What's a decent quality but not too expensive soldering iron
What's a decent quality but not too expensive soldering iron
Looking for one. My buddy got a cheap-o one from RadioShack for less than $20 but he said it sucks.
Last edited by Tancred on Sat Jul 25, 2009 11:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: What's a decent quality but not too expensive soldering iron
Tell you the truth, even though I HATE Radio Shack (see my hate thread on the matter) the solder irons aren't that bad. I have 3 different irons from Radio Shit and I've used them to wire the electronics in guitars, modify wah pedals, build repro carts, and other minor uses.
But if you must buy another brand, I have two Weller irons that are pretty good too.
But if you must buy another brand, I have two Weller irons that are pretty good too.
Re: What's a decent quality but not too expensive soldering iron
I also use a RadioShack soldering iron and I think it works very well.
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jackspicer
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Re: What's a decent quality but not too expensive soldering iron
Hakko makes a great soldering iron, If you solder alot like i do its well worth the extra money. http://www.frys.com/product/2764183?sit ... IN_RSLT_PG
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Re: What's a decent quality but not too expensive soldering iron
How does one even measure the quality of a soldering iron? It's basically a piece of metal that gets hot. Kind of hard to screw that up. The quality of the tips is important, but you can get those separately and should be replacing them periodically anyway.
Re: What's a decent quality but not too expensive soldering iron
It really depends on how often you expect on soldiering, and what you're trying to soldier. A Weller station is a great way to go, but if you're just soldiering car stereo's, a radio shack iron will work fine. If you're trying to soldier an XBOX controller to happ controls for a custom arcade stick, please invest in a Weller or comparable iron.
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Re: What's a decent quality but not too expensive soldering iron
Like I said, I've used my Radio Shit irons for major jobs (even though I own Weller irons). When I finally build my own MAME cab, I'll probably use my Radio Shit iron.
I'm pretty sure the tip on my Weller iron degraded faster than the tip on my Radio Shack iron. But it's pretty easy to measure the quality. Consistency of heat for starters. How comfortable the iron is to hold, and how well insulated it is. I wouldn't say the quality of the tip is all that important. It's just that a shittier quality tip will degrade faster and will have to be replaced more often.Mozgus wrote:How does one even measure the quality of a soldering iron? It's basically a piece of metal that gets hot. Kind of hard to screw that up. The quality of the tips is important, but you can get those separately and should be replacing them periodically anyway.
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skate323k137
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Re: What's a decent quality but not too expensive soldering iron
more expensive irons have regulated temperatures to keep you from damaging high-end components. cheaper ones can overheat.Mozgus wrote:How does one even measure the quality of a soldering iron? It's basically a piece of metal that gets hot. Kind of hard to screw that up. The quality of the tips is important, but you can get those separately and should be replacing them periodically anyway.
that being said I use cheap ones, but I also don't use them for too long at a time.
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Re: What's a decent quality but not too expensive soldering iron
I was thinking of picking up a cheap soldering iron so I could do a few modifications of my own... Anything else I should pick up as a potential modder in training?
Re: What's a decent quality but not too expensive soldering iron
Desolder device - comes in handy a lot, but sometimes you just straight up NEED one.
Spare tip for your iron - it costs a buck or two and it's easier to buy it with your iron (so you know which one your iron takes) rather than having to find which one to get when you need it.
Solder - it's what a solder iron is for. I use 60%-tin/40%-lead rosin solder, pretty standard.
Wire - depending on what gauge you need, I use stereo wire for a lot of things. If you buy a 30ft spool of stereo wire, you're getting 60ft of usable wire. Pay attention to solid or braided conductor, it depends what you're doing. Solid conductor is better for most things, but braided can be good too. For smaller gauges (such as 30AWG) I've been using Kynar wire.
Tools - it's great to have an arsenal of great tools, having the right tool for the job is key. Wire strippers/cutters, very small screw drivers, very small needle nose pliers, picking tools, etc.
Some kind of stand with alligator clips - depending on what you're doing. If you're working on a PCB, you'll pretty much NEED one. It's extremely hard trying to remove a capacitor, resistor, etc from a PCB with out a third arm. I got a nice one from Radio Shit (one of the few purchases from there that I actually like). It has a decently heavy base, two alligator clips, solder iron holder, and a sponge pad (to clean the iron with). Oh yeah, it has a magnifying glass too but I don't use it.
Get a worthless PCB from some where... An old computer part or motherboard, cordless phone, broken game system/controller, security light, refrigerator from the side of the road, alarm clock, etc. Work on it! Remove capacitors and resistors then replace them, try to solder wires to points on the PCB, etc. If there's a guide to a mod you'd like to do in the future, try and simulate what needs to be done using your worthless PCB. Practice makes perfect.
Spare tip for your iron - it costs a buck or two and it's easier to buy it with your iron (so you know which one your iron takes) rather than having to find which one to get when you need it.
Solder - it's what a solder iron is for. I use 60%-tin/40%-lead rosin solder, pretty standard.
Wire - depending on what gauge you need, I use stereo wire for a lot of things. If you buy a 30ft spool of stereo wire, you're getting 60ft of usable wire. Pay attention to solid or braided conductor, it depends what you're doing. Solid conductor is better for most things, but braided can be good too. For smaller gauges (such as 30AWG) I've been using Kynar wire.
Tools - it's great to have an arsenal of great tools, having the right tool for the job is key. Wire strippers/cutters, very small screw drivers, very small needle nose pliers, picking tools, etc.
Some kind of stand with alligator clips - depending on what you're doing. If you're working on a PCB, you'll pretty much NEED one. It's extremely hard trying to remove a capacitor, resistor, etc from a PCB with out a third arm. I got a nice one from Radio Shit (one of the few purchases from there that I actually like). It has a decently heavy base, two alligator clips, solder iron holder, and a sponge pad (to clean the iron with). Oh yeah, it has a magnifying glass too but I don't use it.
Get a worthless PCB from some where... An old computer part or motherboard, cordless phone, broken game system/controller, security light, refrigerator from the side of the road, alarm clock, etc. Work on it! Remove capacitors and resistors then replace them, try to solder wires to points on the PCB, etc. If there's a guide to a mod you'd like to do in the future, try and simulate what needs to be done using your worthless PCB. Practice makes perfect.