I have the Hakko FX-888 and agree with every other reviewer - it's worth it, though the analog version has been discontinued in favor of the FX-888D (the sparkfun link), which is slightly retarded. Read up on how the buttons work before you buy that one. Stock tip size is a little big for SMD, but tips are available.
Dave Jones from the EEVBlog has a bunch of good info on soldering tools (among other things) if you don't mind his style a long-winded format: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5Sb21qbpEQ&list=TL6K3qUuaTDKY He is more concerned with a serious hobbyist than a casual user, FWIW, but generally knows what he's talking about and having good tools does make casual use that much easier. If you're going to spend $70 on an iron anyway and plan to do a bit of soldering the triple-8, or a comparable iron, is the way to go. I think the Weller WES51 is pretty similar, though I've not read up on it, and it may have better tip selection.You might also be able to find a good deal on a used Hakko 936 if you hunt around, those were the precursor to the FX-888 and were also pretty good. For more casual use RadioShack also sells the Weller WLC100 for about $50 (Amazon for $40), which is a decent step up from a non-adjustable iron and probably better build quality than the $20 adjustable irons. Just be aware that it's temperature adjustable, not temperature controlled - all it does is adjust the amount of power going through the iron. The temp controlled irons will maintain the temperature you set and are vastly superior to use, in my opinion. I spent a few years with a 25W iron on a lamp dimmer and I'm not going back. :) If you really want good stuff, like Charles said Weller makes some good medium-high end stuff, and OKi (budget division of Metcal) make nice professional grade irons for (relatively) reasonable cost. Those run $200-400 at the bottom end, though. I think the OKi we have here at work was about $350, the Metcal was over $600. :) Fun to have access to, but not really necessary. Those and the higher end Wellers use interchangeable tips for different temps, which makes them great for production work but slightly less flexible for general use. Stickman On Tue, Jul 23, 2013 at 12:55 AM, John Carmonne <carmo...@aol.com> wrote: > > On Jul 22, 2013, at 8:47 PM, Wesley Furr wrote: > > > Are there any others you would recommend? Found it on Amazon with some > > mixed reviews. Wouldn't mind spending more than $20...but not sure I > want > > to spend $80 that Radio Shack wants for their "digital soldering > > station"...though it does look nice! > > > > I've got at least one old Mac that I know I need to replace caps in > (haven't > > done one yet = this one is an LC)...also want to try some PCB assembly > on a > > board with a fairly small pitch between pins and components... > > > > Thanks, > > > > Wesley > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > > i think this soldering iron is great for people starting out. > > i like the ones that are adjustable. > > > > http://www.microcenter.com/product/391342/Low-Cost_Soldering_Station > > > > > I have the RS digital soldering station and for me it's worth every penny, > I have one like the example from Amazon > the problem for me is the tip selection and weak temp control. > > > > John Carmonne > Yorba Linda CA > 92886 USA > MacPro 2.66 Quad Nehalem > > > > > > > -- > -- > ----- > You received this message because you are a member of the Vintage Macs > group. > The list FAQ is at http://lowendmac.com/lists/vintagemacs.shtml and our > netiquette guide is at http://www.lowendmac.com/lists/netiquette.shtml > To post to this group, send email to vintage-macs@googlegroups.com > To leave this group, send email to > vintage-macs+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/vintage-macs > > Support for older Macs: http://lowendmac.com/services/ > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Vintage Macs" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to vintage-macs+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. > > > -- -- ----- You received this message because you are a member of the Vintage Macs group. The list FAQ is at http://lowendmac.com/lists/vintagemacs.shtml and our netiquette guide is at http://www.lowendmac.com/lists/netiquette.shtml To post to this group, send email to vintage-macs@googlegroups.com To leave this group, send email to vintage-macs+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/vintage-macs Support for older Macs: http://lowendmac.com/services/ --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Vintage Macs" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to vintage-macs+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
