Soldering station recommendations?

Gents, I'm still very much a novice with building but I think it may be time to invest in a proper soldering station. My radio shack iron is holding me back, I suspect, making soldering harder than it should be.

I'm leaning toward the Hakko FX-888. That's pretty much my price range, <$100. Any other suggestions or things I may be overlooking? Appreciate your input!

Weller TCP. Will last a lifetime.

Get spare bits in "7"(solder) & "8"(lead-free) temperatures of several assorted shapes. Get many spare cleaning sponges. Always use 60/40 tin/lead flux-cored solder (this is generally permissible for home use, repair work and the defence industry).

I picked up a used HAKKO 926 Soldering Station on ebay for $30 plus S&H.
Pretty damn nice for a hobbist

I have the entry level Xytronic, which has served me well for many pedal and cable builds. You should be able to find one between fifty and sixty bucks shipped.

Edsyn 915 <-- simply the best.

Treat yourself to Good Tools

Hakko FX-888. I went through this earlier this year and it has served me well.

Edited post

As usual ,If you get a Weller TCP you can´t go wrong.Bought one 30 years ago.Never broke down.I also have an older model inherited from my father.Slightly different but current parts will fit so there will never be a problem.There will always be spare parts for that station.
I know Hakko is popular in the US.The most important thing is to have a temperature controlled station.

Have the Weller station 35 yrs, works every time, spare parts & tip shapes make this unit the reason to get it. Parts are available at any reputable electronics supply.

Weller WES51. It has adjustable temperature, a large selection of available tips and the tips seem to last forever with it. You can usually find one for around $100 or so.
Mine has seen very heavy use since I bought it and has always worked flawlessly.

Thanks for the input guys, 'preciate it. Seems like consensus favors either the Weller or the Hakko. Seems they're quite similar at that price point, I probably can't go too wrong with either one. Thanks again everyone.

If you don't mind cheap but good one, I heard this is a good one:

http://www.amazon.com/Aoyue-937-Digital-Soldering-Station/dp/B000I30QBW/ref=sr_1_3?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1322780538&sr=1-3

Weller WESD51 here, I love it. Weller makes some nice soldering irons

Anything is better than a radio shack iron. But there is no need to get crazy. anything in the $20-50 range bought anywhere besides RS will up your game a little bit. The rest is technique and experience.

Treat yourself to Good Tools

I agree. Yes you can do the job with a ceapo iron, but using a good station will make you smile while you work instead of cursing your soul cuz you can't heat up the pot.

cuz you can't heat up the pot.

I just read my post... I crack me up!

I have had my Xytronic Nichrome Pro Station for more than a year now and I love it.

I got it from GFS last year for ~$85 and have used it quite a bit since...

http://www.guitarfetish.com/Xytronic-Nichrome-Pro-Solder-Station-Worlds-Best-Guitar-Soldering-Iron_p_1020.html#

http://www.guitarfetish.com/assets/images/products/xyniprsost0w.jpg

Weller!!

When soldering on a potentiometer,you need a larger,hotter tip than usual.If you use a tip that´s not hot enough,it will take too long to heat up the potentiometer which could harm it because the heat has had time to creep into it.

GTRGURU! Did you report your post immediately ?

I was wondering myself if anyone has had any experience with this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Stahl-Tools-Variable-Temperature-Soldering/dp/B0029N70WM

Suuuuuper cheap, but for an hour a week sort of average (at most), I'm thinking it would be worth a shot. I mean, it seems like all (well, most) roads lead to China these days, and a lot of what we pay is for the color of the sticker...

Anyone have an opinion?