@torqueboards sold me on a hakko- I was genuinely surprised at how much of a difference it made compared to the simple $30 one I had before.
only downside is the $85ish dollar pricetag, but I guess you get what you pay with soldering stations!
plus those sick colors make it more manly, lol.
Its funny the hakko is actually quite a good quality iron. Even though it looks like a bit of a toy. Not sure why they changed their design. They used to look a bit more solid.
i’m using a $30 radioshack soldering iron and I don’t hate it, but it is kind of terrible. I’ve been wanting a proper station for a while now. Maybe santa clause will bring me one.
Recently bought this one
Haven’t used it much yet, but seems great for the price.
Hakko = Beast… Best soldering iron ever at an affordable price… Saves countless hours from a weenie soldering iron that can’t get nothing hot. Adjustable temperature gauge is awesome. Similar to the iCharger IMO. High quality yet affordable.
Wait 5-10 minutes to heat up a 5.5mm connector (doesn’t even work still) and/or 3-4 secs with a Hakko 
I have the X-TRONIC #6040 2 in 1 Digital Hot Air Rework Soldering Iron Station. My girlfriend bought it for me for Christmas a couple years ago. It like it.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0052M8SZA/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1
A good soldering station makes a HUGE difference! I got a decent one about 2 years ago and continue to pat myself on the back for getting the hot air included. Great for heat shrink (what i’ve mostly used it for) and pre-heating pcb’s. Recently i’ve even used it to solder some surface mount SMD!
Mine is very similar to this one:
Mine’s layout differs slightly, and has different solder iron holder. For <70 now (i think i paid around 90). My deciding factor was the seller was on my way home so i picked it up the day i bought it online! Bonus. Had to pay tax, but quick shipping! heheheWell, considering the package (iron + hot air), it is also a very cheap one. Not to say it is bad, but you get what you pay for. All the 852 (fro aoyue and other brands) are cheap chineese stations.
A real good hot air station is several 100+ $. But then it depends how much you plan to use it …
Some review here :
As for myself, I have a Weller soldering station : similar to WD81 , the best tool I have bought (more than 10 years ago) I also plan to buy a cheap hot air station (probably similar to the 852 without the solder iron).
I use this guy; the Aoyue 469. It’s not great, and definitely not pro-grade, but at $30 USD it’s a million times better than a standard non-adjustable cheapo. I use hakko tips with it, and I’ve been really pleased with the results. After getting this I starting to enjoy soldering!
its interesting that “852D+” looks SO much like my hakko unit that I love! I used to have a weller wsd 81 that eventually fell apart. i replaced it with a I also have a weller DS 801 and an atmoscope oh and I have a small gas powered iron for mobile work in cars etc.
but my favorite of all is the Hakko 701-10 that thing is is the boss. the de soldering pump is unbelievably awesome! if you have ever had to remove components without it you will know how awesome it really is. Although with a AUD$1200 retail price, its a little too serious for the average hobbyist.
im actually considering buying one of those $80 chinese hakko clones for science.
bought it at geek android app for $12 singapore dollar .
looks like this . but this is from alibaba .
The key is to have the right wattage irons for the job in hand.
I use a 50 Watt soldering station for all my smaller, and electronic soldering. You can set the temperature which is essential - to have a steady, reliable temperature. You can switch tips and solder tiny stuff to medium stuff with this.
Much like this one : http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/48w-mains-solder-station-n34fb
These stations also heat up a lot quicker than direct mains powered irons.
Then for bigger stuff like like power connectors, XT 60 , XT 90, 4mm bullets etc etc, I have an 80W Weller:
You really NEED a high power iron to solder the bigger stuff properly but be careful, you can melt an XT 60 very quickly 
If you connect the two mating connectors before soldering you will have a hard time melting the plastic housing on xt connectors. Also the other connector will keep everything in alignment if the plastic becomes soft while soldering.
Mmm that looks like a nice Iron
After I’m done soldering…It makes me a sandwich. Nice…
I’m on the secondary stage of my soldering journey now. Months ago in this thread i mentioned that i was using a $30 crap 25 watt soldering iron fro radio shack.
I have since bumped up to this 70 watt XTRONIC unit i got from amazon when i finally got so sick of my old one that i rage purchased a hotter one while ordering something else i needed. http://www.amazon.com/X-TRONIC-3000-3010-XTS-VARIABLE-SOLDERING/dp/B00KS8XA2Y?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00
my next step is a nice hot air station with iron and multiple tips when i get sick of this one, but this one so far has been really good to me and seems to melt just about every damn thing quickly. A hot air wand for the smaller heat shrink applications would just make my day. Right now i’m using a dewalt heat gun which can be a little awkward because of its size for smaller things.
I am using Weller WLC100 40-Watt Best Soldering Station for Electronics. Read details about soldering station from best soldering station for electronics.
Useful thread ! I can’t bear my solder iron anymore…
So I wondering buying a Hakko but there are a lot of models. What’s the best compromise between for soldering from electronics components to say, 10 AWG abd 5.5mm bullets ? Is 70W enough ?
