Soldering Irons

Hi Jade,

I would agree with shabaz, I own a PS-900 which I really like.  I have used Weller prior to that but I had a lot of trouble getting the temperature just right and as a result I would burn through tips (lead-free) rather quickly.  Having used the PS-900 for more that a year, I would say that it was well the the price.

Good luck!

Gene

I looked at it and it seems to be a good choice only that your counting on the smartheat thing to adjust for the temp. I'd rather be able to control it. Also if you know of any really good old tech soldering stations, anything would be better than the weller WLC100 I have now. It doesnt really give a good idea of the temp because your temp control is just a pot with the numbers 1-5. Also thanks for the input!

Yeah, my Weller is WESD51, with real temperature control (actual degrees).  There are a lot of accessories for these irons and it was a workhorse.

Gene

Jade,

I understand your concern about Metcal irons and a lack of the adjustability, but I have never had an issue.  Sometimes, when you are soldering larger components (or components attached to heavy traces, i.e. power planes), the smaller tips do not provide enough heat to flow the solder, but switching to a larger tip is easy and it gets the job done.

Gene

Jade,

I understand your concern about Metcal irons and a lack of the adjustability, but I have never had an issue.  Sometimes, when you are soldering larger components (or components attached to heavy traces, i.e. power planes), the smaller tips do not provide enough heat to flow the solder, but switching to a larger tip is easy and it gets the job done.

Gene

Even with JBC models one would want to switch tips when going from (say) small surface-mount to soldering large connectors or power planes as you say.

I remember seeing the earlier Metcal models and being astonished at their performance, which was the reason we went with the PS-900. From what you say, it sounds like it was a good decision.