Quality soldering iron

[Geoff Pearson]

For a long time I used a Henley Solon soldering iron (25W I think) but that broke after 20 years. What do people reckon is a quality replacement capable of fine soldering on PCBs and so on?

Geoff

[Andrew Mawson]

Has to be a Weller for me with the thermostatic interchangeable tips. This sort of thing:

Tips are available in a wide variety of shapes and temperatures

AWEM

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Well, a Solon 25 watt was never any use for that anyway. Dates back to the days of tag strips rather than PCBs.

A decent low voltage 50 watt temperature controlled type is the best. Plenty of budget ones around which I have no experience of. Priced at about 30 quid.

I have an Antex which is great - but of course costs much more. Weller is the other common quality make. Both offer easy to obtain spare bits with a variety of different sizes and all spares as needed. I'd probably go for a secondhand one of those rather than a new cheapie. Plenty on Ebay.

[newshound]

My Solon (from the late 60's) is still working; don't do much electronics these days, I have a relatively cheap eBay variable temperature one which works fine. It came with spare elements, round and chisel.

[Theo Markettos]

I'm a recent convert to the Metcal SmartHeat irons, which are powered by an RF heating system. The handpiece is very light, and because it's RF you have instant response in a thin pen-like iron - one minute you can be soldering chunky connectors and the next hair-like wire, and it responds perfectly.

We have one of these:

Very nice, but ain't cheap.

Theo

[cl]

When I graduated from a Solon to an Antex (certainly more than 20 years ago) I was amazed at how bad the Solon must have been!

Yes, lots of them around that price. I have one similar to the ones that both Maplin and CPC sell, digital temperature display, quick warm-up and 'just works'. What more could you want?

[mick]

I'd suggest something like this:

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I hardly ever alter the temperature of mine - and it copes with both of those examples perfectly. The solder, after all, needs a given temp to melt. A larger object will need a larger bit so the ability to vary the temperature extra quickly isn't IMHO a priority. My home made solder station allows me to switch between two irons - and I have my two most commonly used bits on those. My Antex 50w takes about 30 secs to reach operating temp from cold.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I'd want one with guaranteed spares availability and a wide selection of bits easily obtained.

[Brian Gaff]

Weller just don't know!

Sorry.

Brian

[Jules Richardson]

How easy is it to make new bits? Are they made of unobtainium, or is there generally some reason that they can't be can't be fabricated at home? Always wondered that, never tried actually doing it... :-)

tbh I tend to use a 25W iron with a larger bit and a 13W iron with either a smaller angled bit or a bit with a fine point for the really delicate stuff.

Maybe a temp-controlled iron would be better, but I've never really found anything that I can't do with the non-controlled ones (the exception being when the 25W iron doesn't really have enough guts to work on a really big joint, but such situations have been rare)

cheers

Jules

[Dave Liquorice]

If you make 'em from a lump of copper the copper disolves in the solder. Commercial bits are iron plated to prevent this.

[Theo Markettos]

I normally use a Weller digital temperature-controlled station, and I have a Weller TCP at home. The Metcal blows them away, it's that much nicer to use. I think partly because it's proportional control - it isn't just an on/off thermostat that most temp-controlled have. When you touch the joint, heat starts conducting into it and a thermostatted iron gets cooler until the stat kicks in: the Metcal ramps up the heating to compensate proportionally so it's always at the same temperature. And it's the size and weight of a fountain pen (OK, slightly longer and with a wire out the back).

I always use a large-ish bit (3-4mm), even for fine SMD. Getting the heat into the joint is the most important aspect, and a fat bit is good for that. For fine stuff you make surface tension do the work for you, the size of the bit isn't the key.

Theo

[John Rumm]

The proper ones are iron clad copper. So you get very good conductivity, without the downside of the bit being eaten by the flux. Probably not easy to make you own.

The bigger ones can come in handy for some lead free work (that tends to need higher temperatures) and also for some desoldering tasks.

[Jules Richardson]

Thanks (& to John)! :)

(Makes sense, too - years ago I do remember trying to re-shape a damaged bit, and it didn't last long)

I just did a quick google, and iron plating onto copper seems to be quite a common (relatively-speaking) question. It sounds like it's a bit more difficult for the hobbyist than some other forms of plating, although perhaps not impossible... but then if you have an iron with readily- available bits, probably not worth the hassle.

cheers

J.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I know Weller is the 'standard' but I far prefer Antex. *Much* lighter, smaller and nicer to use.

My Antex simply never runs out of heat when doing normal soldering. So it's irrelevant as to how it controls the temperature. Might be if you were using it for something where fine control was necessary - but nothing I ever do does.

My standard bit has a 1mm round tip. Ideal for pretty well all non surface mount PCBs.

[Rick Hughes]

I had a really good profession temp controlled iron ... failed I also have an old Antex .... at least 20 yr old now and still as good as new. Only complaint is mains lead is not as flexible as it should be.

I have a small propane portable one for working on boat etc. (quite good in fact) Wife never quite twigged that I refill it using the refills for he curling tongs.

[Archibald]

Depends on the useage and your soldering skills what iron to use.

A copper bit is far better than an iron coated one for the odd joint or two. You have to free off the thing on a very regular basis though as they "become one with the rest of the iron" very easily.

Will not completely prevent the bit disolving, but it is very effective.

A temperature controlled iron is great if you leave the thing on for long periods of time without it being used although the Weller units with the control station have a terrific range of bits to choose from.

I used all types of iron and generally wacked the Weller up full if more than the odd couple of joints were needed.

Apart from this the irons were much of a muchness. The main disadvantage of the 25W solon was the bits tendency to seize. Sometimes a weeks use would see the end of one. They would be left on all day every day in a workshop though.

Another plus point incidentally was the fact that the bits were far more versatile. A different size of bit was only as far away as the file.

I don't know if they still do them, but Weller used to supply bits based on the Curie effect. The bit had a size and temperature rating. They were junk!

HN

[John Rumm]

Probably depends on which weller... I much prefer my Antex irons to the old lumpy magnastat wellers, but some of the digital control ones are much nicer to hold.

I find trying to desolder from multilayer boards which have heafty power plane vias becomes a problem with mine (e.g. recapping a motherboard). I normally have to resort to hot air for those.

I have never got on with a round tip - much prefer one with a bevelled flat on it of some sort.

[cl]

Aren't a lot of the temperature controlled irons using ceramic bits now? I don't think the bit of my iron has any metal in it.