why is there no :soldering_iron: emoji
@Felthry wish i had an opinion ;w;
@curls if you need advice, here's our opinion: if you're on a budget, the *most important thing* is to get an iron with temperature control. I'd recommend a Hakko FX-888D, but I know Weller has some in a similar price bracket that are similar quality
if you have lots of money to spend (like if you're going to get your work to buy it, or a collective purchase for a makerspace or something), JBC is hands down the nicest soldering irons we've ever worked with, if you can afford the price tag
-F
@Felthry probably not right now but I have been looking to change out of my current solder iron. It's something I literally found in an old unused working station.
@curls I am curious if you have a model number or part number for it--or is it one of those that the handle plugs directly into the wall? (the latter is what we call a "cheap hardware store iron" and they're not worth the $5 they cost)
-F
@Felthry no model number, just plugs into the wall.
@curls yeah i'd recommend replacing that when you can
-F
@Felthry i'll add that to the purchase list
@curls (we can provide more specific advice for specific contexts if you need, feel free to ask! The best choice of soldering tool is different if you want to solder big things than if you want to solder small things, for instance; the above suggestions are reasonable all-rounders but we've found the FX-888D's iron a bit too large for some fine work)
-F