soldering iron

Flashlight Modding and DIY Parts
1

what kind of soldering iron are you boys using

the ones i have seem to be to heavy duty for soldering small Led and driver wiring

i'm sure it is costing me more money in parts i have destroyed than it would be to buy a suitable soldering iron

cheers Barrie

2

I use an ungar soldering that has variable temps but i need a finer tip. for the really small jobs i have a 15/30 watt pencil iron.

3

A couple irons from since i started before I remember. Started with dads irons, 15watt, 25 watt, then after 10 years, got myself a 40 watt Temp controlled one, but the tips don't last long, and I still end up using a 40 watt standard $10 iron anyway.

Also got a 80 watter with a huge tip which ends up soldering 12gauge wires and reflowing emitters.

4

I use an Ungar(owned by Weller now) 7400 with a 45W element and pencil tip. I've been soldering for 20 years so 45W would probably be a bit much for someone learning. You should probably go the 30W route.

5

This is absolutely the best iron I have ever put my hands on only $40

It's a Chinese knockoff of the Japanese Hakko 936.

SKU 3297 from KD is a Hakko micro skinny tip that is perfect for soldering drivers and small stuff that fits this iron perfect.

http://kaidomain.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductId=1702

I highly recommend this iron it also comes with an extra heating element free and a calibration screw that is really unnecessary but nice to have.

I took mine apart when i got it because there were reports on amazon of improperly routed wiring but everything looked good inside.

I have been using mine for several months now it is holding up fine.

I would recommend this to go with it.

EDIT: We had Wellers were I used to work and I put this one a level above the Wellers.

6

I use a Weller pyropen wsta4 i like it because it's light weight its cordless and runs for around 3 hours on a full tank.

7

I've been soldering for over 40 years :) I have several Weller soldering irons of various wattages. I use some at work, and a few here at home.

These are what I use at home:

Weller WESD51 digital variable soldering station, a W100P temperature controlled iron for heavy duty work, and a 12 watt WM120 for delicate work. I use the WESD51 for 99% of the work I do. As far as solder, I have several 1 pound rolls of NOS Kester SN63 I got from my dad's hardware store back in the 70's. I use a solder sucker or solder wick for desoldering.

8

A 40w POS soldering iron with pointy tip. Gets the job done like a 200$ one for my needs but require meticoulous cleaning. Paid 24€ locally but probably worth no more than 15usd.

9

One that cost about $7 about 10 years ago from my local Wal-Mart. I want to get a better model but have other stuff I would rather spend my $$$ on first...

10

Maplin often have their 50W thermostatically controlled iron for a tenner - it is a good deal at that price.

For me, it's an OK deal at £20. £35 is typical Maplin taking the mickey though.

I've had one of these for ages though I'm not fond of spike tips - but they'll sell you a different set of tips for about four quid.

Personally, I'm not at all fond of gas irons, temperature control is hopeless. This is despite owning several of them.

11

Here's a promising-looking mini station on amazon for less than $20... Mixed reviews; mostly about smoking/smell. Sounds like it could be residue from the manufacturing process burning off though. For $18, I may bite...

12

..since this is BudgetLightForum, I admit that I have been using this one (from DX, $9.61).

It's GREAT for DIY work: Very inexpensive, good/working temperature adjustment, thin enough tip, has grounding clip, ...

13

thanks for your replys

that gives me a better idea of what i require

cheers Barrie

14

I used to have that same but it heated things up very poorly, maybe a bad one... Bought it here for 12€.

Now using that AOYUE and it´s great.

15

Buy a Metcal. Be Happy. Anything else is junk by comparison.

I've used Pace, Weller, Hakko, Ersa, and a bunch of others that weren't even good enough to remember. Every one of them is crap when compared to my 15 year old Metcal - and the newer Metcal units are even better.

PPtk

16

Am I missing something or you talking about soldering stations that cost $500 and up? Uhh… no thanks. I can get what I need done with “crap” and not put myself hundreds of more dollars in debt.

17

I've been using Weller Soldering Stations for over 30 years, and their irons for 40 +years. I find them excellent. I've made well over 100,000 solder joints with them. I'm not familiar with Metcal to be honest. For the price, they better be the best..

18

I would love to have a friend that have that much soldering experience as you to help me mod my X9 . I can't stand doing a crappy job on that beauty .

19

I would have loved to buy a Weller but for the money the Aoyue is one half the cost with all the same features.

I absolutely love this iron I have used it almost every day since I got it.

http://www.amazon.com/Aoyue-936-AOYUE-Soldering-Station/dp/B000VINMRO/re...

This is the comparable Weller unit I was going to buy $90 bucks same features almost an exact copy. But it got terrible write ups on amazon compared to the Aoyue which got great reviews.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BRC2XU/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000AS28UC&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0AGQVWKH3N041M20455H

I am very happy with my decision.

20

I use a Hakko 936. The tips last long and it heats up fast. I'm a freakin' artist when it comes to soldering...I love to solder and a decent iron makes all the difference. I posted a pic in this thread https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/768 of how to fix mode memory on some drivers. It shows off my soldering skill ;)