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Hudson

soldering iron!

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Just a quick one, can anyone recommend a soldering iron kit for me. I'm a complete novice in this field but can no longer ignore the necessity of repairing electrical stuff in this hobby..........

Thanks in advance for any assistance............

Stephen

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There are many other brands as good or better than weller these days.

Goot or Hakko out of Japan come to mind.

Are you after a temperature controlled station or just a simple stick?

I use a Hakko fx-888d myself and find it great for hobby work. Around $200 for a 240V version though.

FX888D_bdentinc__88776.1357739841.1280.1

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There are many other brands as good or better than weller these days.

Goot or Hakko out of Japan come to mind.

Are you after a temperature controlled station or just a simple stick?

I use a Hakko fx-888d myself and find it great for hobby work. Around $200 for a 240V version though.

FX888D_bdentinc__88776.1357739841.1280.1

That looks like a nice bit of kit!

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I use a Weller WHS-40. Nice for PCBs and small stuff like connectors. But even with aftermarket larger tips, it is not up to the task for soldering large ground shields, since the wattage is too low, 80W would be better.

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Hudson,

The first question you need to ask yourself is, what will the soldering iron be used for??

If it is just general soldering for RC cars (connecting wires, fitting Deans or whatever plugs etc.) then a good quality 40 Watt iron with a CHISEL* tip will serve you well..

If you are looking to assemble battery packs, then get an 80 Watt iron, again with a chisel tip..

Soldering stations, like the one Cplus posted are great for doing electronics/PCB work and light soldering, but really lack the power or more so, the surface area in the tip to transfer heat quickly enough for large work without overheating the job..

As for brand, I seriously doubt that you could go wrong with either Weller or Scope.. I have a Nicholson soldering iron that was quite inexpensive, and also good quality..

* Why I suggested a chisel tip rather than a pointed tip, is that a chisel tip has a greater surface area in the contact point of the tip.. Also when shopping for a soldering iron, generally the bigger the tip the better.. Remember that the tip has the task of transferring heat to the job, (or whatever your trying to solder) and in the process it will lose some of its heat (its temperature will drop) so a bigger tip will hold its temperature better than a small one..

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There are many other brands as good or better than weller these days.

Goot or Hakko out of Japan come to mind.

Are you after a temperature controlled station or just a simple stick?

I use a Hakko fx-888d myself and find it great for hobby work. Around $200 for a 240V version though.

FX888D_bdentinc__88776.1357739841.1280.1

I'm sure it is a well designed unit, but it looks too "Fisher Price" to me. "My First Soldering Iron" comes to mind.

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Flying against convention i would get two . A proper solder station like the Weller for general and fine work and a cheap 80 watt one for bigger jobs like motor and ESC wires where you want a large tip and good heat transfer . Makes life a lot easier .

its as Backlash says - the right tool for the job, but in this case i feel its not a case of ' one size fits all ' . Better to shell out a few more euros and also get a 80 watt for the heavy duty jobs too

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HI!... I have two. I run the Weller 260/200 watt for large gauge wire for RC and automotive purposes. I also run a small cheap P/A 35 watt one.

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Soldering stations, like the one Cplus posted are great for doing electronics/PCB work and light soldering, but really lack the power or more so, the surface area in the tip to transfer heat quickly enough for large work without overheating the job...

You're incorrect there I'm afraid.

That unit is 70W. I used it to solder 8ga no problem at all. Don't be fooled by a small handle. The power and stability is in the back end.

I have everything from needle tips to 6mm chisels for it and you can get bigger.

The big benefit with a station is the stability it holds the correct temp (as any food station will) much better than any stick will.

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I'm sure it is a well designed unit, but it looks too "Fisher Price" to me. "My First Soldering Iron" comes to mind.

certainly does!

kooky Japanese design at its best.

them come in grey as well for the conservative types ;)

products_hakko_fx888d_img.jpg

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I have used a few weller irons but in desperation I've now found the easiest way I can find is to use my gas powered oven lighter, not sure I should admit to that.

Chris

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You're incorrect there I'm afraid.

That unit is 70W. I used it to solder 8ga no problem at all. Don't be fooled by a small handle. The power and stability is in the back end.

I have everything from needle tips to 6mm chisels for it and you can get bigger.

The big benefit with a station is the stability it holds the correct temp (as any food station will) much better than any stick will.

Cplus,

Whilst what you say MAY be true for the soldering station that you posted, it does not mean that it is true for ALL soldering stations..

I have used a few different soldering stations throughout my electrical career, and my general thoughts on them are as I expressed in my earlier post, great for PCB work, but limited on heavier work..

It does really come down to what bromvw pointed out, The right tool for the right job..

Why buy a $200 tool that may get used 10 times a year when a $30-40 tool will do the same job..?

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Yep. Now I agree with you.

I find that the extra dexterity you get - not to mention the stable temperature control - is worth the extra money (for me). But I would also use it much more than 10times per year. Lots of my mates - and racers - get me to do their hot work work for them :)

And yes, some stations are more about precision than power - this one has a good balance of precision and power for RC work (as did the old Hakko 936, which is now copied and rebranded as a trak power unit (http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?I=LXATBK)

You can even get themed skins for them they are so popular in RC circles.

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If you're on a tight budget, yep, go for a stick with 40+ watts for typical 14ga and up RC work. You probably want to get a stand and a 4mm ish chisel tip to replace the stock one which is no doubt a cone.

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and a 4mm ish chisel tip to replace the stock one which is no doubt a cone.

Or you can do like I usually do and take to them with a file, and make them whatever shape you find easiest to use..

Just don't file the tips that come with the soldering stations.. ;-)

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If you are going to be in this hobby for a while, the best investment you can make is in a good soldering iron/station. I have had my Ungar UTC-300 for about 20 years now and it is simply a must have item for me. It has more than paid for itself over the years. Sadly, this amazing iron is no longer produced but can still be found on the Bay. The Hako's and TrackPower stations are very nice for current units. This is a tool where one does not want to be cheap. Get a good unit and it should last a lifetime.

20121223_123015.jpg

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FWIW, I have found that the best solder joints don't come from an expensive soldering iron, they come from the right solder iron tip with the correct solder. I have learned to get some photo-worthy joints (not all) :) using a $15 60w Weller wand, with a small chisel tip. For years my mistake was to not "heat up" the soldering iron with... solder.. before making a solder joint.

Anyway, for general RC use such as soldering motor wires and wires to an ESC tab for a brushless motor, a cheap 60w iron will work just fine.

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I have one of these and had no complaints at all, great little piece of kit. I bought it originally to do the SMD LED changes on my car.

misc_67.jpg

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old tools are like old friends - they just feel 'right' . Before buying one see how it feels in your hand . Good balance ? Comfi ? . Now look at the price and spec . Dont skimp as - as said a quality one will last you for many years .

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So... are there any recommendations for a cheap and cheerful 80W wide tip iron, that I could use where my 40W Weller station struggles? :)

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I use a metcal sp200. Wasn't cheap even 2nd hand but a great bit of kit. You can replace the tips so I have one for motors and cells and one for fine work.

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So... are there any recommendations for a cheap and cheerful 80W wide tip iron, that I could use where my 40W Weller station struggles? :)

When is it struggling?

40W should be more than adequate with correct technique for majority of RC tasks.

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As I said before, it lets me down when trying to solder and desolder large ground shielding. At the moment, I'm trying to fix the broken power regulators on my NEC TurboDuo, but they're attached to heat sinks and stuff which drives me mad. It wouldn't hurt me to have some more power for soldering thick gauge motor wires, too.

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