Misc. Soldering Iron, What Do You Use?

[Tony]

So I have been thinking about upcoming videos and one thought that came across my head (among thousands of thoughts, most random lol) was tools that everyone in the hobby needs and uses every time they work on something. Obviously quality Allen drivers is at the top of the list, but so is soldering irons. If you get a new battery, building a new quad or just tinkering around, more than likely you are going to have to solder something.

My current soldering iron is the Hakko 936 with the Hakko 908 handle. This handle uses the larger tips to help hold the heat better. Takes a little longer to heat up than the smaller, less dense tips, but it does great for parts such as shields on PCB's with a very large ground plain. I have had this soldering iron for over 15 years I think and the only thing I have had to replace on it was the plastic handle because I was not using enough heat, but using too much pressure and snapped the threads off of it. Nothing a $10 bill wouldn't fix.

But that raised the question of, What Soldering Iron Are YOU Using? Post up below and let me know.

 

[Admiral]

I use a Rhino Tools ZD99 soldering station, it appears to be the same as the Weller that I've seen in Murankar's videos.

 

[D.O.G.]

I use nothing fancy for a soldering iron. The 60w Weller from Walmart works just fine for me but that's just me Lol.

 

[Geena]

I use a Hakko FX-880D

 

[murankar]

Weller station 40 watt. not sure of the model. More than likely because of how i aquired said iron it could be a military spec weller that no one else can buy. My multimeter is falls into that category, it was made by fluke just for the military. Anyhow that's what I use.

 

[sneezy007]

I use the Hakko FX888D. It's awesome and I don't think I'll have to buy another soldering iron for a long time.
Dino

 

[RandyDSok]

I'm still using my old Weller WES51 analog soldering station that I've had for decades. It just keeps on working. I've considered getting a newer digital one but I just can't seem to justify it.

 

[bigone5500]

Amazon product

 

[bigone5500]

I just looked at the pictures on the listing for that iron. So much photoshopping. So the guy is really that excited about his soldering kit?

 

[Tony]

Yea, I definitely don't get that excited about my soldering irons lol.

 

[murankar]

Normally I don't wear an apron gloves or a hard hat either. Maybe safety glass but even that's a far cry for me.

I luv show these ads are so exaggerated.

 

[Tony]

Those look like gardening gloves too lmao.

 

[murankar]

That or they are the rubberized cut resistant work gloves that rob you of dexterity.

 

[bigone5500]

I figured that kit is a decent 'disposable' one. I paid $12 for the iron I have and it didn't even come with a case. Plus it doesn't come from china in 2 1/2 months.

 

[bigone5500]

If you keep the tips clean and don't nick them on anything causing the plating to come off, they last a good long while. I have read that if you are not going to be soldering for a little while, then it's good practice to coat the end of the iron with solder and when you get ready to use it, simply clean off the solder and you have a shiny tip. This is assuming that you will not be unplugging the iron and it is to stay hot the whole time. That said, the one I have is ready to go in less than a minute. So if you don't want to be turning the iron on and off constantly, then coat the tips to keep from burning them up.

 

[murankar]

Its probably a good starter kit and that's about it. Some of those tools look like they would be okay start pieces.

After a year or so I would guess someone would gradually upgrade the kit in pieces as needed. For 20 bones I would say take it and try it. The accessories would be worth the 20 alone.

 

[Tony]

Hakko actually had a feature on some of their higher end irons where when you put the handle in the holder, it activates a micro switch and cuts power to the iron until it reaches 100c. Once you pick it back up, it will go back to where you have it set. And being a Hakko T12 style tip, it heats up very fast. There are other "clones" out there that have a mercury switch in the handle where if you don't use them for a set amount of time (amount of time the mercury switch doesn't sense movement) it will go into a stand by mode and go down to a preset temp and when it does sense movement, it will heat back up.

I have had my Hakko 936 for years with the M style tip and I have never done what everyone says to do.

"Never leave it hot for an extended period of time".
I always leave mine on the entire time I'm soldering. I work at 350c unless I have something that has a HUGE ground plane or something that sucks heat away.

"ALWAYS add solder to the tip while it is sitting in the holder"
I have always cleaned off my tip before putting it in the holder

"ALWAYS leave solder on your tip when it is off"
I always leave a clean tip

I say all of this because if you have quality products, they are going to last. I have the same tip that I started out with on this genuine Hakko and all you can see is a slight divot in the tip from years of normal use. It still tins perfectly. The cheap tips though, I would highly suggest doing what is in quotes above. They don't last very long at all which is why they are so cheap.

 

[murankar]

I don't really agree with to solder thing to much. Only from the aspect of rosin core. Flux from what I have herd can corrode some metals if left in contact. All I do is wipe the tip and keep it clean.

 

[Tony]

That is exactly what I do URI. Except for the really cheap tips and those I will leave coated in solder (after flux has burned off that is) when I store them. Otherwise they will rust.

 

[murankar]

Also running your tip at the right setting will help preserve your tips. If you run a needle tip for circuit boards then don't turn it up to 5. you burn the tip up. Also use the right tip for the job, use a big tip for big jobs and small tips for the finer jobs.

One thing: regular sponge, metal sponge or both? I have seen some solder stations come with that wad of steel mesh all balled up for tip cleaning. I use a regular sponge that I clean out at the beginning of every use.