Soldering iron

scolfax · Post by **scolfax** » 05 Jan 2013, 23:24

I'm shopping for a soldering iron. I already have two crappy Radio Shack ones, want to get one for pedal mods and builds that will hold up over time.

Wampler's book recommends the Weller WP35 http://www.amazon.com/Weller-WP35-35-Wa ... roduct_top
Guitarpcb.com recommends the CSI-STATION1A http://www.circuitspecialists.com/csi-station1a.html

Price aside, which should I get? I would have just bought the Weller, but the top Amazon review says "not the best choice for PCB electronics work", which confused me. Also another review said it gave off "too much heat" for very small components. But good enough for a pro like Wampler to recommend has to mean something, right?

sclemmer · Post by **sclemmer** » 06 Jan 2013, 23:31

I recommend this one:

As well as this tip to go with it in addition to the tip that comes with the iron:

Greenmachine · Post by **Greenmachine** » 07 Jan 2013, 03:17

I love my WP35. That Hakko looks good though too, and it comes with a stand.

CHEEZOR · Post by **CHEEZOR** » 24 Jan 2013, 23:42

I still use my RadioShack one I bought over 10 years ago. It seems to be fine as long as I replace the tips (or resurface them on a belt sander). I'm sure there are better soldering irons out there, but this one has worked extremely well for me over the years.