18 Mar
2003
18 Mar
'03
8:40 a.m.
There is only one TRUE soldering iron. If you're
serious about soldering
and surface mount, you want a Metcal. Don't get the SP-200 series, they're
That's why I said I should probably upgrade sometime...
product environments. Don't tell me how much you
love your Weller or Hakko
until you use a Metcal. Once you've had, you'd just as soon use a wood
I will say one thing. For classic computer repairs (0.1" pin-through
hole, 0.05" SMD), a Weller TCP is perfectly useable. Not the best, but
useable. I can't remember the last time I lifted a pad or ripped out a
through-hole-plating 'tube'.
The hobbyist-grade irons are not useable. They will do a lot of damage to
PCBs!
-tony