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Soldering iron recommendation

Vimtoman said:
This cheapo works OK

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That is CHEP (as they say round 'ere). And the music from the video is "Staying Alive" quite funny with cheap electricals from China I thought.

A bit fancy with that LCD display. Mine is an old RS analog in that it has a LED that flashes when up to the temperature set by a small pot in the iron.
I prefer it to the couple of old Blue Wellers I have. I shall have to dig 'em out and sell 'em.
 
I have used a Weller TCP for many years but recently picked up a Metcal used cheap on gumtree it a fair few years old but seems to be fantastic so far but they are pricey
 
I thought I'd resurrect this old thread as I've just realised I need a soldering iron to rebuild my Gottlieb flippers and know nothing about them but clearly lots of you know your soldering onions :)

So reading the above I thought a sensible middle ground might be the one on Amazon (https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0987H26KP). The temperature display sounds useful for a beginner and I am assuming 5 tips will cover my very basic needs - eg. flipper rebuilds, re-soldering incorrectly wired Stern work, etc...? Anyone think this would be a bad choice for someone who's never soldered before?

Also, how important is the solder and flux? Do I need lead-free (I'm sure someone once told me the lead stuff is better)? From a quick look online it seems I don't need anything else to desolder other than the soldering iron?

Thanks.
 
MarkS said:
I thought I'd resurrect this old thread as I've just realised I need a soldering iron to rebuild my Gottlieb flippers and know nothing about them but clearly lots of you know your soldering onions :)

So reading the above I thought a sensible middle ground might be the one on Amazon (https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0987H26KP). The temperature display sounds useful for a beginner and I am assuming 5 tips will cover my very basic needs - eg. flipper rebuilds, re-soldering incorrectly wired Stern work, etc...? Anyone think this would be a bad choice for someone who's never soldered before?

Also, how important is the solder and flux? Do I need lead-free (I'm sure someone once told me the lead stuff is better)? From a quick look online it seems I don't need anything else to desolder other than the soldering iron?

Thanks.
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I’d go for something a bit more powerful mate. 70w. The Hakko FX888D

Hold fire though as it fluctuates in price and I’ve seen it drop to £158 on a regular basis.
 
KSGER T12 from Aliexpress. Thank me later.
No idea why some of you are so keen to overpay. I've ben using 2 of mine (one with Dewalt battery adapter) for everything - from laptop motherboard repairs, usb-c, HDMI ports replacement to pinball's wire soldering.
 
ChrisFormela said:
KSGER T12 from Aliexpress. Thank me later.
No idea why some of you are so keen to overpay. I've ben using 2 of mine (one with Dewalt battery adapter) for everything - from laptop motherboard repairs, usb-c, HDMI ports replacement to pinball's wire soldering.
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Even better value. Not had one so can’t vouch.
 
Real life saver when comes to mobile repairs but I'd pick different handle for stationary use, so tips can be quickly changed without unscrewing. Just pull it out and insert another one. Worth mentioning that tips come with heating element build in. It makes things easier when heating element dies.
 

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www.bigredpowertools.co.uk

Milwaukee M12SI-201C M12 Soldering Iron

Milwaukee M12SI. 12 volt cordless soldering iron 90 watt heat power. Up to 400 degrees C. Rotating and locking head to 90°. Quick heat up time. UK equivalent for US Milwaukee Tool 2488-21. Milwaukee 4933459762.
www.bigredpowertools.co.uk www.bigredpowertools.co.uk

This. It's cordless which is an absolute game changer.

I paid £75 for just the iron and bought a battery separate that charged two types of batteries - the type my iron took and the type my drill took.
 
AlanJ said:
Nope. Hakko is not an entry level starter soldering station. Save about £100 and buy Atten 938d I have two. And they are the best vfm
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Pretty sure that’s what I’ve got with a different name on it (mine was from maplin says precision gold)
It’s not powerful enough for thick coil wires.
 
I have the Maplin one too. I struggled with it until I got a bigger tip on it.

I used an iron @Nick brought to the pinball office to repair Fish Tales' driver board and was amazed at how different it was, literally two seconds and the voltage regulator was out, I believe it's very expensive though.

I thought it was interesting at how dramatically different irons can be.
 
I have two. This one for nearly everything, including replacing transistors and BRs etc, that you can set the temp on and it’s super quick.
IMG_5409.webp

And this simple 60W one for quick under the playfield wires off
IMG_5410.webp
 
Iron : Used to have a Maplin (Precision Gold / ATTEN) one. Then a Hakko 888. now one of these : https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006263067537.html ( T3A T245 New Version - far right). Comes with three tips... the most useful being the knife edge one.
Great iron - with the metal stand when replaced into the holder it starts to cool so as to not kill the tip...but pick it up, 4-5 seconds and it's back to 315C again... whatever temp it starts from.

Solder : You shouldnt really mix solder, and most "pin" stuff was made that long ago then i would say leaded, 63/37 or 60/40.

The bigger question is what flux in the solder?? Preciously i would swear by "no clean" solder as it's not caustic to the boards so can be left on - and still what i would use for mobile repairs. For board work ive recently started using Kester water soluble (about £65 a roll!!!). This stuff is a complete revelation. Cant leave it on as it will damage the board over time, and is a bit messy on application. BUT. Washes off the board with de-ionised water and a paintbrush (no residue remains at all!), and flows really well on application. It's expensive, yes. but it's bloody awesome stuff, and leaves a pristine finish!
 
🤯 OK well thanks for all the replies but now I'm even more confused 😂

Can't see the point spending top money on something I'm hopefully only using once or twice a year so no point buying the Hakko. The KSGER T12 has various warnings online about grounding and I'm unlucky/stupid/accident prone enough I don't fancy killing myself or burning the house down unnecessarily. The Milwaukee one looks too bulky and heavy for soldering under the playfield....

I can't see any difference between the Lytool and the Atten other than price? Same power, same temp range and the Lytool also has a sleep mode and comes with 5 tips and a suction tool...?

Re the solder, if I'm just re-soldering wires does it matter if I put lead-free solder in an older pin? I see Stern, and I assume all other modern brands, are lead-free so I'm going to want lead-free for those anyway? I don't want the hassle of washing anything off :) Can I just use a solder with flux core like this to not need separate flux:

www.toolstation.com

Lead Free Flux Cored Solder

1.2mm lead free flux cored solder.98.8% tin/0.7% copper/0.5% silver with rosin flux coreThickness 1.2mm. Weight 100g
www.toolstation.com www.toolstation.com
 
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