Soldering station options

The 50 watt Weller S51 is a workhorse. It's a touch slow to change temps IMO, but works great and should last a great long while. Higher wattage is great for when you have to solder/desolder a ground from a pot back. Just look how many forum threads there are for guys who changed pickups and then can't get sound, or have some other problem. More often than not, they burned the crap of the pot with a low watt soldering iron.

I personally use an Edsyn 951 at home. I don't think you can buy a better station for similar money, but it's nearly twice the price of the S51. I just prefer the feel of the tips and the pencil on the Edsyn.

 

I used Weller for years, now I've got the Hakko 888 and I love it. Only thing better is a Metcal, but they're stupid money.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGo46KFXGV4

 

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DOEDI94?psc=1

 

I have the Weller wes51 , its a work horse , I use it for amps , pups , guitar circuits , LED strip lights , and ironing dents out of guitar bodies sometimes , removing frets , its a good solid soldering station .

 

I used to solder electronics for a living - from point-to-point stuff clear through to tiny surface mount stuff using solder paste applied by silkscreens and heated with hot air. I've used countless Weller stations - they're all good, though Metcals were the standard for most of the stuff I worked on. Very nice for handheld soldering work.

That said, for guitar/pedal/amp stuff, you can do perfectly fine with very modest equipment. Here at home, I have a mid-range Weller station, a cheap Sears gun (honest!), and a butane powered Portasol - which you can probably get for 20 bucks online. I use the Portasol 80% of the time just out of pure convenience and the fact that it does the job.

 

I also have the Hakko FX888. Love it! It heats up to temp in about 30 seconds. The cord is covered in silicone so you can't accidentally melt it with the iron. Huge upgrade from my old Weller iron.

 

I have a Hakko 936 I bought about 15 years ago and it has been a pleasure too use. If it went south, Hakko would be on my short list for a replacement.

 

Here's a good deal on a Hakko 888D: http://www.frys.com/product/7550776

 

Another vote for the Hakko. It changed my life.

 

I am not a pro, but for modding effect pedals, and repairing, building amps, the innexpensive weller works just fine. I do have a weller "gun" if high heat is necessary.

 

I bought a Weller WLC100 station around 5-6 years ago.
It had gotten quite a bit of use over that time period.
NO problems whatsoever.

 

Can I ask for opinions on this station? Link
It looks to be well made, and comes with a good set of tips, and the reviews on Amazon seem positive. This will be my first station, and I'm not experienced at all. I would like to use it to build amp kits and gain experience. I have a hard time justifying $150CDN for a Hakko station, and at the end of the day, if it only lasts a year or two, or breaks down, $50 is not a big loss. I mainly just want to know from anyone who has used this one if I should steer clear or grab it!

Thanks!

 

I use a Metcal MX-500 which seems pretty good. We've got loads of them where I work. Not sure how much they cost.

 

At my day job I've been using a Solomon SL20 for almost 15 years. I've repaired it a few times but that's it. They aren't expensive either.

 

This one is fantastic.
http://www.amazon.com/Aoyue-9378-Programmable-Digital-Soldering/dp/B00BSW69LI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391183808&sr=8-1&keywords=aoyue+9378

Bob

 

+1 on the Aoyue stations good bang for the buck, fast heat up and recovery.

 

Love my Hakko! Too bad the silicon cord doesn't prevent cat bites. Still works like a charm though.