Weller is not what they used to be, I'd avoid them when possible.
WES51 and WESD51 are such old technology, it remains a good buy for this made-in-Mexico item, and IMHO,
only if you can't buy a Hakko FX888, sometimes Hakko cost 1.5-2x more than the best prices for USA buyers.
Once replaced and working, Weller units are unlikely to fail again but nevertheless there is a lot of warranty still left. Having 2 irons of the
same wattage isn't necessary unless you solder so much you need to switch heads and can't wait for the iron to cool down.
I checked Amazon, and there are new reports of irate owners, c 2012 purchases; erratic and nonfunctioning units. OTAH, for the same period for Hakko 888, its 100% 4-5 stars, ne'er a defect or major complaint since its release.
The WES51 iron can be repaired, the wear tear item is the heater unit for the PES51, the PES201. The heating element alone cost nearly as much as the iron, and not easy to find, ~$40.
Its a PITA to do, because you have to
carefully pull out the heater tube. The instructions are not included, but are in prior model c1999 or earlier, USA made PES50. The manual suggests the procedure of screwing the bolt on the old heater once you remove the barrel sleeve, hold the iron in a table vise, and "wiggle" the unit out of the handle.
http://www.rccoh.com/rc.how-to/change.weller.soldering.tips.htmlThis is in stark contrast to the build quality, easy DIY serviceability and parts of Hakko. If I purchased retail from Frys in the USA, the easiest solution would be to exchange the whole kit for the FX888, that would be the best way to repair this Weller; per the Fry website today, the 888 is even cheaper than the WES51.
Not only are all the parts easily available from Hakko, the factory shop has everything to build it from pieces, and is much easier to do DIY.
http://www.hakkousa.com/detail.asp?CID=49&PID=4800&Page=6 By comparison, the only wear-tear item is the heater unit which is $20, delivered. Don't lose the FX888 iron though, because to replace it cost as much as a whole new FX888, i.e., about $75-80.
So now I have two questions:
- Is there any way to fix the broken iron? I have a new one now, but it would be at least interesting to fix, and good to have a spare.
- Is this common? Is it possible that I mistreated the soldering iron in some way as to cause this? Is Weller's quality control not what it used to be?