soldering iron: pencil or station?

[madcrisis]

OK to start out if you want to chime in about crimp vs solder connection please take it elsewhere. There are times when you need a soldering iron and i need to know which one to get.

Ok so now that thats out of the way, im looking for a new soldering tool. I have a cheapy pencil iron that i hate but it usually works after some time. Sometimes i may be soldering wires sometime might be a chip board or something else entirely. I don't always work on a bench sometimes i might be under the dash. So as you can tell im just a DIY hobbyist that needs a soldering iron of some sort. Not sure which would be better a pencil iron or a station? also what do you guys reccomend?

I like the fact that the stations offer adjustable heat but is it necessary? Im looking to spend under 100 closer to 50 would be better. I do have access to the weller pstol style iron, but its older and dont really like it too much(might be the old worn out tips) but thats my dads and i like to have my own tools so when i move out ill be set up and dont need to borrow everything.

 

[Haveblue]

Sounds like you need a variety. You need more wattage and larger solder for heavier gauge wires. I Like the Weller Guns and irons. I use them with a large, or small magnetic tray... the tray contains any solder that drips...and it doesn't stick to the tray. You can take the pad off of a HF "helping hands" and it will stick very tightly to the tray.

 

[quattroJoe]

Temp adjustment will be very beneficial if you're doing a variety of work. If you're going to rely on one soldering tool, check out the Hakko FX-888 or FX-888D. Very versatile, quality station at a decent price. Pistol type irons are sometimes more convenient under a dash, but most lack the fine control you'll get from a decent station. If I'm doing more than 2 or 3 wires, I drag the station over to the car. If you do any PCB work don't even bother with a pistol type iron or anything that doesn't have adjustable temps. With a station you can quickly change out the tips based on what you're working on. I keep a few sizes of pointed tips, as well as a couple chisel tips on hand.

 

[Modern Jess]

I invested in a Weller station a few years back, after owning many, many pencil irons over the years.

I'm never going back to pencil irons. Ever.

Does that answer your question?

 

[Buster21]

I really like my Weller WES51 It has a 50 watt pencil iron and is adjustable from 350 to 850 F. You can get a variety of tips for large or small jobs. I got mine off amazon for around $90.00. I leave it on my bench but it can be easily transported to the car and set on the floor or by the engine compartment.

 

[Stuey]

Stations are typically well supported, and so you can get a variety of tips for different applications more easily than inexpensive or entry-level irons.

If you can budget for it, Hakko's FX-888 station is really good. I have the analog one but hear the newer D digital version is good too.

 

[Snaps1992]

Pencils are next to useless most of the time - They have little adjustability (different temperatures for different sizes of wire or for larger thermal loads), and the tips are generally not as interchangeable.

A well-calibrated, temperature-controllable iron is completely necessary for doing a wide variety of soldering.

 

[dogdog]

Soldering electronics? --> PACE soldering / De-soldering station is the best but not cheap, Weller , hakko , or even that cheap ebay rework station works for most cases, any temp controlled station works better than regular soldering iron. Maybe a personal preference, chisel tip worked better then a pencil tip for me. thought I still have my 40Watt soldering iron from 20+ years ago, still works fine, but uses my PACE and el-cheapo knock off temp controlled rework station now a days. It's worth it to invest a little more if you plan to do electronic stuff a lot. these days copper traces are thinner, components are smaller, uncontrolled soldering iron can burn the copper traces easily and destroy components faster than .....


Soldering lug and electrical stuffs but not circuit boards, wellders 100Watt Gun type or a propane torch would work fine.

 

[rcjoy]

I have a Weller WSD80 station with an 80 watt iron. It is an absolute pleasure to use.

You won't believe how quickly it reaches the set temperature; just wait a few seconds after turning it on and you are ready to solder. That is its best feature.

 

[Coolabah]

I use a soldering iron fairly often - I now have three. Started off with a mains operated pencil type. Then bought a portasol ( works on lighter gas -butane ?) and then finally sprung for a station. Best of all the worlds ! I use the fuel solder iron when there is no power point or too difficult to find one - does the job. Mains pencil - still gets use for non-bench jobs . Solder station for when I am at the bench , or quite often I will carry it to a job 'cos I really prefer it to solder with. Oh, and it heats up really quick, mine has a temp readout- what's not to like ? If you use shrink tube, I really love using the hot exhaust air from the butane powered iron it really does the job .

 

[madcrisis]

I invested in a Weller station a few years back, after owning many, many pencil irons over the years.

I'm never going back to pencil irons. Ever.

Does that answer your question?

haha well the first one yes. Thats basically how i felt on monday while getting frustrated with my pencil.

Temp adjustment will be very beneficial if you're doing a variety of work. If you're going to rely on one soldering tool, check out the Hakko FX-888 or FX-888D. Very versatile, quality station at a decent price. Pistol type irons are sometimes more convenient under a dash, but most lack the fine control you'll get from a decent station. If I'm doing more than 2 or 3 wires, I drag the station over to the car. If you do any PCB work don't even bother with a pistol type iron or anything that doesn't have adjustable temps. With a station you can quickly change out the tips based on what you're working on. I keep a few sizes of pointed tips, as well as a couple chisel tips on hand.

I was readng reviews on the fx888d. Many people were saying that changing the temperature is a real pain. also it doesnt readout the current tip temperature, just the setting. Is this a convenient feature to have? and do any of the mid-range stations have that? (I get the higher end ones do but im not looking to break the bank on something I pull out once every few months) Part of me is telling me to just get an analog station for ease of use but I love gadgets so I do love the extra features.

Also on the tips, I assume quality tips are just as if not more important than the station itself? Whats the average price for the tips? pointed and chisel type? or do most people just stick with one or the other?

I appreciate all of the insight given here thus far. It seems that it is clear to get a decent station. Anyone have any experince with the knock off fleabay versions? Like I said this will see light use but I want to have something that will last me at least a decade so i dont mind spending the couple of extra bucks for a quality unit. It seems like theres really just two brands to look at being weller and Hakko. I know weller is a long time leader in the soldering game(Hakko may be too just never heard of them.) but I am open to anything as long as its a solid performing station that heats up fast and works every time.

 

[Davefr]

Here's what you need:

Weller WD1 station with tip assortment. It goes from 0-850 degrees in less then 30 seconds and has 85 watts of output.

Portasol. These are invaluable for portability.

Big *** Iron. You can buy these at G-sales super cheap. When you need tons of heat for big tasks these come in real handy.

 

[n8n]

A pencil is a necessity for field repairs, but a station is so much nicer.

I have the WES51 and like it; I've been told that the comparable Hakko model is nicer however. While you're at it get the Hakko scrunchie for tip cleaning, it's great.

 

[APEowner]

I have an older Hakko (I don't remember the model) station that I bought off of eBay that I use for bench work. For vehicle work I use a butane iron. For soldering wires temperature control isn't that critical and it's nice to be able to use the same tool for shrink tubing.

 

[HAP]

WD1 is the Boss...

 

[95riosnake]

I have been using a Tenma 21-147 for years and it's a nice little unit.

http://www.mcmelectronics.com/produ...iIzx6ABZ8OuJ7mlYiOol6N1JOUnY9nk6JsaAobJ8P8HAQ

The adjustable temperature is nice, and the price isn't bad at all.

 

[PKile]

I really like my Weller WES51 It has a 50 watt pencil iron and is adjustable from 350 to 850 F. You can get a variety of tips for large or small jobs. I got mine off amazon for around $90.00. I leave it on my bench but it can be easily transported to the car and set on the floor or by the engine compartment.

+1 on the WES51...really easy to change temp, and it fits into my electronic tool suitcase (cheap Harbor Freight one). I have dumped at least 2 of my old pencil irons, but keep a decent Weller one as a contingency. I also have an old Weller soldering gun for operating on heavy duty stuff like Lucas dynamos when they let the smoke out of the system.

 

[bareass172]

I bought this station after a lot of research:
http://www.amazon.com/Aoyue-Programmable-Digital-Soldering-Station/dp/B00BSW69LI/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1410375890&sr=8-3
Some people complain because of it's COO, but it had great reviews so I gave it a shot. I use it constantly and haven't had an issue yet. It did arrive with the heating element destroyed, but the company replaced the entire pencil for me, no hassle. I bought it when it was ~$65 and for the price you can't argue. It comes with a bunch of extra size tips, an extra heating element, a nice stand, etc. It has a lot of great features, heats up super fast, all what you'd expect from a bench iron. I don't know how I lived before it. It is my understanding that it takes standard Hakko tips, but since it came with so many I haven't had to buy new ones yet. I can tell you that it heats up to almost 900 degrees (adjustable) which covers any big stuff I need. My only complaint is that the cord is too short, but I plan to make an extension and then the unit can be re-calibrated if necessary.

 

[quattroJoe]

I was readng reviews on the fx888d. Many people were saying that changing the temperature is a real pain. also it doesnt readout the current tip temperature, just the setting. Is this a convenient feature to have? and do any of the mid-range stations have that? (I get the higher end ones do but im not looking to break the bank on something I pull out once every few months) Part of me is telling me to just get an analog station for ease of use but I love gadgets so I do love the extra features.

I had the analog FX-888 for a while before upgrading to the FX-888D. Honestly, the digital controls and readout don't make much difference to me. The knob is certainly quicker for adjusting temps, but typically when I turn it on for a job I set the temp and don't change it until the next time I use it for something else. The FX-888D has five presets you can program, which is probably enough for most people (I mainly use three) and is quicker than entering the temp manually. As far as showing the set temp vs tip temp, supposedly the station can be calibrated to show the tip temp. The problem is different tips will reach different temps at the same setting, requiring calibration each time you change tips. Again, doesn't bother me. It could just say "hot" for all I care... As long as it's not 'too hot' or 'not hot enough,' which you can tell by the way the solder flows and penetrates the work piece, fine temp measurements won't matter 99% of the time.

Also on the tips, I assume quality tips are just as if not more important than the station itself? Whats the average price for the tips? pointed and chisel type? or do most people just stick with one or the other?

I tend to favor chisel tips for most work, though I do like larger pencil tips for heavier gauge wire. I think I paid about $8/each last time I bought tips. I always buy Hakko tips based on their fit info, not sure if other brands are interchangeable.

I appreciate all of the insight given here thus far. It seems that it is clear to get a decent station. Anyone have any experince with the knock off fleabay versions? Like I said this will see light use but I want to have something that will last me at least a decade so i dont mind spending the couple of extra bucks for a quality unit. It seems like theres really just two brands to look at being weller and Hakko. I know weller is a long time leader in the soldering game(Hakko may be too just never heard of them.) but I am open to anything as long as its a solid performing station that heats up fast and works every time.

I also have an Aoyue hot air rework station that's been decent, though I've never used their irons. Surprisingly decent for what is essentially a Chinese no-name. Tenma isn't bad, but man is it a world of difference moving from a Tenma station to a Hakko! I wouldn't buy a Tenma with intentions of using it for 10 years (although it may last that long.) I always hear great things about Weller, and I like their pistol style irons, but I was underwhelmed by their pencil irons and never really considered them when moving up to a station. I'd stay away fromRadio Shack irons- they're complete garbage, they couldn't pay me to haul them away.

 

[kt425]

I would recommend getting a temperature controlled soldering station like the Hakko FX-888D. It's the digital model for the discontinued FX-888. Because it's temperature controlled you will always know exactly what temperature your tip is at, which keeps you from overheating it and having it oxidize. It also has great heat recovery, which means it returns to it's set temperature fairly quickly after each solder joint you make. It's also nice because it has pre-set modes and a sleep mode for when the iron is in it's holder. It's under $100 which is nice, and from what I researched Hakko is a good brand. A lot of people are still using their discontinued FX-888's because they are still working perfectly. Tips are also easy to come by in case you need to replace a few. I found this one online: http://www.gotopac.com/Hakko_FX888D_23BY_p/fx888d-23by-hak.htm


If you want to spend closer to $50, I did find this quick analog temperature controlled model for $65. However I'm not 100% familiar with the brand so I'm not sure how durable it is etc. It is temperature controlled which is something you should be looking for in a station. http://www.gotopac.com/Quick_Soldering_QUICK3103_p/quick3103.htm

From what I have gathered about just getting a pencil, is that there is no temperature control (even less with the cheaper radio shack models). With those you have no real idea what temperature the tip is at, which means you can overheat the tip and ruin it, or overheat what you are working on like a board etc. In this instance you really do get what you pay for. And if you are soldering frequently, it would be very well worth it to spend a little more money on a product that will last you longer. Hope that helps!