The more you can spend on one the better in my experience. I've wasted more on useless irons than the one I have now cost me. But also research them all, you can still pay a lot for crap.
A Tenma soldering station (I got it cheaper than the site I've linked to has it for). Digital temp readout, 3 presets, gets up to 450 degrees C (whatever that is in fahrenheit - we use metric over here) in about 30 seconds. Anti-static protection, easily replaceable tips, element and iron.
haha, well we still use miles and miles per hour, the occasional pint, sometimes inches (and depending on their age feet and inches)... and at least we still have quarter pounders unlike our French neighbours
If you are going to use the iron to solder cables a cheap iron will do as long as it has enough power, say 40 W . If the iron has too little power you will have to hold it in contact with the work for too long and the wire insulation will begin to melt. For larger cables 80W is better. The faster you can heat the solder and wire to the necessary temp the less heat is transferred to the insulation.
If you want to solder ics a grounded, temperature controlled iron is a must for long term reliability. If the legs of the chip get too hot they expand too much and break the bond with the plastic encapsulation material. The part will still work but moisture will begin to migrate through the gap and damage the wires connecting the legs to the ic die. ( ics with ceramic encapsulation don't have this problem because the ceramic and metal have similar thermal expansion coefficients). Power is still important for the same reasons as soldering cables. When the temperature of the iron is controlled, each leg should take about the same amount of time to solder. When it takes longer you know that you don't have good thermal contact between the iron and the leg. By removing the iron from contact quickly the ic leg doesn't get too hot and a clean tip will solder it properly on the retry.
I've been designing and building computers systems full time for 30 years and I wouldn't consider any iron other than a Weller. I still use one I bought 25 years ago. I bought another Weller 4 years ago because it has a dial to set the temperature ( rather than changing the tip which is a pain when the iron is hot and you are the impatient type) and a light weight narrow soldering pencil. I hand solder ics with .007" wide legs and .008" between. The new pencil makes it a lot easier to move precisely and there is much better visibility. It's a model WES51 and I paid $110 on sale. List price was $145. They have several less sophisticated models but all allow you to solder properly.
@Rich, So you're saying that one of the countries that still have a monarchy does not have the infamous Royal w/ Cheese from Pulp Fiction fame? Is it poor marketing or would it be considered insulting?
Hakko is the brand.
I'm not sure what model his is. I'll have to search. *Edit - Looks like he has the older FX-888
I have a Hakko brand and love it. Warms up fast, recovers temp fast. Replacement tips are easily available.
Most electronics places carry them for $80-$130 range.
FX-888D looks to be the new hobbiest version.
www.hakkorc.com/
Thanks for the response. This is a gift for my dad and I like the one DJ uses so I was interested.
The more you can spend on one the better in my experience. I've wasted more on useless irons than the one I have now cost me. But also research them all, you can still pay a lot for crap.
What do you use Rich? I found a Weller 25W Soldering Iron at Canadian Tire for $30 CAD. Looks promising. Haven't bought it yet.
A Tenma soldering station (I got it cheaper than the site I've linked to has it for). Digital temp readout, 3 presets, gets up to 450 degrees C (whatever that is in fahrenheit - we use metric over here) in about 30 seconds. Anti-static protection, easily replaceable tips, element and iron.
Canada we use the metric system.
And the occasional inch or foot.
Just us backwater hicks here in the USA that haven't converted to metric yet.
Alan
haha, well we still use miles and miles per hour, the occasional pint, sometimes inches (and depending on their age feet and inches)... and at least we still have quarter pounders unlike our French neighbours
Can I get .11 kg with fries and drink , oh don't forget the badonkadonk butt I need that too.
If you are going to use the iron to solder cables a cheap iron will do as long as it has enough power, say 40 W . If the iron has too little power you will have to hold it in contact with the work for too long and the wire insulation will begin to melt. For larger cables 80W is better. The faster you can heat the solder and wire to the necessary temp the less heat is transferred to the insulation.
If you want to solder ics a grounded, temperature controlled iron is a must for long term reliability. If the legs of the chip get too hot they expand too much and break the bond with the plastic encapsulation material. The part will still work but moisture will begin to migrate through the gap and damage the wires connecting the legs to the ic die. ( ics with ceramic encapsulation don't have this problem because the ceramic and metal have similar thermal expansion coefficients). Power is still important for the same reasons as soldering cables. When the temperature of the iron is controlled, each leg should take about the same amount of time to solder. When it takes longer you know that you don't have good thermal contact between the iron and the leg. By removing the iron from contact quickly the ic leg doesn't get too hot and a clean tip will solder it properly on the retry.
I've been designing and building computers systems full time for 30 years and I wouldn't consider any iron other than a Weller. I still use one I bought 25 years ago. I bought another Weller 4 years ago because it has a dial to set the temperature ( rather than changing the tip which is a pain when the iron is hot and you are the impatient type) and a light weight narrow soldering pencil. I hand solder ics with .007" wide legs and .008" between. The new pencil makes it a lot easier to move precisely and there is much better visibility. It's a model WES51 and I paid $110 on sale. List price was $145. They have several less sophisticated models but all allow you to solder properly.
@Rich, So you're saying that one of the countries that still have a monarchy does not have the infamous Royal w/ Cheese from Pulp Fiction fame? Is it poor marketing or would it be considered insulting?
You got the film reference I was making
Yep, we have a royal family but we still call a quarter pounder a quarter pounder
I've had a Weller for years and years its the TCP1 and 48 Watt I must admit its the best IMHO