Roy L. Fuchs wrote:

On Sat, 25 Mar 2006 19:01:28 -0800, Smitty Two
Gave us:


In article ,
William P.N. Smith wrote:


Zak wrote:

This is the Weller page for the UK
http://www.cooperhandtools.com/europ...ller/index.htm
but which iron in the drop down box is the best value?

Why are you looking in the spare parts index? IMHO, the "best" one is
the old standard
http://www.cooperhandtools.com/europ...r/soldering/WT
CP51.htm
which has been around forever, and is available used for very little
money.

Maybe if you solder for a few minutes a day, Weller will work for you.
We solder all day long every day, and the damn things are more trouble
than they're worth. They used to be good, maybe 20 years ago, but
they're s**t now. The cords go intermittent, the cord jacks go
intermittent, the fuses blow, the thermostats short out, the heaters go
open, the tips burn up in an hour, the metal sponge trays turn to piles
of rust. They're annoying as hell to fix because the idiot engineer who
designed them flunked third grade. That's why I finally put them in the
dumpster and bought a bunch of Edsyns.


Edsyn rules! The tips are hard inside, and well plated outside.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The temp controller is fast response, and always accurate (as long as
nobody screws with the calibration pots), and they max out at
800degrees. They shouldn't be used at that temp for PCB assembly, but
there are times when a good high starting temp and a fat tip choice
comes in handy.

That is another good thing about these. The tip can be changed
quickly, and the array of tips available is wide. The operator can
keep several tips in the small front tray provided If one doesn't
like the sponges provided (or their price) one can buy just about any
sponge and cut it to size before applying the water for the first
time. The only thing I have ever seen go bad on them is the tip
retaining sheath. And those ONLY go bad on the user stations where the
idiot assembler keeps their station cranked up to the max all day.
If kept at the proper operating temp, they last practically forever.

The tips are so hard that instead of deteriorating, they form a
crust. Kester makes an "ammonium" block tip cleaning media that is
about a 2.5" x 2.5" block of ammonium. A hot tip, and a couple drops
of solder allow the tip to be restored to near new condition. The
block even has a certain friction that scrapes right through the
crust, and re-tins the tip perfectly. They work way better then the
small, lead filled acid cup style tip cleaners, and smoke far less. I
have one that has lasted for years and I am still on the first quarter
inch of media on only a few sides of the block. Edsyn IS the ****! and
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

they can even be found cheaper than retail at times. There are
several types available, but the dial controlled version is the best,
with the dial controlled version that even has two AC power outlets on
the front of the unit is fabulous.

is there something wrong with my English?, first
it rules, then it is the ****s?

--
Real Programmers Do things like this.
http://webpages.charter.net/jamie_5