soldering iron!

Nightglow · 2 Apr 2014 at 19:25

I got a Weller Vacuum bulb kit for around £11-£12, on the bay a few years ago

I find the Weller Vacuum bulb useful, but awkward, also have a desoldering pump, there are times when a desoldering braid is more useful, all depends on the job your doing.

Look on the bay, you might still find a Weller DS801 desoldering station, going for reasonable prices.

DXP55 · 9 Mar 2017 at 14:09

I used to use these - no problem retaining heat.

Martynt74 · 11 Mar 2017 at 00:04

Christ thats a thread necro if i ever saw one!

Solus · 12 Mar 2017 at 12:59

Circuitspecialists.eu do decent soldering irons. They're aoyue rebrands but at least you know the ce certification is legit.

I moved from one of those (csi 2901) which I used day in day out for soldering work until I got my jbc. The jbc isn't even comparable in quality.

GeForce · 12 Mar 2017 at 16:19

A good mid-range hobbyist electronics option is the Hakko FX888D

Solus · 12 Mar 2017 at 21:22

GeForce said:
A good mid-range hobbyist electronics option is the Hakko FX888D

Good quality but the heating element isn't part of the cartridge tip, which it is in the aoyue and csi models. Allows for quicker thermal recovery and more accurate temperatures.