Need soldering iron recommendation

[Raymond Fries]

I need to get a soldering iron for electronics. To build a drone racer, I need something to solder wires to circuit boards and maybe solder wires together. I have read that something in the 20 to 40 watt range is good. What is something decent without breaking the bank?

Thanks

[Mike Henderson]

If you have an electronics store (like Fry's in this area) you can get a wide selection of soldering irons. It's not a high tech item so almost any will do - unless you have some special requirements. I have a couple of irons, and I think they're about 25 watts. A few times I had some project where I wished for a larger one but not enough to go buy one.

There are some that get hot immediately but the cheaper ones take a while to heat up and then stay hot as long as you have them plugged in.

I don't remember how much I paid for the last one I bought but I think it was about $20.

The first one I bought - which I still have and it still works - was in about 1960.

Mike

[Tom M King]

Just shop ebay. I still use one from building Heathkits a long time ago. It's nice to have one with a stand. Today, I'd go higher tech and spend 30 bucks on one with a control and LED display.

[Peter Kelly]

Hakko 888.

https://www.amazon.com/Hakko-Digital-Soldering-Station-Wire/dp/B00BQ7BCX0

[Adam Herman]

get a station and not a pen. even if it is one of the cheaper weller or non-hakko's though, the hakko's are worth it and will last a life time.

[Dave Lehnert]

I work as an Electrical Assembler and this Weller unit is the standard used in shops.
https://www.amazon.com/Weller-WES51-Analog-Soldering-Station/dp/B000BRC2XU/ref=sr_1_2?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1466991606&sr=1-2&keywords=weller+soldering+station

We have one worker that just makes cables all day long and her station is on all day everyday. A workhorse.

I happened to luck out when an electronics store was just going trough their problems. I was looking for a soldering station and noticed on the web they listed one reg $129 for $15. Next day after work I ran down to the local store and one was on the shelf with no price, I asked the clerk to scan it. Came up something like $12. I said sold. Could tell the clerk was a little upset he did not know it was so cheap.

[Tom M King]

Mine is a Weller similar to that from the early 1970's. It still works like it did when it was new.

[John K Jordan]

I work as an Electrical Assembler and this Weller unit is the standard used in shops.
https://www.amazon.com/Weller-WES51-Analog-Soldering-Station/dp/B000BRC2XU/ref=sr_1_2?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1466991606&sr=1-2&keywords=weller+soldering+station


That is the exact model I use for all my electronics work. I still have two older Weller industrial soldering irons that still work great (I reserve one of the older ones for welding plastic) but this one is my new favorite.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BRC2XU/

339828

BTW, I use it with this:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005C789EU

339829 (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005C789EU)

JKJ

[Art Mann]

I worked in a high volume electronics manufacturing plant and they had literally hundreds of the soldering station in operation, mostly for repair operations. I don't recall ever seeing a broken one and most of them were turned on at 6:00 in the morning, used continuously all day and then turned off at about 3:30. If I needed one today, that is what I would buy.

[Ted Calver]

Hakko 888.

https://www.amazon.com/Hakko-Digital-Soldering-Station-Wire/dp/B00BQ7BCX0

Plus 1 on the Hakko. Well worth it.

[Jerome Stanek]

I use a Stahl like this one Have had it for over 10 years

http://www.parts-express.com/stahl-tools-ssvt-variable-temperature-soldering-iron-station--374-100?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=pla

[Roger Feeley]

I'm not an electronics guy but when I was in the market, a friend helped me select the Weller WESD51 which is a basic digital one. His rationale was that some components are sensitive to overheating so it's a good idea to control the temperature pretty carefully. Don't use more heat than you need. It's worked really well for a long time.

https://www.amazon.com/Weller-Digital-Soldering-Additional-Screwdriver/dp/B00NQAVLE0/ref=sr_1_7?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1467044272&sr=1-7&refinements=p_89%3AWeller
(https://www.amazon.com/Weller-Digital-Soldering-Additional-Screwdriver/dp/B00NQAVLE0/ref=sr_1_7?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1467044272&sr=1-7&refinements=p_89%3AWeller)

[Stephen Tashiro]

I need to get a soldering iron for electronics

It's worth mentioning that one of the practical problems in soldering electronics is to keep the tip of the soldering iron clean. And a more basic practical problem if you buy a "pen" vs a "station" is where you are going to set the soldering iron down without melting something or accidentally burning yourself. So when you consider your setup, keep those problems in mind.

Some soldering stations have a container to keep a damp sponge to clean the tip. Some people prefer to clean the tip when the tip is cold.

[Erik Loza]

+ 1 on the Weller WES-51.

Erik

[Jeff Monson]

I do alot of RC racing, I'd second any vote for a station, Hako is very good. I'd also recommend getting one with a heat gun option. You will find yourself using more heat shrink than before.

[John K Jordan]

I'd also recommend getting one with a heat gun option. You will find yourself using more heat shrink than before.

I use a lot of heat shrink tubing but I like a separate heat gun for other uses as well. (melting beeswax for finishes at the lathe, etc.)

I have several but I found this mini heat gun, real cheap and has plenty of heat for small jobs:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003N3G4WY

JKJ

[Raymond Fries]

Great suggestions everyone. Thanks.

Had not thought about the heat gun. I have one that I use for monocote on my R/C planes and will have to see if it is OK for heat shrink tubing.

[Dave Lehnert]

Great suggestions everyone. Thanks.

Had not thought about the heat gun. I have one that I use for monocote on my R/C planes and will have to see if it is OK for heat shrink tubing.



Heat gun does not have to be fancy.
At my last job they supplied us with a heavy duty gun like this. last a lifetime but was too heavy to use all day.
http://www.uline.com/Product/Detail/H-491/Heat-Guns/Deluxe-Heat-Gun?pricode=WY634&gadtype=pla&id=H-491&gclid=CPWr6_3Zyc0CFQepaQodNNIPgg&gclsrc=aw.ds

So a lot of us purchased a lighter weight cheap gun from Harbor Freight. They would only last us at work for a year or less. It has lasted for a few years in my limited use at home.
http://www.harborfreight.com/1500-watt-dual-temperature-heat-gun-572-1112-96289.html

I now use a Porter Cable Heat gun at my job and it works very well. Great gun at a great price. Use it most every day.
https://www.amazon.com/PORTER-CABLE-PC1500HG-1500-Watt-Heat-Gun/dp/B004Q04X44?ie=UTF8&ref_=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top

[John K Jordan]

Had not thought about the heat gun. I have one that I use for monocote on my R/C planes and will have to see if it is OK for heat shrink tubing.

You don't need much for most heat shrink. For years I just used the side of the soldering iron near the base of the tip - not especially pretty but no one was critiquing. I've used a butane lighter as well - the long nozzle kind they sell these days are perfect but I don't think they made those in the 70s.

I didn't read all the posts, but in case they were not mentioned a few additional things really help with the electronics, in no particular order. If you lived close I might lend you all of these.

- small vise, some are made just for soldering and small circuit boards
- a "Helping Hand" with alligator clips with or without magnifier
- a solder sucker, or a bit of copper wick to unsolder things
- several sizes of good rosin core solder - I prefer ultra fine solder for little stuff.
- some liquid flux remover solvent and small brush for cleanup
- a good multimeter to test components before installing and debug circuits when done.
- a set of tiny heat sink clamps for protecting heat-sensitive components
- a conductive pad or work surface for static-sensitive components

I'm making the possible assumption that you are a beginner at this. If you already know all this, then sorry, nevermind! But if you are not experienced with soldering and working on electronics (or if someone else reading isn't) don't hesitate to ask. I, and I'm sure many others here, have been designing and building circuits and boards and things for decades. The computer memory boards I put together in the 70s had 1434 solder connections on each card! Good practice. BTW, if you are NOT experienced with soldering, I highly recommend getting some wires, maybe junk components, and a piece of tinned assembly board and practice a bunch before working on your project. Anyone in your area that plays with electronics would probably gladly give you things to practice on and some instruction if needed. A local Makers club is also a great resource. You can unsolder components from a junk board and practice soldering them back. And you can buy soldering practice kits on Amazon as a last resort.

Successful soldering is a skill involving a dance between the component/board/wires, solder, and soldering iron to get just enough but not too much heat and solder at just the right time. "Cold" solder joints, that might look OK but are not robustly conductive, are probably the biggest problem. I can't tell you how many things I've fixed where someone didn't practice soldering before starting on a project.

JKJ