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Soldering Iron Kit?

macman
macman Posts: 53,129 Forumite
Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
in Techie Stuff
Can anyone recommend me a link to a reasonable quality soldering iron kit please? This is for general use, not for anything intricate at circuit board level. I'm budgetting up to about £15-20, is this realistic?
Amazon threw up this one: cheap enough, but the reviews are not that wonderful:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Draper-71415-Soldering-Iron-Kit/dp/B000ELJ0C4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1337161441&sr=8-2
No free lunch, and no free laptop ;)
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Comments

  • Fifer
    Fifer Posts: 59,413 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    What do you want to do with it? Electronics assembly, making up cables, soldering plumbing pipework or making jewellery?
    There's love in this world for everyone. Every rascal and son of a gun.
    It's for the many and not the few. Be sure it's out there looking for you.
    In every town, in every state. In every house and every gate.
    Wth every precious smile you make. And every act of kindness.
    Micheal Marra, 1952 - 2012
  • macman
    macman Posts: 53,129 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    At present, fixing a couple of small electrical appliances. Not plumbing or jewellery.
    No free lunch, and no free laptop ;)
  • johnmc
    johnmc Posts: 1,265 Forumite
    There's quite a few on Ebay.
  • liam8282
    liam8282 Posts: 2,864 Forumite
    I would say Ebay too. Maplins are quite expensive in comparison.

    I bought a cheap one from Ebay to fix my PS3 control, worked a treat.

    http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Soldering-Iron-Starter-Kit-60-40-Tin-Lead-Solder-Wire-Desoldering-Guide-Manual-/360450816396?pt=UK_Home_Garden_PowerTools_SM&hash=item53ec8af98c

    You can get a lot better than this though.
  • Blackjack_Davy
    Blackjack_Davy Posts: 578 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Combo Breaker
    edited 16 May 2012 at 1:05PM
    I've had an Antex one for years. You might be better trying RS Components or even Maplins as they're specialists in electronics. The smaller 17W ones are ideal for fine components, a 25W for more general use.

    You can buy spring stands separately and they come with an integral sponge. That Amazon one looks rubbish honestly.

    http://uk.rs-online.com/web/c/tools-tool-storage/soldering/soldering-irons/?searchTerm=soldering+iron
    Blessed are the geeks, for they shall inherit the Internet.
  • penrhyn
    penrhyn Posts: 15,215 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    Always used Weller at work.

    Don't forget your Solder sucker!!
    That gum you like is coming back in style.
  • GunJack
    GunJack Posts: 11,864 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    SolderWick is better :)
    ......Gettin' There, Wherever There is......

    I have a dodgy "i" key, so ignore spelling errors due to "i" issues, ...I blame Apple :D
  • Fifer
    Fifer Posts: 59,413 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    As well as RS, Rapid are pretty reliable and carry good quality gear. For very ocassional use, I wouldn't spend very much in all honesty. Unless you are a hobbyist and frequent user, most irons are fine for the occasional joint. Just remember to keep the bit tinned and heat the surfaces being joined, not just the solder.
    There's love in this world for everyone. Every rascal and son of a gun.
    It's for the many and not the few. Be sure it's out there looking for you.
    In every town, in every state. In every house and every gate.
    Wth every precious smile you make. And every act of kindness.
    Micheal Marra, 1952 - 2012
  • Pugwash69
    Pugwash69 Posts: 136 Forumite
    I picked up a reasonably ok 30W kit on ebay from a seller called "home-n-hobbies" last week.
    For £6.29 I got the iron, a beginners guide to soldering, a short length of solder and a de-soldering pump. As far as I can tell it's the same as Maplin sell but in a white box.

    I only have one small project to put together soon so can't vouch for it's durability!
  • paddyrg
    paddyrg Posts: 13,543 Forumite
    I have had surprisingly good results with gas powered ones for medium sized jobs, and they're certainly very handy. Any small iron will be fine for patching up the odd circuit board, even a £6 one?
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