Side by Side Comparison of: X-TRONIC vs Apex Tool Group

This a good investment if you're getting into soldering. It has everything you need to get started other than some solder. It heats up pretty fast and holds its temperature quite well; I don't solder anything particularly big, but it never cooled off while in use. The cable that attaches the iron to the station is sufficiently long and high quality.Using the included tip I was able to easily solder through-hole connections as well as the super tiny pads for SMDs.The spool holder on the side is a bit flaky and I wouldn't recommend using it as it ended up being more trouble that it was worth. My only major complaint is that I wish the temperature controls used actual temperatures instead of 1 - 10 (output power) as it took some trial and error to figure out where the right position was for the temperature I needed.

So far so good. As a previous user of Radio Shack equipment, this is the best soldering iron I've ever had.Warning--the instructional insert suggests that you, "run it through a 'Break in Period", for about 25 minutes allowing to heat up to max temp burning off all the newness etc... However, this will oxidize the tip and insure that no solder ever sticks to the contact area of the soldering iron. Apparently its called a soldering "iron", because although it has a copper core it is still coated with a thin layer of iron - but without a coating of solder the iron coating will oxidize! If this happens, when the iron is cool, pinch the tip with 400 to 600 grit sand paper and twist gently to remove the oxidation without damaging the iron coating. Otherwise, as soon as the iron heats up, apply some rosin core solder to the tip until it is completely saturated, i.e. "tinned". Cheers!

Wow, what a great workstation for the price. I always had professional Weller brand stations but this station does everything my Weller did but not the interchangeable tips. It does come with a spare heating element/tip. Be careful when assembling that you don't put the solder holder on backwards. If you do the roller won't fit, just take it off and reverse. Comes with sponge, copper wool and flux. You need to buy solder.

For the price this Solder Station cannot be beat! I have been looking for a complete Solder Station but did not want to pay an Arm and a Leg and this is it! I also like the temperature adjustment it works great! Easy to set up and use right out of the box. This set is everything that it says it is!

This is the first video review I've ever done so please bare with me :D. I got this little beast because my small weller junked out on me(caught on fire) after only a year. With this said, I decided to buy a different brand and wound up with the 3010. Its light weight with a polymer construction but is very solid and even has a built in metal pan to hold wet sponge so you don't melt anything. One of the best parts about buying this unit vs going back to a weller was that it came with a brass sponge built into the unit with a surprise of rosin flux underneath of the sponge! Wasn't advertised and I was extremely happy. The unit looks real sleek and works from 390 degrees to 900 degrees. Seems that all of the x-tronics soldering stations have a solder role holder so it was nice that they designed this unit to hold one unlike the smoked up weller. I use this for general purpose all around the house from garage type "events" as the wife likes to call them, to replacing a capacitor in my old guitar amp. Couldn't be happier with this unit, it has every function and accessory you need besides your favorite brand of solder. For the price you just cant beat it! Highly recommend this guy!Update: 8/29/14Just a quick update to say that I have been soldering everything with this unit. I solder all my bread board electronics with ease! Ill send another update soon.

This is posted by Linda's husband, George Keefe. I am the primary user of the X-tronic 3010. This is my first soldering station purchase. After reading several reviews on different products, this one seemed to be the most favorable. It hasn't let me down yet. I use it primarily for radio control airplane soldering of wires and connectors. The variable temperature control is perfect for what I need. I highly recommend this product and model to any non-professional who needs to solder to support his hobby. I have also talked to X-TRONIC on the phone. Customer service is outstanding. Thank you X-TRONIC.Posted by George Keefe

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.

Feels extremely cheap, as well it should for the price. I like the design, it has the roller pin so you can put on a roll of solder instead of fumbling around with it, the tip cleaner, a temp control, and a paper thin sponge(seriously, I almost threw it away before I realized it was the sponge). Like I said it just feels cheap. The unit is so light(made of plastic for the most part) that I think it will break if it's dropped. Having said that it is way better than a regular plug in. 1 year warranty is just OK, I wouldn't expect more for the price.

I like it, I don't love it.Two things bug me about this unit. First, the only indication it is on comes on the soldering handle. If the handle is turned out of view you can't see the light. The light would be better if it was by the switch or part of the switch like my old weller this is a clone of...The second is the proprietary tips. You have to buy them from X-tronic and they are around eight bucks a piece. Kind of a rip off. Clearly they are trying the ink jet printer "ink pricing model" here.I bought this because i liked the higher wattage it offered, but had I read closer about tips and getting replacements I probably would have opted for another unit.I have a higher end X-tronic surface mount rework station so this isn't a slam of X-tronic's products, I like my SMD soldering station a lot. I just think this unit is not great the way it's packaged.

So I'm about 3 months in and I'm very happy with this product. Variable temperature works great, and I love the copper tip cleaner with rosin. For new buyers, pull the copper brillo-like cleaner out. The rosin is underneath that. My complaints are quite minor, given my means, but I have three:1.) The plastic cup holster piece in the coil holster fell out (not enough adhesive, I imagine). I intend to hot glue this. Im sure super glue would do fine as well.2.) The roller in the included solder roll holder is pretty loose. This doesn't really affect me, as I use the pocket pak dispensers, anyhow. But a little forceful manipulation and the weight of a roll would remedy this.3.) This is probably the biggest complaint but it's not for me. It's for those of you who would like a variety of iron tips at your disposal. Surface mounting or something I suppose. It's not as thought you don't have a selection but variety outside of flat or basic pointed is a little hard to come by.These things that don't bother me aside, I very much recomend this product. Freaking love it.

I've not used it a ton just yet, but I've put it through the "break-in" phase (very important; do not neglect to do this with ALL new irons & tips. They provide instructions on how to do it) and soldered a few cables, so I can at least attest to the quality of the basic functions without commenting on the longevity/sturdiness of the unit.It heats up rather quickly, and it gets hot enough on the highest setting that the tip as well as half of the shaft glows an orange/red color. So yeah, it's *plenty* hot for soldering electronic products. (I do not know if jewelry makers use this kind of soldering iron or if it's a special type, but I would imagine this unit gets hot enough for that sort of work too.) I didn't use the tips that came with it, as I need more of a chisel-style tip for cable soldering, but changing the tip was easy as could be.Overall, it's a solid purchase, especially for beginners/intermediate users & DIYers. If yer a pro, you might think this unit a little chintzy and probably want something a little more solid. But for the majority of users, this unit is grand.

So far and it takes about a minute to get up to temp, but most of these do. I like the station and the wire feeder/holder. It is a pain to get that feeder attached, but well worth it. It does come with some additional backup items and it does work. The cable attached to the station is long enough for most tasks. I have done de-soldering work, seven guitar repairs, 3 tablet repairs and it's still going. I have mine set to 8 for almost anything and it's perfect. It is a bit hard to read the knob and the values go from 0-9. Just remember to tin the tip and you're good to go.

If you need a low-cost but still quality soldering station, look no further. The inclusion of a solder spool holder and brass wool for tip maintenance help set it apart from the competition in this price range. Iron gets up to temperature as described and in a reasonable period of time. The spool holder is perfect for standard one pound spools, but will hold smaller ones as long as they aren't too wide in circumference as well.For higher-end users, you'll find a few minor things lacking;1. There is no temperature increments marked around the dial, so you'll need to use it for a while to figure out the butter zone for what you're doing.2. The sponge is also small and utilitarian, and even when wet, the edges are recessed in the station, so you'll be knocking the iron into the plastic a bit.3. Assembly of the spool holder is a bit difficult as the outside upright blocks most screwdrivers; you'll want a long, skinny driver to be able to fit through the holds on the outside upright; this is a minor, one-time inconvenience if you're going to use it.4. You may also need to bend the uprights inward a bit, as the rod that goes through the spool is only just long enough to sit there and isn't attached by anything beyond gravity; finger/hand strength will be enough to make the slight bend needed.And I would be remiss to not mention the customer service. Mine was missing the coil iron holder part of the station out of the box. Upon emailing X-Tronic about the problem, a service worked responded to me in less than one hour and apologized; they shipped me a replacement part the very next morning, Priority Mail, at no charge, and I got it less than 72 hours after originally opening the packaging the first time. Excellent job by X-Tronic.All in all, a great little station that has everything hobbyists will need, and can work for a number of professionals too. It has a few warts, but they're all minor and don't detract from the package too much. For under $40, you can't go wrong here.

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.

Bought one of these, the price seemed good. It worked ok for about a month, then died. I returned it and ordered another one. This one lasted about 6 months and died. I'm going to buy a Weller this time. No more cheap junk.

I bought this soldering gun in July of 2014 and have used it fairly frequently. I works really well and I like it and all but one problem that really makes it a pain to use are the 3 little screws that hold the soldering tip to the handle have pulled out of the plastic and despite constantly retightening them they pull right out again, making the tip loose and unstable. It started with this problem around a year after using it and has gotten worse, to the point that I am now on a search for a better constructed soldering station.

Unit worked great for 49 days and now it's not working. I honestly can't say if it's the heating element or not, because to replace the heating element requires soldering and I don't have a back up unit. I will be contacting the manufacturer as the amazon warranty ended 19 days ago. I'll post the results.

Good station, bad picture. The tip is no where near as fine as depicted and I bought this as I needed it to be that fine...

Solid performance for a starter solder station. However not so great for detailed surface mount work. The tip in the photo looks a lot more conical than what I ended up with and makes detailed work difficult. Looking for replacement tips, x-tronics only offers the same conical tip as it come with along with some bevel and chisel styles.The main take away is this is good for through hole soldering, not so great for surface mount soldering. You get what you pay.

Hard finding replacement tips for this model

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.

Solid construction but I have yet to see it melt solder of any kind.

tip too large for electronics such as LED strips or Arduino and tips not sold from Amazon. Suggest keep searching and focus on unit with temperature readout and smaller electronic tips that are available from amazon or come with it, read a lot about something sounding like Harko but have not followed up on it yet. Tip looks small in picture, and additional tips on manufacture site look small too, but tips too large for small components.

I liked the design of the station. The solder holder is convenient and a spool adds enough weight to keep the station from sliding around. Overall it is a good arrangement.But... As other reviewers have noted, the tip will not stay secured in the iron. When hot, the tip works loose and slips, even after tightening the screw repeatedly. Having a simple screw holding the tip isn't very secure.The heater shield is longer, larger diameter, and heavier than the typical Hakko or Weller irons. It feels unbalanced and too clumsy for tight spots and fine work.I returned it.

This didn't heat up like I had hoped. Bought it to replace an old Weller pistol style soldering gun that has got me by for years more or less, but wanted something that was reliable and has more finess. Couldn't get this to melt the solder until I cranked it to max and even though I could see the barrel getting super hot the tip (which is more bulky than what I expected) just barely melted the solder. Not sure if it is the material that was used for the tip or what but was concerned that trying to operate it at full temp would quickly burn out the element. Didn't have the fine control had hoped so I sent it back.

Was not what I was expecting, the video posted on here by another "reviewer" definitely hooked me but basically this is a $15 iron, good luck working on any modern PC motherboard with the tip provided, (READ ->> WIDE, THICK). Most disappointing, there are no precision tips to be had for this unit in the marketplace (so far as I can tell) .... even the manufacturers website isolates this particular unit replacement tips as unique (and no precision tip style offered)

I purchased this unit a couple of months ago as I have been getting back to my electronics roots as a hobby. I was using a standard hand held, fixed temp unit that was working fine but I wanted a little more control over temp and this unit had good reviews. I'm not sure if I am doing something wrong (it's been decades since I last soldered) but I find the tip to be of poor quality. It has two holding screws that are opposite of each other, thus creating a pivoting point so that no matter how tight you make the screws, the tip still moves slightly if pressed at the right angle. The other quality issue I have with the tip is that it does not hold solder, it just rolls off. This makes it difficult to solder joints since there is no solder on the tip to aid in heat transfer. I would not recommend this unit but I may look for a better quality tip.

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!

Piece of crap, save your money. Used it one day to desolder and solder about a dozen capacitors. Tried it 7 months later on a board, wouldn't heat up. Dead element. Can't locate the replacement that was supposed to ship with the unit. Looks nice on the workbench but that's about it.

Mine broke within the first 3 uses. The uses are small circuit boards. It was on for maybe 30 minutes total. Wouldn't recommend

I was having a lot of trouble soldering with this iron. It would not heat up enough to melt solder unless I set it at the highest setting for 10 or 15 minutes! At first I thought it was me, but I bought a $29.00 iron and it heats up in 45 seconds and I can solder like a pro! I'd like to get my money back for this thing, but I've probably waited too long.

Followed break in procedures. Upon first use the hot tip fell right out of iron!!!!... Inspected clamping screw and it was completely bottomed out and could not be tightened. One would expect that a manufacturer would inspect their product before shipping. This is a complete dud unit, it is impossible to tighten the clamping screw. Otherwise, the unit seemed to work fine, was a little cooler than expected (now we know why). Returning for refund. We will see how they stand behind their product, I was expecting North American quality.Check your tip for safety, and return for refund immediately before a serious dangerous accident happens.

Unfortunately this iron did not deliver what I was expecting for $40. I had the iron for a few months and the handle started cracking due to the heat of the iron of which there really is no practical fix other that replacing the unit. It was also hard to tell if the iron was "on" due to the fact there is no indicator light on the base, only a very dim one on the iron handle which is a safety hazard IMHO. The base of the controller is too light and skids all over the place with very little grip on the workbench (I had to add weight to the base to make it usable). In the end I threw it away and purchased a "937D SMD" type closed-loop temperature controlled, LED readout soldering iron for $38 shipped and it's the very best investment I could of made for my soldering needs. Please save yourself the headache and check out the 937D. iMeshbean® 937D SMD 110V Solder Soldering Iron Station SOIC, CHIP, QFP, PLCC, BGA Welder with Extra Iron Heating Element & 6 Tips USA

Needs a little more heat to do the job. Have to wait a lot longer than other irons.The ceramic ring does not hold the iron in place from touching the 'spring' part of the holder.The heat is lost from the tip and has to be waited on until it builds up again for proper use.

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.