Cheap butane soldering iron recomendations?

[george graves]

Looking to add one to my bad of tricks.  I hear a lot of them don't get real hot.  Any good find on ebay or deal extreme recommendations.  I won't be using it much - just field work.

[peter.mitchell]

Here is a recent thread that might be of  interest to you https://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/cordless-soldering-iron/

[kb3pxr]

George, if you are in the USA try to get the one the RadioShack sells, that's the one I have and is as good as a standard iron as long as you don't overdo it. If you aren't in the US, try looking on eBay.

[electronupdate]

Hi George,

I recently tried out a couple of units.  One from Weller (via the electronics distributor Mouser) and one from Benzomatic (picked that one up in Home Depot).

I was a bit happier with the Weller as it has a built in ignition and  I like how it was orientated when sitting on a desk.

Video at this link: 

Looking to add one to my bad of tricks.  I hear a lot of them don't get real hot.  Any good find on ebay or deal extreme recommendations.  I won't be using it much - just field work.

[casinada]

The Weller looks like the Wall Lenk they sell at Radio Shack.
Thank you for the tips on the video. I have no experience with Butane gas torches. I assume that the Weller is not as safe either because you can easily trip it being standing on the vertical position. The other thing I do is I tin the tip as soon as it gets hot before it has the chance to oxidize.
Thanks

[IanB]

The iron shown in this video is very good (I have one):



It's a Weller Portasol P2KC that you can get from Sears.

It's comfortable to hold, self-igniting, it has a safety cap that you can put back on while the iron is still hot, and comes with soldering tip, hot air blower for heat shrink (with deflector shroud), micro gas torch, rope cutting blade, wet sponge and holder and simple wire stand.

The video is rather amusing as the guy doing the review really doesn't know what the tools are or how to use them.

[marshallh]

I used a Weller Pyropen Jr (WSTA6) for several years as my MAIN iron - I have done house AC wiring with it and 0.5mm SMD QFPs.

It costs $70 on amazon but it is very well built and heats up in seconds. It has temperature adjustment.

[Buck_nekid]

I have a Weller PSI100K kit but I got it off the Snap-on truck so I way overpaid for something re-branded.  It came with a few different tips and a heat shrink and a plastic cutter attachment.  It makes all the heat I could ever need in a portable iron.   Amazon has the best deals on it.

[peter.mitchell]

I have a Weller PSI100K kit but I got it off the Snap-on truck so I way overpaid for something re-branded.  It came with a few different tips and a heat shrink and a plastic cutter attachment.  It makes all the heat I could ever need in a portable iron.   Amazon has the best deals on it.

I like this one, as the gas comes out a metal/ceramic thing, so you can use it as a blowtorch jut by removing the tip.