Soldering Iron?

[Lodo]

I'm looking for a good soldering iron... Any suggestions? and I'm not rich so...
Lead or lead-free? What kind? A whole station? Please tell me it all.  http://www.traderscity.com/board/products-1/offers-to-sell-and-export-1/2900-lead-free-soldering-station-114369/ Good for a beginner?   Also, how do they work and what do i need for robotics?

[little-c]

cheep £10 one from the local hardware store, and buy some lead free solder.

then practice on broken componants, till you can solder.

[SmAsH]

Well, what you *need* is a soldering iron, this can be as the person above me stated, a $10 cheapo or a $200 weller temp controlled box...
I have the "if it gets the job done its good" attitude towards soldering irons hence my $10 soldering iron...
I would suggest the cheap soldering iron, along with a holder and one of those brass shaving cleaner things.

and buy some lead free solder.

Why? In my experience, lead free is no different from leaded solder apart from the price hike.

[Joker94]

leaded solder is a lot easier to use at the start as it flows easier. And unless you are worried about the small amount of lead that is no problem as long as you wash your hands after wards or plan to sell a product in the near future leaded solder will be ok.

As for the iron i spent less that 25 and i got a basic adjustable temperature iron which i find really good. So really a cheaper iron will work fine. like some one said on the forums "its not how expensive and fancy it is it is how you weild it".

[little-c]

reason I say lead free, is cause I don't have to worry about RoHS compliance stuff.

not that I pay much attention anyway

[SmAsH]

reason I say lead free, is cause I don't have to worry about RoHS compliance stuff.

not that I pay much attention anyway

Well, unless you plan to sell a product, it doesn't matter.

[Joker94]

reason I say lead free, is cause I don't have to worry about RoHS compliance stuff.

not that I pay much attention anyway

Yeah i understand completely, i only suggest leaded solder as he is new to soldering and lead free is harder to use when your learning.

[Trumpkin]

If you want to spend ~$100, the Weller WES51 (http://www.amazon.com/Weller-WES51-Analog-Soldering-Station/dp/B000BRC2XU) is really nice. But for a beginner, one from your local Radio Shack or hardware store will do just fine. Oh, and get leaded solder. The lead free stuff sucks.

[galannthegreat]

Something about lead-free solder I've noticed, is that the solder joints aren't as strong as leaded solder ones.

[you eat waffles]

I havent tried this one yet, but I haer it's good. http://www.adafruit.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=8&products_id=180 with this also http://www.adafruit.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=150

 I use leaded solder just don't directly inhale it, if you do ,oh well your jittery for a bit. Just don't buy the iron from radioshack, they are very poorly designed and the one I bought you have to order the tip from the other side of the contry because they don't have it in store. i'm also on my second radioshack iron and they burn tips like crazy (Yes I do know how to solder)
My 2 cents.

[blackbeard]

i have a weller WES51 and i can say i would NEVER go back to the solo stick again. you can really feel the difference when you're soldering both with the unrestricted cable and the controlability.

[galannthegreat]

I've used one of those stations, and I can say that they do nicely. But I myself like the Hakko 936, probably one of the best low price range stations I've used.

[blackbeard]

I've used one of those stations, and I can say that they do nicely. But I myself like the Hakko 936, probably one of the best low price range stations I've used.

i've heard that hakko made good irons. i've never owned or tried one though.

[madsci1016]

i have a weller WES51 and i can say i would NEVER go back to the solo stick again. you can really feel the difference when you're soldering both with the unrestricted cable and the controlability.

Seconded, though i have the Weller WESD51. (Birthday gift from my girlfriend).

I grew up with a cheapy radio shack, and it got the job done. Now I have that Weller, and will never go cheapy again. And all the labs at my Navy base use them. They are a dream.

Learn to solder with a cheapy, then go to college with a Weller (or equiv). That's my advice.