what sodering iron should I get

I have a 862D+ soldering and hot air station and i find it very good.

it is a cheap Chinese made product but does the job well for the price.

i paid about €90 when i bought it a few months ago.

the iron heats up fast and the hot air is great for heat shrink tubing.

And where did you buy yours on-line in a hardware store or electrical store ?

I bought mine on E-bay from a store called "yourhomethings", they were very helpful but there are many other stores selling the same thing.

Just have a look at their ratings.

The one you like and can get on with is the right answer, I would get a go on some equipment from a fellow local enthusiast/School/College/Hackerspace/Ham radio  group etc. If not then I would choose some of the £30 ish  solderstations from CPC

http://cpc.farnell.com/jsp/search/results.jsp?N=411+705&No=100&Ns=P_PRICE_FARNELL_CPC|0&Ntk=gensearch&Ntt=soldering+station&Ntx=&isRedirect=true&suppressRedirect=true&originalQueryURL=

They are as good as any and I believe they ship to Ireland ( I'm assuming you are in Ireland). Once you have become proficient at soldering you will have your own opinions on what you want and the cheaper device is not a waste as you will always use it for years to come.

If you have Radio shack where you live they sell a nice variable temperature iron for about 100 US dollars I do not know what that is in eoro.

I have the Weller WESD51 with digital readout. I've had it for a couple years now. I'd be lost without it. Heats up fast and hardly ever loses its heat.

I have had two soldering stations in the thirty five years I have been joining wires and PCBs together.

The first was a relatively cheap chain store offering that lasted 33 years and is irrelevant except it shows you that you don't have to pay big bucks for something that lasts! It had temperature control and indicated the current temp on a little analog meter that gave you a reasonable indication.  I learned to tell the usable temperature by the heat the tip gave off and the appearance of the solder on the tip eg oxidation rate and color.  But I looked after it and changed tips when needed. It still works!

I decided to get a new lighter weight iron for smd and decided on two Hakko units namely the 888D. One for me and one for my partner. They are nice! Light and yet hold enough heat for most except large ground planes and terminal lugs etc. yet they are pretty quick to recover.

The years will tell but I would go one of these again or a similarly priced Weller unit.

If you are happy with performance then you are half way there. You only have to look after it to make it last.

Radio shack has good irons.  I would recommend the all in one station.  Also check out the element14 store.  They are sure to have the iron for you.

I think this is what some one suggested

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AC-220V-SMD-2-in-1-862D-Soldering-Iron-Welder-Hot-Air-Gun-Rework-Station-/321223707807?pt=UK_Home_Garden_PowerTools_SM&hash=item4aca6ccc9f