Soldering irons and tip compatiblility, how to navigate this minefield?

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Deleted member 147986

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Looking to buy a soldering iron, but one thing that is really confusing and kinda dumb is that 95% of the soldering irons I can find do not list what types of tips they are compatible with. Nor the type or model number of tips or the diameter of tips.

How does one navigate this minefield of lack of information and find an iron and tips that work?

I'd like to have different shapes of tips and replacements available.

Looking for one available in the EU in case that matters.

Posting here because hardware seems the most fitting and I'm guessing some of you used a soldering iron before.
 
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Hmm... I get that this is technically hardware, but I'm not sure what it has to do with Linux Hardware.
 
Nothing really, other than Linux users are ones that are more likely to tinker with hardware and as such more likely own a soldering tool. Asking Windows users about soldering you just get blank stares. If it's unsuitable for the forum just delete it, just hoping for some friendly advice, been stuck on this for several days unsure of where to go next.
 
Insomniac said:
Nothing really, other than Linux users are ones that are more likely to tinker with hardware and as such more likely own a soldering tool. Asking Windows users about soldering you just get blank stares. If it's unsuitable for the forum just delete it, just hoping for some friendly advice, been stuck on this for several days unsure of where to go next.
Click to expand...

I'll just whisk it away to off-topic. Pretty much everyone reads that section of the forum anyhow, so you'll still get responses.

The last soldering iron I purchased was a really nice digital soldering station and came with a bunch of kit. I grabbed it from a closing Radio Shack for pennies on the dollar. It was something absurd like 80% off.
 
Price isn't my issue, my issue is compatibility information regarding tips for soldering irons. The information out there is basically none, zero, nada, zilch. I don't want to buy a soldering iron I can't buy replacement or different tips for.

That would be a piece of junk right? Well looking at it right now 95% of the market is a piece of junk in that regard. I'm surprised the lack of information about tips is this crazy bad.

If you shop for dremel/rotary multitool bits you at least get the diameter 50% of the time. Nowhere near perfect but at least something.

Worst shopping experience 2024.
 
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Bought a Dremel 3000 rotary multitool in 2019. Never needed it until 2024, when I removed the packaging and found out it didn't work at all. Outside of warranty, it has the usual Dremel engine wire failure new in box.

Was hoping to repair it with a soldering iron, but the 50W one meant for pipe work my grandfather left me doesn't exactly do the job. Need a better one for the reasons above.

Why are EXPLETIVES HERE soldering iron bits such a pain in the ass?

It's easy for humans to label and sell things, so why not these ones? Why are soldering bits somehow on the list of things nobody cares about to document? There is a market waiting to explode, but brands are too busy with putting led lights on meaningless shit.
 
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I've done all sorts of electronic repair on motherboards such as recapping and also repair on CB radios and Ham radios and other electronics.

All I've ever used was a cheap 30watt Weller soldering iron with a basic tip and sponge and electronics solder.

The secret to successful soldering is practice and keeping a clean tip for a good solder joint.

This is all I've ever needed.
 
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My options for a Weller start at 159 euros @ https://www.bol.com/nl/nl/p/weller-...h=o1OsYxyrqUxFnETKeq9DCg.2_46.49.ProductTitle

Compared to other options cheap isn't the word I would use. It's one of the few that might have replaceable tips, but even their documentation is lacking.

All I'm looking for is a soldering iron with replaceable tips. Should be an easy errand, but it's not, and in 2024 it's still massively stupid.

I don't mind buying a Weller, but at those prices your can also get a hot air rework station for electronics work, so the comparison becomes more difficult. Brand name tips or China tech rework station?
 
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I'm with @The Duck I've always used a weller for all kinds of electronic soldering. And never had a problem finding a tip when needed. but I would go with a 60w or better one. Of course I live in the US so prices are not as High for them here.
Good luck in your search.
 
For electronics, you want a slim (also referred to as a Pencil type) soldering iron with needle-like tip to aid in getting the heat (and solder) right where you need it.

Personally I have a Weller WE1010NA - you can also get different tips for it available on Amazon
 
The Duck said:
The secret to successful soldering is practice and keeping a clean tip for a good solder joint.
Click to expand...

I'm going to trying my hand at soldering again soon. There are better YouTube videos now. Hopefully I'll have more success this time.
 
I have a few of these around I've found here and there.
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Think I've found what I'm looking for in the Hakko FX-888D soldering station.

HAKKO | HAKKO Corporation

www.hakko.com www.hakko.com

Has good reviews and has the largest selection of available tip sizes and shapes I've seen available on the market. Other irons often come with restrictive options, like only conical, or many chisel shaped ones but only a singular conical size.

They even have a nice guide on tip selection.

How to select the right shape and size of the tip for micro soldering ｜ MAINTENANCE/TROUBLESHOOTING/APPLICATION EXAMPLES ｜HAKKO | HAKKO Corporation

www.hakko.com www.hakko.com

Both tips and replacement parts are readily available.

The blue/yellow color scheme makes it look like a toy, but the color doesn't matter to me. There is also a grey (silver?) variant.

Ordered one alongside some tin, a wider tip, a "3rd hand" to hold cables, de-soldering items, and a heat resistant mat to work on. Should be here in a few days.

Slightly more expensive than I was looking for, but at least I won't have to replace it anytime soon, or suffer low quality tips, bad availability of replacement parts or any of that. As I get more comfortable with soldering I have tons of tips available to help with the workflow.

Here is a video review with some practical tips (warning: usual youtuber bs ahead)

Bought my tool at https://www.eleshop.nl/
You can buy tools anywhere, but you should be aware there is a cottage industry making fake Hakko parts out there.
One of the reasons I used this store is because they state they sell 100% original Hakko parts (#nonsponsored not a cent received).
 
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