Soldering iron
I gotta replace a knob on a board, I lost my old soldering irn in my move to Chicago. I need to buy a new one. Anyone have a recommendation on a decent soldering iron?
I just use my plain ol $15.00 Radio Shack one, but I’mn sure there’s much better out there.
yeah I was gonna go that route, but if there is a nicer one, then why not if its worth it. I figure some nerds out here would know 
If bI was going to upgrade I would probably go the statin route
[ame=“Amazon.com”]Amazon.com: Weller WLC100 40-Watt Soldering Station: Home Improvement@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41soEMghrsL.@@AMEPARAM@@41soEMghrsL[/ame]
If I wanted to go all out I might do this
[ame=“Amazon.com”]Amazon.com: Weller WESD51 Digital Soldering Station: Home Improvement@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41NXlcjXmJL.@@AMEPARAM@@41NXlcjXmJL[/ame]
i always carry a little gas powered one in my bag, has came in handy a few times.
hmmm that $40 one doesn’t look bad.
I just realized I have the same soldering station I ordered from a paper catalog when I was 10 years old so I’ve had it over 13 years now.
I’ve had other soldering irons too from radioshack and various places which have all broken or sucked.
It’s this one:
[ame=“Amazon.com”]Amazon.com: Tenma Temperature Controlled Digital Soldering Station: Home Improvement@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21IyhVq61uL.@@AMEPARAM@@21IyhVq61uL[/ame]
I didn’t even know they still make it I could use a new tip.
edit: half price here http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/21-1590&scode=GS111&CAWELAID=445475968
There might be better ones for the price range but it has served me well since childhood and has taken some beatings and keeps going strong. 
Then again some tools you buy for life and that one has a pretty beastly transformer in it.
yes im kinda looking to invest in one and have it for life basically. Don’t need the best, but a decent priced one will serve me well.
If you’re going to keep it around, pick one you can get spare tips for. It seems like Weller spares are widely available, so you should be good to go with one of these stations.
I’m not sure how universal the tips are. You may be able to fit other models but they wouldn’t work as well or what have you, anyone into electronics and soldering should be able to clarify.
Weller are always a safe bet and tips are indeed easy to find. Cheaper like Circuit Test are also really decent. Mid point you have the Hakko ones.
I have done electronics work and soldering for over thirty years. I have used extremely expensive irons at jobs, including the military. for home use, I prefer the cheap radio shack one that comes as a kit with some crappy tools and solder for around $15. when it wears out I get another one. I never try replacing the tip on the cheap ones.
Weller. Only thing better than radio shack worth paying for
The bigger more expensive wellers are good but the cheap weller soldering stations (like the red one linked above) are no better than radioshacks. I’ve seen just as many of those die as the radioshack stations and they are just as inconsistent. All it is is the same exact iron that they sell separately that plugs into an outlet on a bass station that is a voltage control- no heat sensors or anything.
Been on the monome forums quite a bit lately, and it seems that tehn (monome creator) along with several other on the forum use and recommend the hakko 936, or at least hakko brand. You figure he solders together hundreds of monomes at a time, so he’s probably got a pretty good iron.
Couldn’t find it anywhere but ebay, but it’s listed as new:
Also hear great things about the higher quality wellers.
Hakkos are pretty damn good if you can find a nice model at a decent price, I would take one any day over a Weller.
The radioshack ones are hardcore, i had mine about 10 years before it broke.
Now i just buy cheap ones at harbor freight and use them as disposable one-job irons. They get hot fast and have a good size and shape.
Soldering iron
I’m gonna look at a few today and just pic up whatever looks decent. Maybe I’ll have to order one.
These jobbies are ace:
http://www.antex.co.uk/prodtype.asp?strParents=&CAT_ID=180&numRecordPosition=1
My advice is just use Weller. If you don’t have much of a budget, splash out a little bit. Always good in the long run.
Weller or Hakko for brands,
but if you want to solder anything on the latest DJ gear, you have to look for atleast 350C or 700F degrees because of that stupid lead free solder. Plus fast heat is always a plus because you need to heat things up less to get the solder melted.
Or you can use a gas one, which is uncomfortable to use in small rooms because of the heat, but gets hot faster.