Soldering stationsq
 

Hi,
I have always wanted a good soldering station. I just talked the wife into getting me one of xmass.
anyone got a suggestion on a good one, I would like to keep it under $150.

thanks

stick

You do realize that's an open ended question, don't you?
Solder stations can be your best friend or your worst nightmare, been there and found that out.
My experience is that you can't do wrong with Weller soldering tools. Here's one that may fit the bill for you:
https://www.micromark.com/Electronic-Soldering-Station
Attachment 2247895
I would recommend getting some of the available various sized extra soldering tips to increase the station's versatility as well.
One thing to be aware of is that this is not a high dollar station but, unless you do a lot of heavy soldering, you probably don't really need to spend that kind of cash to buy one either

I was big into bramd na,e soldering stations like weller because thats what was used in comercial environments. I went through two of them before realizing that good old China made some damn good ones at a fraction of the cost. Wellers were well over 100 clams wereas you can pick up a No Name station for less than 30, and so far outlived the weller. One good habit with a soldering station is too always have solder on the tip. So, if you are working on something, before you put the wand back on the stand, clean the tip on the sponge or brillo, melt some solder on the tip, and then let it rest on the stand. This will prolong the life of the tip and inner somponents. Look on ebay and save some money.

Thanks for the info, I will tell her.

I am redoing my hobby area in the basement and this will be a new item

sticks

Get yourself this one, I have it, it is awesome. Get extra tips and the cleaning station as well

https://www.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXATBK&P=3

https://www.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXDHTB&P=M

Hi!
I´m still using my 45 year old 50W Weller soldering station (with three different tips). It handles 5mm piano vire with ease using the widest tip.

Stick, it depends a lot on what you plan to solder, the soldering stations recommended are in the 40-60 watt range. If you are doing electronics these are fine. If you plan to solder large landing gear, then you need something with 150-200 watts to do a really good job of it.