( did i just type up another long and winded post??? well you better read the whole thing anyways or you will miss out )
legofan623 said:
I'd stay away from the cheaper Weller irons, they start sucking really fast, and the tips get eaten away pretty bad after a month. If you're on a budget, this one will do you well:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MCVCHJM/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_wU0QvbB0H8DMS
so you are recommending to avoid a cheaper weller yet also recommending to buy a 3rd class piece of crap?
there are many good soldering stations out there but the problem i see is most people dont want to spend the money for a good station....
as demonstrated above...cheap iron, while maybe 2x better than a typical 15$ lightning rod iron its still hard to confirm its worth without a side by side showdown with a real soldering station..
these irons are build down to a target cost to out sell the other crap irons on the market...
legofan623 does at least have the right idea of looking for a temp control soldering station....but with a range showing 1-8, how can you be certain of your actual temp...you dont know the temp ramp unless you buy another piece of equipment to test temperature at the irons tip...
while a digital display is not mandatory, at least you can have an actual degree displayed for reference and monitor performance based on the temp degree shown....
even if the temp is off by actual 15*, you still have a constant reference to go by rather than a position on a dial to hope you are at your desired temp...
the main thing to consider is if you want to spend as little as possible and hope your purchase was a good buy or spend a solid 100$ on a known, tried, tested, and proven brand that will perform and make your life so much easier....
as stated above these are good choices and you cannot go wrong with either of of these:
Weller WES-51 / WESD51 with 50w iron is a good choice....
Hakko FX-888D with 70w is a better choice for the price with a little more power available for thermal recovery....
watch out with hakko clones, they have flooded the market, only buy from distributor or hakko.com or hakkousa.com
also one more important variable to this:
do not be scared of used irons on ebay...
at the most you might need a new 5$ tip...
this is an easy way to pick up a great performing iron at maybe 1/2 the price of new...
whats 1/2 of 100$......50$
what do some of those clones and low budget irons sell for....30$-60$
factor that into your consideration on which iron to choose....