Tweaker's Asylum

Posted by Allan Moyse on January 22, 2000 at 08:45:15:

In Reply to: Re: Soldering iron recommendations posted by Markw on January 21, 2000 at 10:04:14:

I agree that most of the time it's impossible to have one iron do the big and delicate jobs at the same time. However, there are exceptions to that rule.

I have a Weller MicroTouch iron (MT-1500). The handpiece is tiny--even smaller than Radio Shack's smallest mini-iron. I've used it to work on the smallest of surface mount electronics, and also to solder 2-Ga (that's right, TWO GUAGE) battery terminals for my truck. The only change was the tip and the temperature setting.

I'm sure that other quality brands like Metcal and Ersa have similar units. This wasn't a cheap Iron at about $500, but even as a student, I'd gladly pay that again for the amount of hassle it has saved me. I've had it for about two years, and I've never damaged at tip. They seem indestructable.

Do yourself a favor, and get a quality iron. You'll be glad you did.

Allan

Follow Ups:

• Well, for those of us with a budget... Markw 05:40:20 01/24/00 (0)