Soldering iron/station?

[sKiZo]

I have a Hakko 888 on the way from Amazon, and also a Tenma meter. My current soldering iron is a 30+ years old hand me down and is like trying to solder with a hotdog.

The Hakko Hotdog does a decent enough job, the mustard makes right nice flux, and the bun is a great insulator ... easy on the ketchup though, and do hold the relish ...

Keep a tight grip on your weiner and have fun with it!

 

[ken kantor]

How can I do it?

My Weller WES50 and my Metcal SP200 are the first things I switch on when I sit down at the bench. Overall, the SP200 is a better machine, but I still like having the Weller, just to have a continuously variable temp and cheap tips at hand.

In terms of heating large wire, etc, the Metcal SSC-717A tip is remarkable. It won't quite keep up with my Weller SP120, but it's damn close. Yet, you can do an IC with it in a pinch!

-k

 

[BigElCat]

I have a Hakko 888FX on it's way. I can hardly wait. :yes:

 

[westend]

Just a bump for anyone interested in the super deals being offered at B&D for the Hakko tools and other supplies. The sale on the Hakko 808 desoldering tool ends at the end of Sept. so not many days left. I just pulled the trigger and ordered one. Free shipping and a price below anyone else for a quality tool can't be beat. Thanks, Dean and to the rest of your crew!:thmbsp::thmbsp::thmbsp:

 

[deniss]

I've been using the dual-setting Radio Shack iron, too, but it finally croaked, so now I'm shopping for an *economical* upgrade.

Are any of the Weller temp-controlled stations mentioned in this thread (WLC100, WES51, etc) still made in the USA?

I would pay for the Weller products made in the USA, but if they are made overseas, I'd much rather get the "made in Japan" Hakko.

 

[Telstar]

I've been using the dual-setting Radio Shack iron, too, but it finally croaked, so now I'm shopping for an *economical* upgrade.

Are any of the Weller temp-controlled stations mentioned in this thread (WLC100, WES51, etc) still made in the USA?

I would pay for the Weller products made in the USA, but if they are made overseas, I'd much rather get the "made in Japan" Hakko.

The cheap ones (orange) are made in China, the blue ones in Germany.
They were never made in USA, AFAIK.

Moreover recently Weller suffered for not great QC. If you want USA, look for used Metcal, if you want quality european made, look for JBC.
New, in the american market, the hakko 888 is hard to beat in price/performance.

 

[iloveamps]

I would also vote for Pace equipment being fantastic. It's made here and the quality is amazing. They work really well.