Side by Side Comparison of: J&L vs Apex Tool Group

60w may be a bit more than necessary, but this unit has performed well. My needs are such that I do not need a high level of precision, so this iron works well. Maybe a person who is working on delicate electronics may find the heat too much.For the cost though, it is worth it. I looked over all the offerings here on Amazon and at that time, this iron was the best cost vs performance. After a few months of ownership and many uses, the item is going strong, so I am happy.

I had no idea what this was but someone recommended it when I started crafting with plastic snaps for baby bibs. She said you can melt them off if you make a mistake with one. Well...after a month I needed to use it. Just plugged it in and place on snap. It melted the connecting piece and detached the snap. I'm pleased with it!

For just under $8, this thing is great. It heats up and solders as it's supposed to. It performed the task that I bought it to perform perfectly. Can you buy a better, higher quality iron? One with variable wattage selection and a fancier/sturdier stand and so on? Yes, but not for $8. So let's be real here. For the money, this is a great tool.

My electronics iron, first used to build a shortwave at age thirteen, just quit after 48 years. A very sad day. This plastic Chinese-made replacement certainly will not last as long (nor will I), but it's entirely adequate. I just fixed a TENS unit by reattaching one tiny wire, so it works just fine. And for 9 bucks, with a spare tip, even if you have to replace it every ten years, it's a good deal.I was tempted by all the modern irons with heat controls and even had on in the shopping cart for a while. But sanity prevailed. Look at the facts, without the sexy factor:- a switching power supply made with the cheapest capacitors on the planet (drying up after 3 years)- the cheapest PCB builds on the planet (cold solder joints)- the most shortcut design on the planet (may burn down your house or electrocute you)- all for $18I mean, what could possibly go wrong?OTOH, not much of anything can go wrong with a resistive heating element you plug directly into the source. So Hobbico wins.

worked REALLY good... however this thing gets SUUUUUPER hot for a soldering iron.much hotter than the el cheapo radio shack ones. you can solder THICK copper wire with this puppy. I think though it could be a flaw. After doing heavy soldering work (5 hours of being on and soldering stuff). I noticed the tip of it was shrinking.... i was like whoaa. i dont know how it shrunk but eh i kept it clean with a sponge and no metal rubbed off. its just that the very tip like condensed. IDK its weird. but heck i guess i can solder stuff even more smaller now LOL. Though it was shrinkin so much it was warping the tip. eventually looks like it would just wear out. good iron but keep extra tips on hand if you do a lot of stuff.

I bought this iron back in January 24, 2012. I use it for about 20 hours a week soldering ground wires to the back of potentiometers. It's 60 watts which is hotter than necessary to solder to terminals. For terminals I have the 30 watt version of this same iron. I run both irons at the same time for approximately two hour intervals. These are great soldering irons. You can't beat the cost You can get replacement tips easily. The only thing you should not do is have the iron inserted all the way into the holder as it will overheat. And this 60 watt will do just that if you aren't careful.Here's the Tip I have placed on my website: Sometimes it's better to use a soldering iron with higher wattage than lower due to the time it takes to solder a wire to a terminal or a ground wire to the base of a pot. The longer you have that heat on the pot the more potential there is to damage the components. For example, I use a 35 watt iron with a small tip for soldering terminals and a 60 watt iron with a larger tip to solder ground wires to the base of the pots.

Shipped very quickly. Works great!!! I really like this brand, reliable, long lasting equipment. I used my previous equipment for over 28 years; I am hopping this one will last for a long time as well.This equipment heats up fast, maintains the tempereature setting, and delivers precision results for intricate soldering jobs. Highly recommend it.

We use these Weller soldering irons and other Weller products where I work. I've always been very happy with them so I decided to get one myself to replace my crappy $10 radio shack iron. I recently used it to solder the electrical components together for my quad-copter build and was very happy. The temperature control is great and is very quick to get to temp. While soldering components/small wire (20-24 awg) to the PCBs I could use a low temp to prevent damage and then could solder the larger 12-14 awg power wire with no problem at a higher temperature. A huge improvement from my old iron that would get so hot that is would constantly smoke out my tips.

Many years have past since I bought this station and it is still rocking.I have used to do regular home repairs as well as fine detail work with fine pitch components.Building my Arduino, Raspberry pi, and general projects has never been so easy and fun.I got different size tips to use with the correct project and the results are very professionalIf you are in the hobby or business of electronics this is a must have.

I really had to talk myself into spending this kind of money for a soldering iron. I already own several irons and several guns but, when doing smaller work, they just weren't doing a very good job. Now that I have this, I wish I had purchased it long ago. The other non-regulated irons and guns I have were obviously putting way too much heat into the solder and causing it to oxidize as well as overheating the surroundings parts and substrate. This tool eliminates all of that and the tip is made of a material that doesn't oxidize immediately after tinning. In fact I've used it for several hours and the tip looks like it did when I first used it. It also shuts of automatically if, you forget and, leave it on. This is one of those tools that you just don't realize you need until you've used it. WELL WORTH THE MONEY.

After my soldering pen finally gave up the ghost, I decided to go for this soldering station and I am really glad I did. I've used it for about two months now and love it. I use it almost once or twice a day. It heats extremely fast and holds the temperature perfectly. The soldering pen itself is very comfortable to grip. I added the Hakko 599B-02 Solder Tip Cleaning Wire and Holder--it fits perfectly in the place where the sponge would normally go (I dumped the sponge) and the two work together well. I debated going with the digital model, but the reviews were pretty mixed on whether that was worth it. I'm not sorry to have purchased this Analog model. Shipping was fast with no problems.

I used the same or very similar Weller model every day when I worked in a major electronics factory about 20 years ago. These things took a constant beating and just kept on going. I've since always wanted one for my own projects and I finally bought one. Wish I did sooner rather than go through so many cheaper irons over the years. The WES51 is very high quality. Solid construction and nice heavy base for the iron holder. Heats up to 750F in about 30 seconds. There is an indicator light that tells you when the iron is at the correct set temperature so you know exactly when you're ready to go. Simple dial sets temp from 350F to 850F. There is a temp lock feature that is enabled/disabled on the control panel with a magnetic pen that comes with it, but I haven't had a need for it yet. Handle is comfortable and stays cool unlike the cheap irons that can get very hot. Safety feature shuts itself off after 99 minutes of no use. Nice heavy duty cord is very flexible and stays out of the way unlike the knarly cords on the cheap ones. Doesn't get any better than this. Makes project work much more enjoyable.

The soldering iron doesn't have a switch to change the temperature, it's just one setting. The handle stays pretty cool when using it, and the tip heats up in just a few minutes. The tips that came with the iron aren't well made and start to break down in just a few uses. A solid soldering iron for how cheap it is.

This is my first soldering iron so I wasn't sure what to expect. It took longer to warm up than I expected (perhaps I was expecting it to heat up as fast as my hot glue gun). I actually thought it was broken because it took so long, but it did finally heat up - super hot. I used it to replace some busted capacitors in my TV and for that it worked like a charm. No complaints here.

I had some electrical issues on some of my electric guitars that needed some fine solder work to repair. I was sceptical the product since it was so cheap but felt it was unnecessary spend so much on something I wouldn't use often. It came with just the iron itself and a spare tip if needed to replace. Works exactly how it's supposed to, nothing fancy but gets the job done. If you're someone who needs this for work or as a hobbist I would recommend getting one that's a little more expensive that has more features because this item is pretty bare bone. But if you need a quick fix and only plan to use this if something around the house isn't electronically cooperative than this is your iron. Highly recommend to those who just need something simple yet effective.

For the price, i have a hard time believe that this could be beat. It worked really well, got hot quick and I was able to finish my solder job. I didn't have any issues with broken tips like some have reported and I probably soldered for a good 2 hours straight. If you're using this for you average at home repair I think it is more than adequate.The only downside I saw, rather felt, was the iron handle got pretty hot the closer you move to the tip. It wasn't hot enough to burn me by any means, but it wasn't exactly comfortable to hold it down near the base where the iron and handle come together. Made it slightly more difficult to get it steady for the small circuit board I was working on. Not really a huge issue, but definitely noticeable.

No frills, nothing fancy. Just your basic cheap soldering iron. You plug it in and it gets hot, eventually. It is very slow to heat up, but eventually does, and melts solder as it should.You can't expect much for the price, so as long as you keep that in mind going in to this, you won't be disappointed.

When I got this soldering iron it was really hard to use. Trying to get a good solder joint was a pain. For someone with not much experience soldering it was quite a headache. Then I tried leaded solder and it was a world of difference! Everything just went so much smoother, and I could actually get a decent solder going. All in all, it did its job, and for the price, that is all I can really expect.Somethings to note about this solder iron. Firstly, I noticed that the handle would start to get pretty hot after a while. It actually got hot enough to the point where it was uncomfortable to hold for too long without my hand getting really hot. It is kinda to be expected, however, since the entire handle is just plastic. I also noticed that the thing browned really quickly from the heat. I wouldn't expect this thing to last for too long to be honest.I am disappointed that the solder iron was not good for lead-free solder since that is what I had but if you want it for leaded solder than this is probably your best option if you want a solder that you don't plan on using for more than a few times.

After I left my last Radio Shack iron turned on for two days, I decided enough was enough. This is a great home workbench companion. I opted for the analog version as the reviews indicated this one was more reliable. No complaints on my part. Good for fine work and can handle some largish lugs with heavy wires. The handle stays cool and the heat up after power on is very quick. Not exactly lab quality but much less expensive.

To do any kind of electronic soldering can require different soldering iron settings to get the job done right. This iron has the features to take care of a variety of soldering jobs. So if you are working with small surface mount parts the lower heat settings work great, and if you are soldering a ground wire to a large back-plane turn up the heat - no problem. I have owned Weller adjustable irons like this one and they have had a long life of service >5 years. I would have liked it if the unit came with at least two tips sizes (since tip size can go along with different jobs/heat settings). At least the different tips you can buy are not expensive. I have noted the metallic tinning on the included tip, while good for promoting long wear, seems to be a little slow to make heat contact with PCB solder pads - certainly not a deal breaker. All in all a great piece of technology for good price.

Was looking for a serious upgrade from radio shack crap because I had to repair the motherboard on my $2000 laptop (had to replace the power jack connecter socket). This boy did the trick! From desoldering to finishing touches this is what you need. It definitely has power & heats up fast, just no fancy digital readout. Replacement tips are easy to find, come in different sizes & a cinch to install. Go get ya one!The only problem I had was the shipping. I needed it PRONTO & ordered for next day delivery. Amazon says they guarantee it! but something happened with Fedex & I ended up getting it 5 days later! Be Warned! There is no way to contact Amazon & if you search, you'll find out that they take no accountability for their "Guarantee". Word!

Overall, this is a pretty good deal for a temperature-controlled soldering station. That being said, I had a few small issues with mine:-The little wire stand for the soldering iron did not fit properly into the slot in the base until I squeezed the wire loop tighter with pliers.-The sponge it comes with wears out fast and doesn't seem to clean tips that well (but it's easily replaced).-The tips that fit this station don't seem to tin as well or stay as clean as other Weller tips I am used to. Not sure if that's an issue with the tips, or how the station heats them.-Even at the highest temperature, this station doesn't seem to have the raw power of my 40 watt unregulated Weller soldering iron, even though the station is rated at 50 watts. That's probably not an issue for most users, but I routinely solder onto metal-cored boards. Getting larger tips (more thermal mass) has somewhat mitigated this issue.All that being said, it heats up fast, it feels well-built, and it's a temperature-controlled soldering station for under $100.

We have 2 of these at our shop, the first one has been going strong for over a year now and it gets use daily. It heats up quick and has enough power to get most jobs done without a problem. The first one appears to be an earlier version, because the included stand was black (while the one from amazon is silver), and the packaging is a bit different.The first one worked well enough that we ordered another to replace a less powerful soldering station. We received it quickly, as always, but noticed that the stand and packaging were different from our other unit (like I said above). Set it up that day and used it a couple times since as a backup for when the other station was in use. We've probably used it only a dozen times, and it just stopped heating up for no reason. I suspect that I got a dud, and amazon is very good about replacing it, so I'm not going to knock it.

The analog dial temperature control works well, and the LED indication of heating/maintaining are also good. I've used this with a Weller fine tip to solder as small as 0805 components and as large as TC21 packaged MOSFETs or coin battery holders, and it provides plenty of heat. Having an included holder and sponge base are nice too.My only complaint, and reason for 4 vs. 5 stars, is that the cord right at the base of the iron seems to be really finicky. When you remove the tip you can see 3 very small angled wires (presumably 2 are for the current and the third is perhaps the temp sensor?) that barely stick out toward where they would contact the inner face of the installed tip...messing a little bit with the strain relief rubber at the base of the iron makes this wires nearly retract out of contact. What this means is in use, often when I put the iron into the holder the angle of the cord at the base of the iron is breaking contact to the tip (either actual heating wires or temp sensor) and the LED indicator that should be 'flashing' to show it's just maintaining temp goes out. So I have to bend and wiggle the cord around or rotate the iron in the holder to get it to heat again. It's a minor annoyance...but at the price, one that is a valid reason to remove one star from the review.There is a fair amount of strain relief shielding around the cord there that should prevent something like this, but on my iron I don't know if it just got wrapped too tightly in packing or what, but the rubber is pretty heavily 'deformed' or bent in one direction already, and I don't think I did that. Still, it gets the job done.

Gets so blasted hot that it ruins whatever I'm working on. The handle does get extremely hot too.

For the price. It's good. I had never soldered before. And it seems this unit's temp fluctuates. I pick it up. Melts solder instantly. Put it down for a min to reposition. Pick up again 60seconds later. And want melt solder.... wait a second puff melts solder... for a newbie, it was very frustrating... but it is a start. I'll be getting a better set up at a later time.Also if using for RC battery's and ESC's... you will need a point tip and a chisel tip. This dosent come with either. And I belive it would have made it easier for me.

No adjustable heat. I cheaped out and got what I paid for. I have to constantly plug and unplug this thing to maintain a reasonable temperature. I don't do much soldering, but next time I have to solder I'm going to buy something that at least has and adjustment.If you're okay with the plug/unplug method or you just need a metal tip that gets really hot, this might get you by.

This things gets remarkably hot, and it does so in a very short amount of time. I find it perfect for the soldering I do at work, which usually involves soldering joints in 16 gauge or heavier wire. That being said, the tip it comes with is absolute garbage. As other reviewers have mentioned, it starts to corrode away even with proper maintenance /regular tinning and sponging. Luckily Hobbico sells the same iron under a different name and also sells tips for it that are of much better quality than the one it comes with.In conclusion, the iron gets 5 stars, but the tip it comes with only gets one. Do yourself a favor and put a pack of the hobbico tips in your cart along with the iron, you wont regret it.

There doesn't seem to be anything to keep the temperature in check. It keeps getting hotter and hotter. When I turned off the light one night, I can see the tip and half of the shaft was glowing red. It got so hot that, within a couple of seconds, it melted the plastic around 18 gauge solid copper wire half an inch away from the soldering spot. The handle was also hot. I had to unplug it since it was no longer safe to use. The tip is also deteriorating quickly.The good thing is that I had no problem with any solder material. Lead free solder melted upon contact. It would be good for quick job but gets too hot for projects longer than 5 minutes. I unplug it every few minutes while working on a project.Definitely not recommended for delicate work.

Its just a soldering iron without any controlDon't leave it on for more than 3 hours it will eventually break out

This is simply the cheaper model analog to go to. There are better digital units out there with auto shutoff. This unit was a replacement for a previously purchased identical unit that was DOA (Dead on Arrival). We've had 2 units that didn't shut off and the tip got so hot from a malfunction that it melted the plastic of the gun around it and went right through it. It would have been a major fire hazard if the area where it melted wasn't clear. Another unit just recently stopped working on it's own, simply just won't hold the heat but goes up and down in temperature which is very aggravating once you get a solder joint going. I wouldn't buy this again but the older guys in my office want the analog over digital. There are other brands in the same price range that I'd buy before this one. Don't plan to buy again, but now all our tips match Weller only. But, since it does solder well when working correctly, I give it a 3.

After using this soldering station for a year and a half I wish I would have sent it back while it was still under warenty. It is loud. Makes a fluttering noise most of the time it is on. It really dos not solder any better than my WLC100. It fact has some of the same issues. It solders well or it does not. I do not think the Temp. is stable. It is a bit more ergonomic With flexable cord and smaller handle.I would say it is a just Ok station. It works but is nothing special.

the heating is very good.all the parts stand out as normal weller parts except for the metallic parts of the pencil including the tip which seems to be below weller standard

This product I could give it as a three. I believe there is a factory defect on these products. The iron itself has the cord inserts into the iron which is too loose; sometimes it is too loose that it came a little loose that it affects to the temperature on the tip of the iron (temperature drops lower than the setting). We have about ten at work and they all have the same problem.Please someone call the factory to notice about this problem. The size of the cord should be fitted into the iron handle, not to be loosing inside of the iron handle.

I bought one 14 months ago and it does a fantastic job. One I was using it and the tip got go hot that the plastic handle melted and it fell apart, heat was set a little over half.I went on site to get it repaired and it was $75.00 plus shipping, so I bought a new one for $90.00 since I did not which part went bad. So I figure, it cost $6.50 a month to solder.

UPDATEDPower unit dumped maybe a week after the year warranty expired. Cleaned the tips before and after each use, never soldered above 550°F. They just dont last like they used to, maybe it's Apex Tool Group, but my next iron will be a Hakko.

Tips are defective, very rough surface, disintegrated after only a few hours of continuous use. Otherwise the iron is okay.

Tip didn't stay hot :-/ 10-second jobs turn into 5-minute jobs :(2 stars instead of 1 because of the price

This was very inexpensive, but the tip quickly disintegrated. By that I mean, the tip crumbled away until it wasn't even angled anymore. This being said, it will only work for small electronics a couple of times before the tip is too dull or jagged to accurately use.If you are wanting this to use rarely, it is a good choice for the price. But if you are planning on using it often, you should pay for a more expensive soldering iron.

This is NOT a UL-Listed product! There is no UL number or seal signifying conformance to any certification. The power cord is way too thin for confidence in an electrical resistance device. Used for some quick jobs on electronics and audio wiring, and worked fine. However, it's basically disposable. Cheap materials, and has to be watched because of same. Don't leave this and walk away. For the cost, for a few light-duty jobs, it's suitable. But it's hard-core Chinese, without attention to safety details. Be wary. And beware.

This is a very high powered soldering iron. For the novices this is not ideal.You want something that doesn't get this hot. For this thing will burn its tips in one or two uses.And because it gets so hot its very unforgiving if you do not tin the tips and keep it clean at all times.I used this Iron for three days and the tip is now so bad that I had to go another one.

I purchased this iron for decorative soldering. Not a good idea. Spend your money on better tools if you are doing stained glass or similar work. This is meant more for electrical soldering. That was my mistake. However When I wanted to change the tips, the screws were too tight and I ended up stripping the heads. Then I suspected that the iron may be over heating because the tip began to just disintegrate and later I saw that the plastic of the handle near the metal part of the iron was starting to melt. That may also have something to do with the soldering iron holder I used. However my Weller does just fine in the holder. It may not be meant to be used for as long of a period as I wanted to use it, but there was no instruction regarding that in the packaging and I unplugged it every time I knew I was going to walk away for a while.

Somewhat disappointed with the overall quality of the product (my expectations were far higher).But very, very disappointed with the "overall purchase". I clearley received an "returned item". The package was damaged and re-packed, with the items loose inside. The point of the tip came bended. Unfortunately I bought it in a trip out of my country so I can't return it and demand for a "brand new" one...

I ordered the Weller WES51 which is supposed to come with a black stand with a ceramic top valued at $50 here:Weller PH50 Soldering Stand and Sponge ESD for PES50 and PES51 Irons by WellerBut I got a grey metallic one in the box valued at $20: Weller PH50 Soldering Stand and Sponge ESD for PES50 and PES51 IronsAll the pictures referenced the black stand, why did I get the cheap one instead???I took a picture of my old soldering iron which came with the black better quality one and on the right the new cheap one.On top of that it's making a light electric noise, and when the LED is blinking there is a noise with each blink.My friend also has one and his does not have this issue.

Bought this to solder cables for R/C airplanes. Has issues getting and staying hot.

This thing was awesome first few times I used it. Now after about it's 4th light home use I have to turn the dial to the max and it takes a long time to get hot enough to even melt solder! I used it pretty infrequently, and it just sits undisturbed on my work bench so I don't think misuse is to blame. Really frustrating, I guess I'll try replacing some parts.

This was the second iron I received after the first was DOA. The current iron has worked OK a few times and now won't heat up enough to melt solder. I've replaced the tip and done everything Weller advises to troubleshoot, but to no avail. Now I'm back to my $20 iron from Radio Shack that works great. For some reason I thought that spending some more money would provide me with a better product, I guess I was wrong.

EDIT - Dropped from 5 stars to 2:It is now April of 2016, and my WES-51 has perhaps 25 hours on it, cumulative to this point. This past evening I went down to my basement to work on my new 3D printer, grabbed my soldering iron, flipped the switch. The green light came on as always and I went about doing the rest of my setup for the soldering. After a minute or so, light was still lit. Odd, normally it shuts off indicating "heated" in thirty seconds or so. Ignored it and put the heat shrink over the wires, so I wouldn't forget it, and went back to the iron. Light was still lit? Pulled the iron out of the stand and waved my hand over it to judge the temperature... couldn't feel anything. Closer. Nothing. Licked my finger and flicked it across the tip. Stone cold. So, after about 25 hours of cumulative use, the soldering station I purchased to be my be-all, end-all solution to needing smoker guns croaked on me, leaving me high and dry in the middle of a job. Went out and bought... you guessed it, another cheap smoker iron. Now I need to figure out what the heck is wrong with this thing. I'm obviously somewhat less than pleased. There is so little operating time on this iron that the original tip is still in mint condition. Awesome. Way to go, Weller.ORIGINAL REVIEW - I purchased this soldering station in March of 2010, based both on extensive research online and on conversations with the staff where I work. We do a lot of soldering, and the WES51 model makes up the bulk of our hand-soldering stations, a total of perhaps ~20 units scattered through the building. The general opinion of the Weller gear I received was quite promising, so I ordered one for my own home shop. Up to this point, the best soldering equipment I had owned (like most people, I suspect) was a series of inexpensive Radio Hut pencil irons.When I received the unit, I was already set to start with a project, namely assembling a "game timer" kit for my church's sunday school classes. I assembled an identical kit the year prior with my old RS pencil iron, and the uncontrolled heat and large tip had made the PCB soldering somewhat challenging. The difference was night and day! Instead of waiting ten minutes for the iron to come up to usable temperature, it's ready to use in ~60 seconds, with thermocouple-monitored tip temperature to keep it from overheating. I used the stock tip, which is just the right size for normal PCB work, although if you are working with surface-mount components or a large number of fine traces, it would likely be worth your time to pick up one of the HUGE number of alternate tips that are readily available. Using this soldering station, the assembly of the timer kit took perhaps half the time it had before, and the quality of the solder joints was a world better. Using SN-63 eutectic solder, the joints pooled and flowed beautifully, solidifying within an instant after the tip was removed. MUCH less chance of burning a component or lifting a pad with this temperature-controlled unit. The extremely flexible silicone base-unit-to-handpiece cable was also much easier to deal with, it has no persistent memory at all and drapes wherever you put it with no attempt to coil up or get in the way. It is also much longer than it appears in the pictures, more than enough to place the base station well out of the way, and just keep the iron and the iron stand up close.Since then I have used it as my general-purpose soldering tool, doing everything from repairing a brass necklace charm for a friend with lead-free silver solder to installing irrigation solenoids. Repaired my father's car control fob just last week after the battery-holder clip came loose from the PCB it was mounted on. That alone saved nearly the price of this soldering station, as I do not think the job could have been accomplished with a less-precise tip and heat control, such was the packing of the components inside the case. The stock tip still is performing like new, take your time and tin the tip after each job (as you should with any soldering iron) and it will last for a very long time. I am still using the stock sponge tip cleaner, although I prefer the brass-wool type that we use at work. Just have not gotten around to ordering one for myself yet, that will likely be the next item I purchase for this, along with a couple more tips of different sizes, just to have handy in case I should need them!I would gladly buy the WES51 again, it greatly exceeds my requirements as a hobbyist user, and makes jobs EASY. Yes, the cost of this tool is ~4X the price of an inexpensive non-controlled pencil iron, but it will perform better and still be in front-line service LONG after all four of those smoker irons have toasted and ended up in the trash. This is tool intended for professionals, and it shows!

I wanted something cheap to use for 1 project. And maybe keep around in case the need arose again.It worked well for altering plastic. The tip did bend very early on.You cannot hold anywhere near the tip to get a smooth detail because the metal flange is too long.I accidentally touched it near the bottom automatically going for a better grip and got burnedI did it again later near the handle and got a small shockI had it on for awhile and the plastic handle started getting hot.So. Yeah. I should have spent more. Live and learn

Title and description say there are two chisel tips that come with this soldering iron. Instead there is only one tip and it is a pointed tip - not a chisel tip. I was going to try it anyway but when I tested it I was holding the solder and got a small electrical shock. Based on other reviews saying the same I think there is a mfg defect.

Tip isn't properly iron clad- rough and impossible to tin well even using special tinning material or acid core solder! Whatever cheap plating is there eats away and then so does the tip in just 2 hours use. At least the fast eroding copper underneath can be tinned.I suggest the Xytronics 200phg 60 watt iron instead. Xytronics are inexpensive, but the tips are reliably decent in my experience. I just ordered it through Amazon/Jameco.

First time ever buying a soldiering iron. Is the tip supposed to be able to melt the soldering wire? I'm building a drone so I have small areas to solder into and since the tip doesn't work and I have to raise where I touch the solder wire to, I do a shotty job. Since the tip doesn't melt my soldering wire I'm giving it a 1 star because now I've had it so long I can't get my money back and I have to spend more to get another one.

This is not only the worst soldering iron I've ever used, it's probably the worst thing I've ever bought on Amazon. The tip just barely gets hot enough to melt the solder, which is kind of the point, but the shaft heats up so much you can burn yourself without actually touching it, and the handle doesn't really stay cool either. Solder won't melt, but the wire insulation does even though it's not touching the iron. The set screw for the tip sticks so far out that you won't be able to get this thing into a soldering iron holder. I'm glad I kept my old Weller.

Please. People. I implore you, do not buy this iron.It lasts for an hour at most before the tip starts eroding away. At this point it's completely useless because the tip will dirty the solder so that it won't bond to anything. The handle also heats up to a frightening temperature and would probably melt as well if it was left on long enough.This should even be sold, here or anywhere. It really is remarkably bad, and the bold red word 'PROFESSIONAL' on the packaging leads me to believe that this a rather dangerous prank item.Your money is better spent on something less hazardous.

Defective unit. The unit was used successfully exactly once by my son, an EE student. The unit was powered off in between uses to prevent overheating. When powered back up, the temperature control of the tip malfunctioned. The control had to be turned up over 800 deg. F to get the iron to heat. Unacceptable. "Hecho en Mexico". 'Nuff said. Returning for refund and replacing with a Hakko unit.

Box was missing the spring and funnel assembly for the stand when it arrived. Attempts to contact Weller to obtain the missing part have been met with utter silence. It's sad; Weller used to be THE name for soldering stations; apparently not any more.

In my impressionable school years, I remember seeing Weller soldering stations on every electronics and science lab bench. It was a grown-up moment, a source of pride, when I bought this soldering station. No more cheap Radio Shack soldering pencil for me.I've used it four or five times in the last two years, two or three hours of use in total. Today I pulled it out to fix a wiring problem on a circuit board. The soldering station wouldn't turn on; the LED just blipped green for an instant and shut off, but the pencil didn't heat up. I walked through all of the diagnostics for the pencil and discovered that the circuit board is bad. Replacing it costs half of the price of a new unit, and that's taking a leap of faith that it won't fail again if some other component is involved. The limited warranty lasts only one year; after that, Apex / Weller will gladly repair it for $60 plus two way shipping, i.e. about the price of a brand new unit from Amazon Prime.That's disappointing. I expected this to last for decades, but I got about 3 hours of use. Ironically, my cheap $5 Radio Shack soldering pencil still works after 30 years.

Missing stickers with model and serial number. Cannot be registered for warranty.

Broken - bought Jan 2014 - out of warrantee. Weller use to be quality product. Used Weller in commercial/military for 30 plus years. This purchase was for light home usage - so much for durability.

Failed after 6 months of intermittent use. No longer heats up. I must mail the product back to Weller for repair.