Big soldering irons don't run hotter?
On 23 Mar 2006, Dave D wrote:
"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.
Thnak you for the warning!
|