Need soldering iron reco

[rudeguy]

For doing fine electronics soldering.

Micro soldering to be exact

 

[Ayah]

whatever JBC base you can afford with a JBC T210.

 

[Leros]

What's your budget?

$100, $200, $500, $1000?

For the average hobbyist, I would recommend either of the following:
Weller WES51 - about $90
Hakko FX-888 - about $100

It seems like the online hobbyist community prefers the Hakko, I personally own the Weller.

I've used $300 and $500 soldering irons for very fine work and they're certainly better, but probably overkill for most hobbyists.

 

[Colt45]

I always use hakko 936. it's been replaced by something round and purple now, though.. not sure what the part number for it is.


edit: - there's a zillion chinese clones of the 936 too, probably not as robust, but if you don't use it much they are quite a bit cheaper.. 30 or 40 bucks i think.

 

[BUTCH1]

I've never tried to solder SMD, it just looks too intimidating..

 

[thecrecarc]

Depends on your budget.

For extremely low budget, get the Weller SP23LK for $15 http://www.amazon.com/Weller-SP23LK-...r+Weller+SP23L

For a slightly higher budget, get a cheap Hakko 936 clone for $15 + around $12 shipping http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewitem.asp?idproduct=19240

For around $40-50, get a better Hakko clone like this Sparkfun iron. It even includes a brass sponge! $40 + couple bucks shipping https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10707 or http://www.microcenter.com/product/396467/Variable_Temperature_Soldering_Iron_-_50_Watt

High budget (for a hobbyist), get an actual Hakko, like the FX-888 which is a minor update over their 936. $100 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...U?tag=at055-20

Anything above that is not really needed for hobbyist use and is a waste of money unless you really need it and know what you are doing.

 

[SunnyD]

Weller.

 

[bignateyk]

Temperature controlled Weller:

http://www.amazon.com/WTCPT-Temperat.../dp/B00004W463

That's what I use. You'll need some smaller tips for it as well if you're doing SMD. (and probably some magnification)

 

[lk2500]

I've been looking to buy a soldering iron as well.

What other accessories would I need to remove a couple of capacitors and solder on some new ones to a motherboard?

 

[twinrider1]

-Solder sucker and/or desoldering braid to remove solder.
-Flux.
-Solder.

 

[NutBucket]

http://www.hmcelectronics.com/product/Metcal/MFR-1110

 

[bryanl]

Temperature controlled is a definite plus especially with lead-free solder, but for micro soldering a hot air iron may be preferable to a traditional one.

 

[Ricky Spanish]

I've never tried to solder SMD, it just looks too intimidating..

I used to do well before the carpal tunnel and arthritis, sucks when you can't even hold the damn iron to solder 2-3 wires to install a new battery in my daughters zune 120 ...

 

[rudeguy]

I've been using a Weller WES51 at work for a while. It is a good iron and I have no complaints.

I'm moving on to bigger tasks and hot air became something I really wanted to try out. So I orders this guy:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1


It should be home waiting for me when I get out of work. I'm pretty curious to compare it to the WES51 I am so used to.