Recommendations for a 25w, 240v soldering iron, please?

Skylark

Skylark

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My at least 40 year old 25w mains powered soldering iron has given up the ghost. The core of the live cable has broken, inside the handle, at the point where it attaches to the element, hence it's not repairable.

I also have a very handy Dremel gas powered tool for soldering, heat shrinking and hot knife cutting but I would like to replace the mains powered one.

I'm a very occasional user for modelling, general purpose and a few boaty tasks. When it died, I was at home trying to tin the leads on a small red led which I'd planned to fit as a replacement on my steering compass at the weekend.

There seems to be a wide choice available but would anyone care to make a recommendation based upon their first hand knowledge and experience?

Via an internet search, both Draper and Antex (Maplin brand) seem popular but don't always get good feedback. I don't want to pay a fortune for a professional electricians iron but neither do I want to buy a piece of junk.

Many thanks.
 
Weller all the way, and I would suggest 50W temp controlled at least, get to temp faster and recover from heavy joints faster.
I have a 25 year old bit regulated one (the magnet in the back of the bit sets the temp) Well, 25 year old in a my grandfather's axe sort of way.... new handle, new element, only one bit ever wore out.
 
Antex is a brand in its own right, not Maplin. Good IMHO.
I have a 15 watt model, a size which I'd recommend for the LED job you describe.
I have a couple of cheap 25 watt irons, picked up at local stores, and they are perfectly OK for slightly heavier jobs, so I'd basically recommend any Amazon/ Draper/Maplin cheapie for occasional use.
An advantage of more costly brand names is that you can buy spare bits and elements.
I also have a vintage Henley Solon, but I think they are now off the market.
 
I didn't know Antex was owned by Maplin. I've always had one. But my Weller (PS2D) is superior. I don't know what wattage it is, but I guess 40 or 50. Being temperature controlled and highish wattage, it's good for small, delicate work, without overheating anything, as well as more substantial jobs. It's 24V, which is supplied by the transformer in the base station. I also have a gas iron (from Maplin) that I keep on the boat.
 
elton said:
I didn't know Antex was owned by Maplin.
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I don't think they are. Whatever the OP gets, I strongly advise getting an iron with a silicon-insulated mains lead - Antex do them and perhaps Weller too. It's very handy having a lead which the tip can't melt!
 
Another vote for Weller. Also, 25W is a bit light-weight, although that does depend on what you expect to use it for. 50(ish)W temperature controlled will be far more useful for almost anything than a 15/25W basic model. If you can afford variable temperature, that will be even more versatile. Get a few spare tips whilst you are at it - there is nothing worse than discovering the copper core has leached away when you have a vital repair job to do!
 
I have an antex 15w but have found it to be completely inadequate for lead-free solder. Still using the last of my leaded solder but will be looking for something with a bit more oomph after that.
 
No to Antex, brought a gas pencil type, in. A short time it was leaking from filling valve, I'm for Weller if electric.
 
laika said:
I have an antex 15w but have found it to be completely inadequate for lead-free solder. Still using the last of my leaded solder but will be looking for something with a bit more oomph after that.
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Granny/eggs alert, but you do know proper solder is still to be found on ebay etc? I can't use that new shyte, tried it, chucked it in the bin.
 
laika said:
I have an antex 15w but have found it to be completely inadequate for lead-free solder. Still using the last of my leaded solder but will be looking for something with a bit more oomph after that.
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I wondered whether lead/tin solder was still available, but apparently it is. Farnell - http://uk.farnell.com/edsyn/su35100...atch|b|plid|&gclid=CNGsjNXOzMYCFcTJtAodJ3II1g

- not that I'm going to run out. The 2.5KG drum of 18swg Savbit multicore that fell into my hands in the 1970s will see me out. Or see me off :encouragement:
 
I'll agree with everyone - a Weller with a selection of tips, some decent flux and a good stand and avoid lead-free solder like the plague. Make sure it's one of the temperature controlled irons and that you have the right temperature tips for it. Weller are expensive but I wouldn't be surprised if they are still supplying spare parts for a 40 year old. Definitely not cheap but you do get what you pay for (and you can pay five grand for a Weller soldering station if you go to the high end stuff).


http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/soldering-stations/4310418/

F4310418-01.jpg



That's the type of soldering iron stand I like as you can keep the tip clean by wiping on the damp sponge but, most importantly, you can wedge the barrel of the iron in between the spring coils. Have a pot of flux, a coil of solder, the damp sponge and all your cables ready to hand. Wipe the tip, strip the cable, twist the strands (preferably by using the insulator you just cut free - just twist as you pull it off and the strands are twisted and there's no grease from your fingers on them), dip the cable end in the flux, drop a touch of solder on to the end of the iron (just enough to silver a little way inside the insulator) and touch the cable to the iron end. Once you've got the hang of it you can do a couple of hundred cables in about an hour.
 
Why have people recommended Weller irons? they are indeed very good, but expensive and aimed at the professional market, and the requirements were stated quite clearly,

"I'm a very occasional user for modelling, general purpose and a few boaty tasks"

"I don't want to pay a fortune for a professional electricians iron but neither do I want to buy a piece of junk"

For the work that I do which sounds very similar, I am very pleased with my 25W Antex which I have been using for many years and on the boat for normal wiring I use a 12V iron of the same size which I think I got from Lidl, I do use Lead/Tin solder which I have bought off eBay.
 
kolster said:
Why have people recommended Weller irons? they are indeed very good, but expensive and aimed at the professional market, and the requirements were stated quite clearly,
"I'm a very occasional user for modelling, general purpose and a few boaty tasks"
"I don't want to pay a fortune for a professional electricians iron.
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Quite agree, The likes of Weller are nice if you want to pay the price, but quite OTT for most DIY'ers IMO.
Also agree about using tin/lead solder, which is still readily available.
Lead-free has a considerably higher melting temperature, which will make small irons struggle, but also pose more risk of damage to components. It has poorer wetting qualities, requiring a more aggressive flux, hence risk of later corrosion. As a solid it is more brittle, hence risk of vibration cracking.
It has been imposed on industries and plumbers for H&S reasons, but I certainly wouldn't use it for electrical/electronic DIY .
I use my 15w. Antex for most of my boaty and home elec. jobs. The rest are done with my £5 Radio Shack "bargain".
 
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kolster said:
Why have people recommended Weller irons? they are indeed very good, but expensive and aimed at the professional market, and the requirements were stated quite clearly,

"I'm a very occasional user for modelling, general purpose and a few boaty tasks"

"I don't want to pay a fortune for a professional electricians iron but neither do I want to buy a piece of junk"

For the work that I do which sounds very similar, I am very pleased with my 25W Antex which I have been using for many years and on the boat for normal wiring I use a 12V iron of the same size which I think I got from Lidl, I do use Lead/Tin solder which I have bought off eBay.
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I don't disagree, although I own about 6 soldering irons, many of them Wellers cannabalised from ones found in the bins in various factories.
I would say that sometimes a lot of damage can be done using too small an iron, because it takes ages to melt the joint, the heat spreads a long way.
Maybe a solder gun type could be considered for heavier jobs, they are also good for cutting rope etc. Less than £20 on ebay etc.

Lead free is a pain. Avoid if you can.
Do get a flux pen though!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/NO-CLEAN-Fl...id=1436430746&sr=8-1&keywords=solder+flux+pen
 
jerrytug said:
Granny/eggs alert, but you do know proper solder is still to be found on ebay etc?
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I do now but didn't know about the lead-free thing until I ran out of solder, bought new from Maplin, then wondered why I had stopped being able to solder stuff. Figured the much like unleaded petrol, better to just upgrade my kit than use a diminishing source of specialist suppliers. Plus maybe I'd be saving some dolphins from dementia or something. Having studied a bit more I wouldn't feel so bad buying leaded solder again.

kolster said:
Why have people recommended Weller irons?
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Maybe setting up a gag about Weller being the daddy for mod-elling? or something....
 
Agree, lead-free is horrible stuff! Melting point about 30 degrees higher, doesn't flow as well, needs more aggressive flux, etc., etc. But it's what we "professionals" have to use! That also means that pretty much any product you have bought within the last 10+ years will have been assembled with lead-free solder, so if you want/need to repair it, your soldering iron needs to be man-enough for the job.

A 15/25W iron will have been designed to be thermally limited to temperatures suitable for tin/lead solder. You should be OK for soldering light-gauge wire - but beware that increased soldering time will result in a greater length of the insulation melting, and burnt fingers - leading to increased swearing! It will also be OK for model work using low-melting point solders, if needed (actually probably too hot for that - hence the suggestion of variable temperature).

If it's only for occasional use, then it doesn't have to be a Weller - the likes of Rapid and CPC sell functionally similar soldering irons for about £40, I think. The advice about getting spare tips still stands, as they don't last very long (lead-free solder!).

I have Weller irons that have been in daily use for more than 30 years. I can still get spare parts for them, and it is easy to swap parts from other irons that aren't needed any longer.
 
I have an Antex 50W temperature controlled iron which might be a good compromise between the expense of a Weller and the limitations of the smaller non controlled Antex and others.
Its quite compact as the control is in the handle, not a separate box, so it's not much bigger than the non-controlled irons, therefore not too bulky to stow on the boat. Model number is TCS50.
I've had mine for a few years now without problems
 
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