Can anyone recommend a decent soldering station that's reasonably priced?
I've come to the conclusion that I need something a bit better than my trusty simple soldering iron. A simple iron has been fine for guitar circuits but I'm struggling to do a consistently good job on some of the more complex projects I'm working on (effects,amps, circuit bending etc.)
I've looked at details for a lot of stuff online (eg. at the Farnell website) but it's difficult to judge what you're getting for your money. I've seen digitally controlled ones with seemingly good specs for as little as £50 but I'm suspicious of anything that looks too cheap. Expensive ones range up to thousands of pounds, which is crazy money and well out of my range. I can possibly stretch to a low three-figure budget - but that covers quite a few possibilities.
What I really need is personal recommendations from people who've used equipment that's available in the UK.
Replies
Can only recommend ya try a church, Mark, ma man. Always singing "Onward Christian Soldering" ;)
Hiya mark as Bob said check out ebay always worth a look - i ended up buying a solder station from Maplins when they had a offer on i got mine for £25 but the same one is now £49.99 i must say i'm more than happy with it's performance i've had it for two years and the only problem i have had was the element blew after around a year but they are cheap to buy £2.99 i bought two and got a third one for free - i also bought a set of various size tips which are still in great condition and again pretty cheap
Solder Station
Element
set of three tips
Thanks guys, looks like the Maplin one is definitely worth considering.
Go to ebay. They have really great solidering stations at a low price. I have a used Weller (USA) and have found that the variable temp. knob can dial in any temp and your solder likes. I bet the Chineese varations would be great as well for I think about $30 or so.
Bob
Harrisonguitarpickups.com