Comparing different soldering irons

[Wrichik Basu]

In a recent thread of mine, a conclusion was reached that the 25W soldering iron that I own currently, won't go too far. It can successfully solder THT and SMD components on a PCB, but it fails when soldering wires rated for AC 15A 220V.

I was advised by many to buy a second-hand Weller, but considering shipping charges to my country, it is not affordable at this moment. I checked Amazon India, and found that I had three options which I can afford:

• A soldering station that supports temperatures up to 480°C or 896°F. However, the power rating is not mentioned, and I do not want to push a 40W soldering station to 480°C (see last part of the post). Link here.
• A variable temperature pen-type soldering iron. As @Rive had said before, it is better to keep the AC away from hands. But for introductory work like I do, maybe I will have to take that risk. Some are digital, while one is analog. The analog one offers extra soldering bits, but reading the reviews, it seems that the tips tend to oxidise easily.
  • https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YDYDVWW/?tag=pfamazon01-20
  • Link to an 80W digital one
  • Link to a 60W analog one with extra bits
• Heavy duty high power ones with no temperature control.
  • https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HM34RFZ/?tag=pfamazon01-20 (temperatures upto 600°C)
  • https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HM11MQQ/?tag=pfamazon01-20

Which do you think I should buy?

 

[Tom.G]

The 60W analog looks to be a good bet for starting out.

The trick to keeping the tips in good condition is when you are thru with a joint and put the iron down be sure there is solder on the tip! That way the solder oxidizes and not the tip. When ready for the next joint, wipe the tip on a damp sponge to remove the old solder and immediately add a thin film of fresh solder to the tip.

If there are spots on the tip that will not accept the fresh solder, wipe and try again. If after 3 attempts there are still spots that do not accept solder, rub the tip on a piece of paper to clean it. It is just abrasive enough to remove the burned flux without damaging the tip. I use ordinary printer paper, there always seems to be a few of those sheets around. Do not use glossy paper, the glossy coating will foul the tip.

Have Fun!

Cheers,
Tom

 

[trurle]

I do not like any of options in your list. Having controls on iron itself is the recipe for awkward handling and soldering failures.
By the way, i use 40W iron with digital controller in separate block for generic soldering.
It solders fine Sn-Pb parts at 400C settings and Sn-Cu-Ag at 450C settings.

It struggles with AC wires unless set at maximal power though - for AWG20 or such you likely need 60W.

Generally, good soldering is rapid soldering - if it takes more than 3 seconds per joint, than you likely do not have enough power.

 

[Rive]

Which do you think I should buy?

I think you can drop the 'heavy duty' ones.

About the rest, I don't see too much difference. What you should consider is , that at some point you will need tip replacements. This is not the issue of quality: with time and usage every tip degrades (some just faster than others), even Weller types. The important part is, that if they are available or not? So I would check out the manufacturers one by one and try to pinpoint the exact tip types for the different soldering irons: whether they can be bought (this also includes your chances to actually buy them).

Regarding the cheap 60W with the extra tips: the price of that set is so low (at least, it is low right now, as I see it: ₹ 628.00) that you won't get even just the same kind of tip set (!) for a decent soldering iron for that price. It is likely a disposable item - fortunately, it comes at a matching price.

 

[Wrichik Basu]

@Tom.G thanks for the advice on tip maintenance.

@Rive yes, you are right - at this price, the irons are kind of use-and-throw. The good ones (station type) are > INR 3k. But I will post questions on Amazon to check whether spare tips are available.