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Good Soldering Iron?

Lays
By Lays
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Go to solution Solved by mkylem,

This is kind of what I'd be doing, not sure if I need a smaller one (do they make different size ones?)

Yes. Solder comes in many various sizes and you can get very fine soldering iron heads, unfortunately it becomes quite difficult with finer heads as it's more difficult to conduct heat to melt the solder. With components that small I also recommend getting some form of magnification that you don't need to hold so you can focus on soldering with it. 

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I have no idea about soldering, never done it before.  I've heard it's "similar" to welding, just on a smaller & more precise scale.  I've welded lots before, and went to college for awhile for welding.  I'm a really fast learner so it should be pretty easy for me to figure it all out.

 

Was wondering if anyone knows any good soldering irons that they've had good success with on soldering electronics with.

Use case will be soldering wires / resistors / trim-pots on old GPU's for voltage modifications.

 

I'd prefer to keep it cheap if possible, anything under ~100$ is good, but the cheaper the better (without sacrificing lots of quality)

 

 

 

If this isn't the place to ask, I'll go post on OCN or HWBOT forums, figured I'd ask on LTT first because people tend to respond way quicker.

 

Thanks guys.

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I got a cheap one from my local electronic shop, and I use it pretty much everyday soldering LEDs for customers, been using it for about a year. No point in getting a more expensive one unless it has more features that you need.

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I personally use this Hakko. I love it. Easy to set up and use and it works flawlessly and having a variable temperature soldering iron is extremely helpful if you don't know what exactly the solder is made from.. You may want to get a set of soldering iron heads for various tasks. Don't forget soldering wick and different gauge solder.

 

I highly recommend checking out EEVBlog for more tips and helpful info. I know all I know from his long but in-depth videos.  :D

 

I should mention that when you're buying tools I can never stress buying a great tool first than a crappy one and it failing on you. One that will last you a lifetime is always better than one that will last you a little bit and not work as well. You're really getting your money's worth with better quality tools. 

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i use an OLD elematic soldering iron (produced in norway, probably not sold to other contries) it is awesome, it heats up quickly and it is comfortable to hold. soldering is similar to Welding in the form that you melt metal to atatch two Objects together but the tecknique is very different.

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I got a cheap one from my local electronic shop, and I use it pretty much everyday soldering LEDs for customers, been using it for about a year. No point in getting a more expensive one unless it has more features that you need.

 

I personally use this Hakko. I love it. Easy to set up and use and it works flawlessly. You may want to get a set of soldering iron heads for various tasks. Don't forget soldering wick and different gauge solder.

 

I highly recommend checking out EEVBlog for more tips and helpful info. I know all I know from his long but in-depth videos.  :D

 

 

This is kind of what I'd be doing, not sure if I need a smaller one (do they make different size ones?)

 

2m7da29.jpg

Stuff:  i7 7700k @ (dat nibba succ) | ASRock Z170M OC Formula | G.Skill TridentZ 3600 c16 | EKWB 1080 @ 2100 mhz  |  Acer X34 Predator | R4 | EVGA 1000 P2 | 1080mm Radiator Custom Loop | HD800 + Audio-GD NFB-11 | 850 Evo 1TB | 840 Pro 256GB | 3TB WD Blue | 2TB Barracuda

Hwbot: http://hwbot.org/user/lays/ 

FireStrike 980 ti @ 1800 Mhz http://hwbot.org/submission/3183338 http://www.3dmark.com/3dm/11574089

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This is kind of what I'd be doing, not sure if I need a smaller one (do they make different size ones?)

Yes. Solder comes in many various sizes and you can get very fine soldering iron heads, unfortunately it becomes quite difficult with finer heads as it's more difficult to conduct heat to melt the solder. With components that small I also recommend getting some form of magnification that you don't need to hold so you can focus on soldering with it. 

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Yes. Solder comes in many various sizes and you can get very fine soldering iron heads, unfortunately it becomes quite difficult with finer heads as it's more difficult to conduct heat to melt the solder. With components that small I also recommend getting some form of magnification that you don't need to hold so you can focus on soldering with it. 

 

 

Yeah I was thinking about the same thing, thanks for clearing it all up man, appreciate it.

Stuff:  i7 7700k @ (dat nibba succ) | ASRock Z170M OC Formula | G.Skill TridentZ 3600 c16 | EKWB 1080 @ 2100 mhz  |  Acer X34 Predator | R4 | EVGA 1000 P2 | 1080mm Radiator Custom Loop | HD800 + Audio-GD NFB-11 | 850 Evo 1TB | 840 Pro 256GB | 3TB WD Blue | 2TB Barracuda

Hwbot: http://hwbot.org/user/lays/ 

FireStrike 980 ti @ 1800 Mhz http://hwbot.org/submission/3183338 http://www.3dmark.com/3dm/11574089

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I'm glad I could help! Just don't learn how to solder from Linus!

OH GOD!!!  That was hard to watch.

Official Profile for Addon Customs LTD and Custom Acrylics
Addon Customs - Custom LED Lighting | Single colour and RGB available, hand sleeved | Now making Phanteks Case compatible LED KITS
Custom Acrylics - Custom computer parts | GPU backplates, Fan Grills, NZXT H440 Fascias and PSU covers | 3D printing and Laser Cutting Service available.

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I have a 30W soldering iron from Velleman. Cost me 6 euros. It does the job for most applications. 

If you want to do fine work I'd recommend a lower wattage 15-25W, and a relatively sharp tip.

For general purpose stuff a somewhat flatter tip will allow better heat transfer.

I cannot be held responsible for any bad advice given.

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