wtb soldering iron

Dragonknell911 · 10-29-2006, 08:33 PM

WTB cheap soldering iron, with lightly or unused head. I already have solder/flux. I'm looking for a low wattage one.

I already have a 250 watt soldering gun, which makes it hard to solder small stuff, and its really wierd, but well long story short, the metal started glowing orange yesterday while i was soldering..

So time for a lesser wattage soldering iron for longer soldering sessions =)

Thrasher · 10-29-2006, 08:36 PM

lol my soldering iron was bought at autozone for ~$10

Zebelkhan · 10-29-2006, 08:42 PM

I have seen them for $2.99 at the "reduced for sale" tables....

Dragonknell911 · 10-29-2006, 08:47 PM

lol yeh i suppose i could just get one from radioshack.. but thats pretty much the only store around me that would carry one, and i would prefer not to buy it there

Munkeyd00d · 10-29-2006, 10:19 PM

Radioshacks products are quite good. I'd suggest you doing that. I don't see why not.

DarquePervert · 10-29-2006, 11:22 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by Dragonknell911

lol yeh i suppose i could just get one from radioshack.. but thats pretty much the only store around me that would carry one, and i would prefer not to buy it there

Radio Shack, Home Depot, Lowe's, Target...
Really...
You're not even trying here.

Dragonknell911 · 10-30-2006, 12:55 AM

DP of course im not! what fun would that be??????????????????????????
Yeah my home depot is notoriously ****ty, they dont carry almost anything useful despite the fact the store is enormous..

Has anyone used one of the butane ones?

DarquePervert · 10-30-2006, 06:01 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by Dragonknell911

DP of course im not! what fun would that be??????????????????????????
Yeah my home depot is notoriously ****ty, they dont carry almost anything useful despite the fact the store is enormous..

Has anyone used one of the butane ones?

I got a soldering iron at Home Depot that works just fine. It's not like it's a particularly complex piece. A heating element and a conductive tip.

I don't know about the butane ones, as I'ce never used ones. I do know to avoid the cold-soldering tools. They suck like a Hoover.

ukchris · 10-30-2006, 06:51 AM

I've been using a Radio Shack one but have also been looking to replace it, I was recommended these ones http://www.mpja.com/listitemsdirect....item4=15141+TL notably the $40 one or the $50 digital. I'm told they are up to temperature in 30 seconds or so which really appeals, also the built in holder (as I gaze at the burn on my hand!) *lol*

Chris.

Dragonknell911 · 10-30-2006, 07:14 AM

Wow thats nuts! The soldering iron I have heats up in about four seconds, however that is partially why I'm getting rid of it. Your not supposed to allow my soldering gun to run for more than 40 seconds, before turning it off and letting it cool for two minutes.
Its something like this one:

Apparently when I was younger I thought bigger/better was clearly the way to go.

evandude · 10-30-2006, 08:15 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by ukchris

I've been using a Radio Shack one but have also been looking to replace it, I was recommended these ones http://www.mpja.com/listitemsdirect....item4=15141+TL notably the $40 one or the $50 digital. I'm told they are up to temperature in 30 seconds or so which really appeals, also the built in holder (as I gaze at the burn on my hand!) *lol*

Chris.

A similar station is http://www.web-tronics.com/cispdeesdsas.html , and I can recommend it from personal experience; mine's been running for a couple years now. Like most temperature-controlled irons, it does heat up quickly (on the order of 30 seconds or so also) and you can tweak the heat depending on what you're doing.

However, those are more suited to real electronics work; if all you plan to do with your soldering iron is basic wiring stuff, and maybe some basic electronics stuff, then there's really no need for a temperature-controlled soldering station, and a dirt-cheap iron from home depot, lowes, radio shack, or any auto parts store should be all you need. If you have some opposition to buying anything there, then look for a standard iron by a decent brand (such as weller) that is around 25W, that will be a good general-purpose iron, and you can bust out the big soldering gun for anything too big for it to handle.