Quick soldering iron Qn

jackio

I've read all the topics in search. 

I'm replacing my old v cheap 30W pencil iron and want to get something that works for making cables, also inside guitar maybe once every 2 years.

The consensus is 'buy a 25W Antex, it's all you'll need.' Or 'buy a Hakko 888 it's so good to have a great iron'.

Price difference is £100. Want to buy once. 

Which should I buy please??

Danny1969

Secondhand 24V Weller station ... bout £60 on Ebay. I solder professionally from cables, guitars to replacing sm components on laptop motherboards and it's all down on a 24V Weller. Mine's done 20 years without a problem but I brought a spare on Ebay for £45 a few months back

jackio

Ah great thanks. I read that 'all the new Hakko are fake on eBay'. I'm guessing a second hand is less likely to be fake? 

jackio

Hmmm, prices seem to have gone up. I can buy the station for £50-60 but would need an iron on top of that...

Danny1969

jackio said:

Ah great thanks. I read that 'all the new Hakko are fake on eBay'. I'm guessing a second hand is less likely to be fake? 

Yeah they fake new stuff but don't bother faking something that's 10 years or more. People nick Wellers from work, been industry standard for 30 years so they are always on Ebay 

jackio

Moved to making and modding 

jackio

@Danny1969 ;
I can't find what you describe for less than around £130 

Funkfingers

Anybody got any recommendations for irons to use on pickup covers and amplifier PCB tracks, please?

jackio

Funkfingers said:

Anybody got any recommendations for irons to use on pickup covers and amplifier PCB tracks, please?

I found loads on this searching. There's a few pick up builders who have posted about this. I can't remember detail but super easy to find. More power was the idea...

PeteC

Temperature controlled Hakkos are had to beat IMHO.  
I used all sorts of other irons for years and switched to a Hakko about 4 years ago and haven't looked back - everything from pedal builds, valve amps, DIY synths, and studio rack gear - all done with the Hakko. 

Danny1969

jackio said:

@Danny1969 ;
I can't find what you describe for less than around £130 

They have gone up since lockdown it seems like most things. It's a sellers market for DIY, garden and bikes at the mo. 

Anyhow I recommend them because they really are bullet proof and capable of any kind of soldering ... plus the spares are cheap and plentiful 

@Funkfingers ; any decent iron is capable of multiple tasks without even changing the tip. You just need an iron that maintains it's temperature when pressed against a colder surface .... a bit like a regulated voltage stays constant under load. Once the iron has heated whatever your soldering it's the flow of solder that further heats not the iron ... so I can use the same conical tip I use to resolder micro USB ports on Samsung tablets to solder back of pots, very large capacitor tracks on 1000 watt SMPS amps etc

jackio

So @Danny1969 will the 25W antex keep its heat or lose it when pressed to a cold surface? 

My current 30W cools down and takes ages to heat up again, with new tip. 

Is that the issue with a 25W (good quality) iron? Just want to get jobs done well not faffing waiting for the tool to reheat

jackio

Btw really greatful for the advice. I don’t know what I don’t know so your collective experiences are valuable

Danny1969

jackio said:

So @Danny1969 will the 25W antex keep its heat or lose it when pressed to a cold surface? 

My current 30W cools down and takes ages to heat up again, with new tip. 

Is that the issue with a 25W (good quality) iron? Just want to get jobs done well not faffing waiting for the tool to reheat

A cheap iron is just an element heated by a current. Basically a 2 wire system with no feedback. A good iron has a sensor in the heating part and when the temperature drops with contact to the working surface it feeds back to the station and  the station increase the power to maintain heat. So you need a temperature controlled iron to achieve this, which all the good ones are. 
You might be fine with a cheaper TC station like a Durtotool from CPC. If your only soldering now and then it will probably last you years. My irons on for around 4 hours a day every day so it was worth me paying £400 originally 20 years ago. 

PeteC

Yep the duratool stuff is pretty decent and not too expensive.   I have their desoldering station and it’s been fine. 

jackio

This is really helpful again. 

Ok, I've put a bid in on a 50W adjustable temp iron at £70. It will be way better than what I've got.

axisus

I bought a cheap one in a kit for about £15 off of ebay. It has a little dial to change the temperature and it's been brilliant. Came with a few tips and had no problem at all attaching a metal humbucker cover.