What makes a soldering iron good?

[selfblessed]

selfblessed, you're my hero! (And so is your avatar. )

What are the advantages to a gun rather than an iron?

In my opinion...the gun sucks. It gets hot quickly but you its big and bulky...the list goes on. To top it off that was the only soldering iron in the house for my first five years of me soldering. It was my dads old gun. We finally won enough "hobby" bucks to get a weller station from our local Hobby Town.

There is nothing like having ready heat on your soldering tip. I guess a gun would be okay if you were swapping pots and caps on a bass...but I have been messing around with circuits lately...I don't understand how dad did it.

 

[bassmodder]

I like the gun for wire. I like the iron for PCB and pots and small spaces. That being said, I have worked on SMT with a 100/140 watt weller before.

All really depends on how good you are with the tool.

 

[AEONmw]

musicelectronix pretty much covers it. I would only add a couple things: Comfortable grip, and a convenient stand. I do all of my own gear repairs, DIY'ing, and light duty production. I considered xytronic, but the one I wanted was out of stock at the opportune moment, so I ended up with a Hakko 936 that I am happy with.

..

..that's the setup I always use. Basically, I suck at everything I've ever tried in life, with one exception, which is soldering ! I've been soldering fine-pitch smt ( IPC-610 standard) for many many years, and for me it always gets back to the good ol' Hakko 936 with the 900M-T-S4 tip.

Recall that "Star Wars" films, the scenes where the Jedi reaches for his light sabre which is a few feet out of reach, and the light sabre magically flys to his grip. Well, I can do the same thing with my Hakko 936 !

 

[rustynuts]

I considered xytronic, but the one I wanted was out of stock at the opportune moment, so I ended up with a Hakko 936 that I am happy with.

Same one I use. Very happy with it too.

 

[Warpeg]

I've used an el-cheapo $25.00 Weller for several years. Instead of paying $100+ more for adustable temperature, I made my own variable control base that any soldering iron can plug into. Plain and simple, Weller irons rock! They last a very long time, have great tip selection and quality, and they won't break the bank.

 

[Scott in Dallas]

I wanted to post up, so I revived this thread rather than start a new one.

My second or third super cheapie iron died right when I needed it, so rather than get another one to replace it, I splurged and got the 25 dollar Weller Pro iron. I'd have gotten one of the conventional ones, but this was all that was in stock. It has a seven year warranty so hopefully it's the last one I need to buy for a while.

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It heats up in about 30 seconds, has an on/off switch and a light to tell you when it's on, and when it reaches operating temperature. The plug disconnects from the handle, it's comfortble to use, and it has a bright LED light to help you see what you're doing. I'm digging it so far.

 

[kful]

I just got a Hakko 936 on eBay. This is one of the best investments I've ever made. I never realized how bad Radio Shack stuff sucks, until I tried a nice soldering station.

 

[Ric5]

What makes a soldering iron good?

It melts lead.

 

[jmac]

I used to use a Pace MTB250 at my last job. I miss that rework station.

 

[D Rokk]

Did anybody else hear Strong Bad's voice in their head as they read this?

and a reesee cup milkshake?

 

[SGD Lutherie]

Keep soldering guns away from pickups! They can weaken alnico magnets.

I use a Aoyue 936, which is exactly the same as the Hakko 936, but with a Chinese 35 Watt heating element, instead of the Japanese 60 W element. Both made in the same factory. It works great.

You can get them for about $36.