"David Peters" wrote in message
...

That Maplin soldering iron (ref N78AR) seems like rather a good
deal at 13 GBP.

However you say you are unhappy with your other Maplin iron so I
will ask if anyone has used one of these bargain temperature
controlled irons.


I have one, now non-working! I used it all of three times at 3/4 max setting
and it burned out. They are rubbish- they're not temperature controlled-
they're simply a tacky, clumsy, cumbersome mains iron hardwired into a
lightweight, cheap plastic dimmer box. There's no thermostat, you simply
have to whack up the 'dimmer' knob when the tip temperature drops, and the
iron seems very inefficient- more like a 30W than a 50W.

My advice to anyone wanting a temperature controlled iron is to look out for
proper temperature controlled irons on eBay, or better still a low voltage
soldering station like the Weller TCP series or Antex 660 with a TC50 iron.
They cost a lot more even secondhand, but they are immeasurably superior in
every way. I have both and can't fault them at all.

Dave