Help! Trying to find a good soldering Iron

dantheman

Member
I am trying to find a good Soldering Iron. I am hoping to find one that has multiple sizes of tips (preferabbly some small ones) and can change heat. I have roughly $25 to spend. Any ideas?

I'm considering this one:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZY6LQDV/?tag=lstir-20


I upgraded from a old weller station (very reliable but slow) to this one: https://www.banggood.com/PX-988-90W...html?rmmds=search&ID=515154&cur_warehouse=USA

The heat up is in seconds which is crazy. It doesn't come with a stand, but very accurate, very fast, and lots of different tips are sold.
 
For what little soldering I've done over the years, when I needed a new one for this hobby a couple months ago I bought this one:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B3SG70K/?tag=lstir-20
Just soldering wires, I don't need anything fancy and this one is just like the one I used 40 years ago. The same tool still works just as well - it has a metal tip that gets hot. :) The technology hasn't changed.

Just the opinion of a guy who was a young teen in the 70s. Focus attention on how to solder right, how to use flux, etc. Watch a bunch of YouTube videos. A damp rag works the same as a fancy tray with a wire brush thing on it and stuff. Don't burn your hand and don't burn the desk.

Oh - and I wouldn't know what to do with different tips. Unless you're doing microscopic work on a component board for drones or something... But I'm soldering XT30s like a pro with what I have.
 
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Tench745

Master member
I have an older version of the weller iron Monte linked to. Personally, I don't like it. It's slow to heat and takes a long time to get large wires and XT-60 connectors up to soldering temp. I have a 40Watt iron like the 25 linked above which heats quickly, but gets a little too hot if you leave it plugged in for long. Both of the above irons work ok, keep your tips clean and if you're comfortable with it use 60/40 lead solder.

I looked at the iron dantheman has, but the reviews were iffy. I ended up buying a Weller WLC100 soldering station and have been pretty happy with it. Something temp-controlled would be nice, but not necessary.
 

Bricks

Master member
I guess my first question is what are you going to be soldering flight controllers or just general wires ESC`s etc?
 

dantheman

Member
I looked at the iron dantheman has, but the reviews were iffy. I ended up buying a Weller WLC100 soldering station and have been pretty happy with it. Something temp-controlled would be nice, but not necessary.

I totally get that. For me, the price was 100% worth it, but I already had a stand/tip cleaner/etc. I wish you the best on the WLC100. That is a great iron.
 

"Corpse"

Legendary member
I have an older version of the weller iron Monte linked to. Personally, I don't like it. It's slow to heat and takes a long time to get large wires and XT-60 connectors up to soldering temp. I have a 40Watt iron like the 25 linked above which heats quickly, but gets a little too hot if you leave it plugged in for long. Both of the above irons work ok, keep your tips clean and if you're comfortable with it use 60/40 lead solder.

I looked at the iron dantheman has, but the reviews were iffy. I ended up buying a Weller WLC100 soldering station and have been pretty happy with it. Something temp-controlled would be nice, but not necessary.
That's what I have. I ordered some extra tips and it works great!