# What do you think about this soldering station? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 31, 2013, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-this-soldering-station/667656 "2013-08-31T14:00:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dog80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2013, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-this-soldering-station/667656/1 "2013-08-31T14:00:08Z")
I am thinking of buying this [JBC CD-2BC soldering station](http://www.jbctools.com/cd-2bc-soldering-station-for-general-purposes-product-710-category-1-menu-1.html). I’ve seen some reviews and it goes from ambient to 350C in less than 5 seconds and the temperature dips very little during soldering. This allows for very high quality solder joints and prevents overheating of components. Also there’s a metric boatload of different tips available for every conceivable application. So what do you think? ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2013, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-this-soldering-station/667656/2 "2013-08-31T14:12:15Z")
I would consider only one brand: Weller. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2013, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-this-soldering-station/667656/3 "2013-08-31T14:20:41Z")
You know it’s 220, right? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2013, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-this-soldering-station/667656/4 "2013-08-31T14:25:15Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > You know it’s 220, right? 220, 221, whatever it takes. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2013, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-this-soldering-station/667656/5 "2013-08-31T14:25:37Z")
Looks really fancy. The question is, do you need to shell out the bucks for a soldering station with such features? What kind of work are you doing? If it’s professional MIL-SPEC stuff, then sure, but if you’re just a hobbyist it’s way overkill. > [@](#): > > You know it’s 220, right? Also that. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2013, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-this-soldering-station/667656/6 "2013-08-31T15:27:36Z")
Looks like overkill for nearly anything. You can get an excellent soldering station for a third of the price of that one. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2013, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-this-soldering-station/667656/7 "2013-09-01T15:59:36Z")
I’m also a Weller guy. They seem to be the dominant maker. We use a mix of fixed and adjustable irons at work and they hold up really well(er!) despite people leaving them on unused for hours and days at a time. I bought a used [WESD51](http://www.frys.com/product/3598004?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG) for personal use a couple years ago and I like it fine. New, these are $150ish, I think I paid $40 or so. I can’t really imagine [spending $500](http://www.jbctools.com/cataleg.php?pro=710&id=1#CD-B) on a solder station, though. I think **Dog80** is in Germany so 220v is ok. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2013, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-this-soldering-station/667656/8 "2013-09-01T16:49:21Z")
Back in the 80s I got trained with a Pace kit. I loved it. Soldering, desoldering, and resistive soldering station all in one. ---
**Author:** ![PatriotGrrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9dc877/32.png) [@PatriotGrrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotGrrrl)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2013, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-this-soldering-station/667656/9 "2013-09-01T17:23:25Z")
The only use for that kind of thing _might_ be if you were having quality issues even after all the other variables (such as operator skill) are taken into account. If you were at that point, you wouldn’t be asking about it here. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2013, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-this-soldering-station/667656/10 "2013-09-01T17:35:07Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > I bought a used [WESD51](http://www.frys.com/product/3598004?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG) for personal use a couple years ago and I like it fine. New, these are $150ish, I think I paid $40 or so. I have the same model; love the hell out of it. ---
**Author:** ![Dog80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2013, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-this-soldering-station/667656/11 "2013-09-02T14:11:27Z")
I am not in Germany, but another country that uses 220V. I wonder why they don’t use a multi-tap transformer with a voltage selector and instead they have three separate models for each voltage. I think I will go on and buy it. I love the way the tips change and the tip availability, although their price is a bit steep. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2013, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-this-soldering-station/667656/12 "2013-09-02T16:00:59Z")
So…you were just asking for opinions out of idle curiosity? ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2013, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-this-soldering-station/667656/13 "2013-09-02T16:10:26Z")
Seems a little gadgety to me. Also seems like it may be a bit delicate and won’t hold up very well to long term use. I’m going to second (or third) the recommendation for a decent Weller if you are going to be forking out that kind of money. ---
**Author:** ![Dog80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2013, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-this-soldering-station/667656/14 "2013-09-02T18:22:09Z")
> [@Balance](#): > > So…you were just asking for opinions out of idle curiosity? No, I am just looking for something in that price range. I am not interested to buy something cheaper. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2013, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-this-soldering-station/667656/15 "2013-09-02T18:32:28Z")
If it’s not a Metcal, I won’t use it. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2013, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-this-soldering-station/667656/16 "2013-09-02T18:34:12Z")
FWIW, I’ve been using [this](http://www.circuitspecialists.com/solomon-sl10-soldering-station.html) cheapo soldering station for decades, and it works great. Note that I’m a professional, and that I use this to do medium-scale production with it, so it gets a LOT more use than just a “hobbyist” would give it. I do have several other specialized irons, including an enormous one for soldering lugs, and a tiny Antex for soldering SMT devices under a microscope ---
**Author:** ![dergi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/46a35a/32.png) [@dergi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dergi)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2014, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-about-this-soldering-station/667656/17 "2014-08-19T21:48:14Z")
@Dog80, the soldering station that mentioned in your post is a good one which could be used for many years. It is a little expensive though but since I don’t know what materials are being used to manufacture this, I guess it’ll be made up of better quality steel and high-boiling point plastic. There are soldering stations starting from $50 in the market but they don’t have very long lives. My suggestion is go for a similar model of Weller in the same price range…