Need Help Getting A New Soldering Iron

[Kid Neon]

Hi everyone,
I need a new soldering iron but I'm not sure what kind to get, what brand and where to get it from?
Reece

 

[flat5]

What will you use it for? Building a house or a watch?
How many times will you use it. One day or twenty years?

 

[bassnut]

For stained glass windows, 200w will do, for SMT, 40w temp controlled is the go, for general electronic work, a Tandy 50w special is fine, depends on what you want to spend ?, a far too general question.

 

[3v0]

Given that this an electronics forum it is a good bet that the OP is doing electronics.

The topic has come up here several time. If you search the forum you will find a good deal of information.

Having said that what you ge depends on what sort of electronics you are doing and your budget.

 

[JKF1000]

I will assume you need it for circuit board work, a temperature controlled unit would be best, but i use either a 12watt and a 18 watt for small circuit work, and I have a 30 watt iron and 100watt soldering gun for cable work and fitting solderable plugs(PL259 etc.)

It all depends on what you intend using it for, hope this helps, Karl.

PS, whatever iron you use, keep the tip clean, and it will last a lot longer.

 

[Kid Neon]

I wish to use it for a alot of circuit board soldering and other little things and I would be useing it almost every day.
Reece

 

[danielsmusic]

I use an Antex iron (30 watt). I've had it for a very long time and it has served me well. It was only £5 too.

I can't seem to find one of the same type now though

 

[3v0]

....... budget ?

 

[JKF1000]

Hi there Reece, if it's just for general electronics work, I would go for a good quality Antex iron, probably around 15 to 18 watt, get yourself a assortment of tips for your iron and it should serve you well for years and replacement parts are easily obtainable, a little more expensive than your DIY shop specials, but well worth the extra, Karl.

 

[nickelflippr]

Went thru this a while ago myself. Based on searching this forum, a good mid-range solder station would run you between $50-80 USD, either in new or near new condition. Constant temperature seemed important to some, and the availability of a wide range of tips was another.

Was able to pick up an as new Weller WCPT station on ebay at a good discount to retail. With a 0.015" tip, you can solder TSSOP smt IC's with a steady hand. I am sure there are other very capable stations, but have been pleased with the performance of the WCPT.

 

[geko]

Okay guys, Reece (Kid Neon) has been emailing me for over a month now about a project on my website.

He sent me a link to a soldering iron on e-bay which didn't look too clever and as I pointed out to him if you can't get replacement tips for it then it's not really a cheap buy.

If he lived in the UK I would have pointed him in the right direction but since he lives in Australia I can't really advise him.

So to rephrase Reece's original post:

Can anyone suggest

• a budget soldering iron for electronics circuit construction
• that he can obtain replacement tips for
• where in Aus' can he buy it? (Company name, web address etc)
• Remember he is only 12yrs old, a $100 iron would be nice but I think his Mum & Dad aren't going to go for it