Soldering Irons / Solder

[Franco]

I need to buy a soldering iron. I have been looking at a couple but as I dont really know alot about them I thought I would get your guys expert opinions!

These are the two I have been looking at:-

http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?ModuleNo=4063&doy=15m7



This is a 25w iron. I was thinking of going for the one with the silicon tip. Im guessing it will be better as its more expensive? Its

[Stobe]

The second one would likely be a fine solution.  Worth the extra to get a nice stand, and temperature control.  Anything more than that could be an overkill.

-Stobe

[Ken Layton]

I vote you get the second one.

Solder is crap if it doesn't have lead in it. Electronic solder needs lead!

[Franco]

You didn't state what you'd be using it for...

I am mainly going to be using the iron for hacking pads, solding other wires ect at the moment, but like I said I may need to move onto more delicate jobs/components in the future.

[Franco]

I vote you get the second one.

Solder is crap if it doesn't have lead in it. Electronic solder needs lead!

Hmmm, Maplins dont seem to have leaded solder. Maplins tend to have a decent range of everything electronic/electrical too. I wonder if leaded solder is harder to get over here in the UK?

[D5A1AC]

If youre not going to be soldering IC's straight to a board without a cradle or other compnents sensitive to heat, I think any sort of variable temperature iron would be overkill. I've never used anything more than a cheap generic iron and a seperately purchased stand/sponge. They work fine for just about anything, but you would want to be careful working with sensitive components if you can't tell what temp it's at.

[Avery]

I'm with Yyttu.  How much serious soldering are you going to be doing?  If you're just hooking up controls and the like their beginners package is proabably as much as you're ever likely to need.

[Grasshopper]

Make sure you buy the thinnest solder you can if you're doing detailed work such as hacking pads. It'll make your life much easier. Last time I bought 22swg.

Also, avoid Maplin if you can. Their service has really dropped in recent years. I prefer to order from www.farnell.co.uk. They have a much bigger range and generally cheaper prices.