Hi,
I have been looking at various soldering irons/stations recently and found the following.
BAD:
Harbor Freight soldering gun. Burns up the tips quickly. They actually melt so they break in half after a short use.
Fix: Get new tips from Radio Shack but you might have to lower the total power to the gun somehow so the internal transformer does not burn up too. It gets too hot with the normal operating voltage.
Not recommended.
GOOD:
The Dremel butane soldering iron and mini torch.
This thing works pretty well and gets hot enough to solder most joints. Tips are expensive though so i hope the only one that comes with it lasts. Also works as a torch and hot air tool with the included attachments. Use high quality butane.
Highly recommended.
QUESTIONABLE:
907A soldering station 'handles' which are really irons, all seem to be rated at 60 watts when for sale but are not even 50 watts, they are really 36 watts. They will still solder most IC's though.
Recommended if you need to solder DIP packages and the like, anything that will solder with a 36 watt iron. Not recommended for heavy connections.
GOOD and BAD and QUESTIONABLE:
Soldering stations that claim the soldering iron is rated for 60 watts. Many are rated for only 36 watts not 60. My guess is many that are rated for 50 watts are really 36 watts too. They still work though, for regular IC soldering.
ALSO BAD:
Soldering iron handle 'heating elements'. Very bad not because many are overrated (that's bad too though), but because vendors dont seem to have any specific part number for a given element. This means you might get the wrong element which wont work in your soldering station. One part number can result in a unit that has a thermocouple or one that has a PTC resistive sensor and the two work very differently.
Best bet is to buy the whole handle which will have a part number like 907A or 907F.
I have been looking at various soldering irons/stations recently and found the following.
BAD:
Harbor Freight soldering gun. Burns up the tips quickly. They actually melt so they break in half after a short use.
Fix: Get new tips from Radio Shack but you might have to lower the total power to the gun somehow so the internal transformer does not burn up too. It gets too hot with the normal operating voltage.
Not recommended.
GOOD:
The Dremel butane soldering iron and mini torch.
This thing works pretty well and gets hot enough to solder most joints. Tips are expensive though so i hope the only one that comes with it lasts. Also works as a torch and hot air tool with the included attachments. Use high quality butane.
Highly recommended.
QUESTIONABLE:
907A soldering station 'handles' which are really irons, all seem to be rated at 60 watts when for sale but are not even 50 watts, they are really 36 watts. They will still solder most IC's though.
Recommended if you need to solder DIP packages and the like, anything that will solder with a 36 watt iron. Not recommended for heavy connections.
GOOD and BAD and QUESTIONABLE:
Soldering stations that claim the soldering iron is rated for 60 watts. Many are rated for only 36 watts not 60. My guess is many that are rated for 50 watts are really 36 watts too. They still work though, for regular IC soldering.
ALSO BAD:
Soldering iron handle 'heating elements'. Very bad not because many are overrated (that's bad too though), but because vendors dont seem to have any specific part number for a given element. This means you might get the wrong element which wont work in your soldering station. One part number can result in a unit that has a thermocouple or one that has a PTC resistive sensor and the two work very differently.
Best bet is to buy the whole handle which will have a part number like 907A or 907F.
