Opinions on soldering Irons, please

[Elizabeth]

I would really appreciate some input on what soldering iron the members prefer.   I saw a thread on another board where the general concensus seemed to be that the  Hakko456? was about the best (also most expensive?)   I have also done a fair amount of internet research,  but would just like to know what you all prefer in real life.
The only one freely available from the bigger suppliers here is the Lepponitt,  but now it comes with a big wooden handle which I don't like.  I have a small hand and work on small pieces....  I also have a Solomon,  but that too is a bit heavy and bulky for getting inside whirls etc.
Bottom line to all this waffle is that I plan to contact a couple of smaller South African suppliers who do not have web sites,  but might import something of better quality.   Should I be able to source a Hakko (I have a phone no for the S.A. agent),  would it be overkill when I am not doing large projects?
Is the ceramic heating system really so much beter than the coil?
Thanks in advance for your input!

[Lou Ann]

Beth,

I LOVE my hakko and wouldn't buy anything but if I had to buy a new one. It has 2 sizes of head, the standard is 3/16" which is perfect for what I do (the other one is larger). I do the occasional panel (my largest ever was 18" octagon so they aren't panels by some people's standards) but the majority of my stuff fits in a 6" x 9" bubble wrap bag (that is what I put them in for storage). With the fairs, I have started doing a lot more smaller stuff because that is what the customers want  around here. The standard head is also not too cumbersome when doing the inside of a candleshelter so it should work for your whirls.

Like you, I also have small hands and it fits nicely.

hope this helps,
Lou Ann

[Anne]

Haven't used a hakko Beth, so I'm not much help there.  I use a Weller 100 with an 800 degree tip and a 1/4 inch head.  I really like it but then I think it's a lot to do with what you're used to as well.

[Evelyn]

I have the hakko d456 and just love it, my last one lasted 4 years (used every day) and the only problem I had with it, not caused by me, was the three screws that keep the unit together kept coming loose and I lost one of them before I remembered to tighten them.    The tips are easy to replace and come in different sizes.  I do both large panels and small items and I love my hakko.
 

[Lou Ann]

must be a flaw because I have a screw on mine that comes loose and falls out too -- keep meaning to glue it :-)

[Alan]

Lou Ann & Evelyn - do you use a rheostat with your irons?

[Evelyn]

I do

[Audrey]

I started with the Weller 100 and couldn't run a solder bead without it loosing heat and having to keep waiting. I then purchased the Hakko 456 and it is much better. I only have the tip that cmae with it. It has worked fine for the small and medium projects I have done. I do have a rheostat.

[Rebecca]

I, too, use a Hakko 456 almost all of the time.  My hands are small and it is lightweight and seems to be nicely balanced.  I have never had screw trouble and I have two that I use almost every day.  Well, usually I only use one at a time!  One of them I have had for ten years and the other for seven.  I have worn out a few tips, but they are still working well for me.

I have tried the Weller and an Inland, but I just never got used to them.  Neither seemed to keep the temperature that I like.

Rebecca

[Glassic]

I'm not sure if you can get the Hakko 456 in 220/240v. Is it OK to use a soldering iron with a transformer? Malinda-Anyone?
My choice was a Weller100 if I wanted to do any work in the UK the Hakko was not available, but that was sometime ago.
I have a Weller and an Inland, the Weller is lighter and I also have small hands.

[Lou Ann]

Lou Ann & Evelyn - do you use a rheostat with your irons?

I do too

[Kev]

Weller 100 here as well.

[nansea121]

I've been using a 100 watt medium duty Pro Brand iron with a rheostat for years with my small paws. I've heard alot of good things about the Hakko 456 and thinking about getting one.

[Graham]

Weller 100 with 900 degree tip.
I also have 600,700 and 800 degree tips.
I use the 600 for most lead work and old lead repairs in particular. Old lead burns up pretty easily with too hot an iron.
the 700 and 800 degree tips are in reserve, at the back of a drawer where they've been for 5 or 6 years.

I've used others, but not enough to make me change brands, or even offer a valid opinion, except for the Inland "Insta-heat". I had one in the shop and it was more of an "insta-cold" (not my word). I hated it and then it quit. Good riddance!! said I.

[Kev]

My first was an inland. It got so hot is burned the Bakelite  portion on the soldering iron stand. I had to throw it out and have never had anything but a Weller 100 since.

[Glassic]

I should have said the Inland is backup, there was a shortage of Weller tips a while back and to tide me over the cheapest iron at the local was the Inland, my preferance is the Weller. I looked into the Hakko and have it as my next buy when one of these gives up the ghost.

[AglassAct]

I also use the Weller 100. I've never tried the hakko.

[Elizabeth]

Thank you everyone for the helpfull, no-nonsence replies!  Certainly gives me a basis to work on.
  My very first iron was a Weller (bought in error from a hobby shop)  and was only a 75w, I think, and very big & heavy for me.    That was our error - not a reflection on the product,  but I hav'nt seen a ' stained glass' Weller here either.
I do use a rheostat as well,  as I use very different heats for decorative and small stuff.   I have had Inland in the past,  but then the local importer closed down....

[Anne]

Beth, a Weller 100 has a built in rheostat!

[Lady Helen]

Mine is a Weller W 100P, and I have a smaller tip

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