goal for 2023: use a conical solder tip and enjoy it

Maybe they are good on QFN. They look like they could be usable to drag the tip right into the corner when manually soldering QFN.

I'm the same, no good with conical.

Although the very finest/pointiest ones are the only tips that can reach into some SMA end launch connectors too.

Reference diagram in case anyone is unclear on the terminology:

I'm such a newbie at this that I didn't know the difference

Given that you and shabaz  both talk about not being good with conical, I think I should probably switch to the chisel tip!
To be honest, I don't even know what tip is on there right now ... but I think it's a small conical I put on there for some fine detail soldering I was doing a while back.

Do you have a recommendation for "easiest to use" tip? 

I've used my conical so much that it's "turned" into a chisel :).

My technique hasn't changed much really ... but I do prefer conical for the potential for fine-pitch touch-ups. Not as nice for transferring a lot of heat to large thick wires or terminals, though.

- Gough

My go to tip is the chisel (a very fine chisel that almost looks conical, only 1mm flat tip).  I too am no good with the conical.  Who would think that a 1mm flat could make that much difference?

Hi Nico!

I reckon part of it is whatever we grew up with, ends up being the one we are most comfortable with. In the UK, most of the soldering irons available to consumers were manufactured by Antex, and they always came with the bevel (sloped) tip, and that's the shape I still use 99% of the time. Antex nowadays focuses on soldering irons for craft work I think - they didn't evolve their irons/tips much.

The tip I use most often has the dimensions below, i.e. 1mm tip, for most through-hole work and also SMD work. I should increase the size for through-hole work, but the modern soldering irons are so good at supplying power when needed, that I usually don't swap to a larger tip, except when soldering large connectors.

I didn't realize there was a difference - I just thought it was my lack of the required mad skilz... still not ruling that out though ;) 

Looks like we use very similar-ish tips : ) My favorite is 1 mm too, but bevel (which is probably not too different in feel to the chisel).

I think that Gough Lui stated the obvious issue that I have run into, poor heat transfer.  The rounded tip and sides of the cone, make it really difficult to get enough heat into the traces and component leads to get the solder to flow.

That's what I use too most of the times.

NASA has released their solder practice education videos for staff and contractors, and they demand the use of conical tips.

Conical also allows for decent heat transfer, if you position the tip to match the area you want to heat.