Buying a soldering iron

[platinum95]

Ok so I am looking to buy a soldering station for general hobby circuits etc. I found that weller are just too expensive for me, but I am sure their products are top-notch. I was looking more into the budget side of things, namely either:
http://ie.farnell.com/tenma/21-10115-eu ... dp/2062627

Or:
http://ie.farnell.com/duratool/1498366- ... dp/1737236

Or:
http://ie.farnell.com/tenma/at60d-eu/so ... dp/2075392

Now I know that these soldering stations will not be of a very high quality, but to be honest that doesn't bother me, as it's a hobby that I have, and I'm still in my teens so when I am older I can buy an actual good one.

Can someone point me in the direction of a soldering station that's around the price of those 3, under 100 euro, 130 dollars or 84 pounds.
Thanks in advance.

[pounder35]

It depends on the wattage (heat) you need. Looks like great equipment but what are you using it for? I repaired 35mm camera equipment for over 20 years with an Antek. No fancy digital digital display or temp. control. It's what you're using it for and learning how to use it. As with anything use the right tool for the job.
pounder35

[platinum95]

I need something thatll be there when I need it, I intend to do a bit of SMD work, but more padboard kind of stuff. I'd prefer to have a temperature controlled one because I find a lot my plastic switches and stuff tend to melt before I can solder wires onto them when using my 25 watt iron, and also because some work is pretty temperature specific.

[SamRodgers]

From age 10, I used a cheap 25W iron. If you can solder with that, you can solder with anything. Buy an iron with a choice of tips. I prefer a 1.2mm conical tip for most jobs because I can rotate it back and forth. The rotating tip scrapes away the oxide to maintain good thermal contact while I apply solder to the wire. Soldering is a skill that improves with practice.

It was many years before I could afford a Weller. I use a 430°C tip, which most people would think too hot. But I'm extremely quick.

I also (still) use 60/40 tin-lead solder unless the job specifically requires lead-free for whatever reason. Contrary to popular belief, the lead doesn't vaporise at 430°C (or a long way above) so there's no danger of poisoning as long as you keep the solder (and your fingers) away from your mouth. Always wash your hands afterwards.

[Agent24]

Now I know that these soldering stations will not be of a very high quality, but to be honest that doesn't bother me, as it's a hobby that I have, and I'm still in my teens so when I am older I can buy an actual good one.

Any of the three you posted will do fine for general hobby work. The Tenma AT60D (and in fact, the other Tenma too) might be the best one as it looks like the iron is compatible with Hakko 936 and there are many different types of tips available in the 900M series, which will help if you want to get into SMD stuff later.

Duratool is a pretty nice brand though. The OEM is ZhongDi and spares can be found under all sorts of names.

From age 10, I used a cheap 25W iron. If you can solder with that, you can solder with anything. Buy an iron with a choice of tips. I prefer a 1.2mm conical tip for most jobs because I can rotate it back and forth. The rotating tip scrapes away the oxide to maintain good thermal contact while I apply solder to the wire. Soldering is a skill that improves with practice.

As did I. A Scope MH-25 to be exact. Still got it actually Not so sure about the bit where you rotate the tip though - the flux by itself always worked good enough for me. As I understand it, scraping the tip against the joint is just a good way to ruin the plating quicker.