when soldering irons go bad

I can't count all the defunct floppy-catenary-shaped rusted-tip ratshack irons or the 30-40 watt basic Weller irons that went through my hands before I finally got the hint. Real soldering stations provide several advantages to me: 1. Temperature control -- quit charring your flux, the board, etc. 2. Power -- you can put a 90-100 watt heating element in the tip if you have temperature control, because now you aren't just turning on the element and hitting equilibrium at 950F. When you need to solder 8 gauge wire, you used to reach for the monster 100W stained-glass iron. Now you may not have to. 3. FAST warmup. My Hakko goes from off to ready in 30 seconds or so. (I hate waiting for the iron to warm up.) It also cools down faster. 4. Much better construction quality. I got whacked with a clue stick by a friend who bought a refurbished Hakko 939 from EAE Sales. He convinced me of the above advantages, and I bought an identical one. It's completely changed the way I solder. I'd suggest a station with lots of wattage and variable temperature control, though the digital readout isn't strictly necessary. Testimonial: Bruce at EAE is a great guy, and Knows His Stuff. He sells refurbished (by himself, and by the factory) gear as well as new. De