felt like I was wasting my time after I experienced something different.
-Jeremy
-Jeremy
Spion
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Ok I bought a Weller BP860MP cordless, adjustable 8-11 watts. Ran me $22 from the local sears. After I get more experience soldering maybe I'll go for that weller station you guys have. I already ruined to d-subs so far soldering the controller wires onto them. Good thing I bought a pack of ten lol.
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Weller WES51 ($80ish on amazon)
Solid and dependable station, tips are easy to change out, and cost isn't through the roof.
blueraven
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I use a Weller iron for all my repairs; mainly and PC Engine / Turbo Grafx. 
The soldering stations are awesome, but you can get a good quality Weller iron with needle-point tips for PCB soldering for around $30.
The $15 Radio shack specials will work and get you by for a few repairs, but I've gone through three in about as many years. Others rave about the cheapies.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5qYG95bbz8&feature=related
The accompanying links and vids on the right hand side of this youtube vid should answer any and all of your questions about PCB surface-mount soldering. Also teaches you how to fix stuff if you screw up a repair.
good luck 
The soldering stations are awesome, but you can get a good quality Weller iron with needle-point tips for PCB soldering for around $30.
The $15 Radio shack specials will work and get you by for a few repairs, but I've gone through three in about as many years. Others rave about the cheapies.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5qYG95bbz8&feature=related
The accompanying links and vids on the right hand side of this youtube vid should answer any and all of your questions about PCB surface-mount soldering. Also teaches you how to fix stuff if you screw up a repair.
good luck 
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http://www.frys.com/search?search_type=regular&query_string=hakko&cat=0&search_type=regular&sqxts=1&resultpage=0&from=0&to=24
Can't beat Fry's. They've got a good selection of Hakko gear.
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Go to an electronic parts supplier shop other than Radio shack. There are plenty of decent irons for like $20.
I have been using the same one for 6 years now. God does time fly.
I had to replace the tip once. I sometimes "Sharpen" it by sticking it in my drill (tip facing out) and running it on a file.
The screws holding the metal to the plastic stripped out the plastic, so I just put in slightly larger screws..
You don't need to spend much man... THat's the point..
As for radio shack ones, They are good for melting plastic. That's about it. But I do sometimes use the higher watage one for doing thicker wires...
I have been using the same one for 6 years now. God does time fly.
I had to replace the tip once. I sometimes "Sharpen" it by sticking it in my drill (tip facing out) and running it on a file.
The screws holding the metal to the plastic stripped out the plastic, so I just put in slightly larger screws..
You don't need to spend much man... THat's the point..
As for radio shack ones, They are good for melting plastic. That's about it. But I do sometimes use the higher watage one for doing thicker wires...
TheBakachan
Krauser's Shoe Shiner
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I stand by my Aoyue 968 rework station. Hot-air gun, and soldering iron with smoke extractor. And the smoke extractor can be removed and, with minimal modification, replaced with a vacuum pickup pen...though that's sort of pointless since you can get a standalone vacuum pickup station for $30, and the modification costs like $15 in parts. ;o
It covers pretty much all my needs and can use parts and accessories from many different brands.
As I understand it, Aoyue are inexpensive (Not to be confused with 'cheap'.) Chinese knock-offs of older model Hakko workstations.
Hasn't let me down yet, and it was actually affordable. :P
It covers pretty much all my needs and can use parts and accessories from many different brands.
As I understand it, Aoyue are inexpensive (Not to be confused with 'cheap'.) Chinese knock-offs of older model Hakko workstations.
Hasn't let me down yet, and it was actually affordable. :P
Thanks for the advice!
Currently I have a radio shack iron, and was looking for something nicer.
It did work pretty good until the tip got superdeformed, lol.
My biggest issue with looking online for the Hakko has been trying to figure out if it comes w/ the small, medium, or large iron. I think I was looking at the 936-12...with the medium sized iron. The small one looked limited tip-wise.
loegan43: never thought to look at fry's, then again we don't have them around here:P
TheBakachan: That Aoyue looks pretty interesting, lots of stuff for not really all that expensive considering all the stuff it has. I forget where I saw that brand mentioned before.
Looks like I got more thinkin to do!
Currently I have a radio shack iron, and was looking for something nicer.
It did work pretty good until the tip got superdeformed, lol.
My biggest issue with looking online for the Hakko has been trying to figure out if it comes w/ the small, medium, or large iron. I think I was looking at the 936-12...with the medium sized iron. The small one looked limited tip-wise.
loegan43: never thought to look at fry's, then again we don't have them around here:P
TheBakachan: That Aoyue looks pretty interesting, lots of stuff for not really all that expensive considering all the stuff it has. I forget where I saw that brand mentioned before.
Looks like I got more thinkin to do!
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I used a radio shack one to build superguns, consolized mobos, swapped cps2 batteries, built harnessed and hacked controllers.......all just fine. I'm sure it would be nice to have a little station set up, but everything I did was done just fine with the cheapo model.
Of course, because of this, I've never used a soldering station or an expensive setup. So that puts me in the "possibly doesn't know any better" catagory, lol. Never the less, I accomplished everything I set out to do with my cheapo radio shack 15w iron.
Of course, because of this, I've never used a soldering station or an expensive setup. So that puts me in the "possibly doesn't know any better" catagory, lol. Never the less, I accomplished everything I set out to do with my cheapo radio shack 15w iron.