I'm gonna butt in here even though I am not part of this conversation,
1. Is the firmware version pretty settled at this point? I was not looking forward to sending the chip to Aaron for replacement. It does look like the gasket issue is resolved, at least.
Mine bought either a few months ago or half a year ago (can't remember) is on 1-4 and i have never had a problem except for the first time auto setback kicked in during the middle of some work. It is not too hard to fix that, but you'll have to check the manual if it's an issue as i don't remember. I never had the gasket issue. i think that's long gone
2. Does it seem like there is a consensus on the standard vs ultra-performance tips? price/performance/value
Yeah, I have three tips: one standard chisel 3/16, ultra conical 1/32, and ultra conical 1/128.
While I don't have any problems with the standard chisel, the price difference between the two is negligible so i don't even know why you wouldn't get ultra performance.
I typically switch between the two during tough repair jobs involving desoldering. Being able to swap the tips and reheat so fast rules btw but i wish they gave you a place to set the tips.
3. I'm coming from an Edsyn 971 where I only used the chisel tip it came with (and ignored the 5-7 others in the bag) and i've fallen deep into the weeds at times here on the forums reading tip recommendation threads(chisel/bent chisel/miniwave/etc), so if you were buying one as a gift for someone to do basic soldering repairs to small appliances, soldering practice kits to improve skills, etc, would you have a basic set of tips in mind that would do the trick until one was knowledgeable enough or had some specific work that might require a different tip option?
I asked about the miniwave and got a lot of rave reviews on it. But, for my needs I will simply replace my standard 3/16 chisel with an ultra of the same size when it's time to replace it. I thought I would start with these three tips and then move on to what else I needed and so far I have not needed. The combination of that size chisel and conical tip have been awesome and amazingly useful for me. The 1/128 only comes out when I am trying to solder wires to surface mount pins or something like that, so it's hardly used.
After nearly equivalent amounts of abuse, the ultra conical looks better. Could just be that it re-tins easier due to its shape. I guess you can take my suggestions with a grain of salt, because I like conical tips a lot and they work great for me as an all-around tip whereas i know a lot of people despise conical. I can't do fine work with a chisel tip to save my life.
For what it's worth, this is the only station i've ever used that allows hot swap of tips (no pun intended) and I do have a jbc clone on the way that can also swap tips while on.
Anyway, what i'm trying to get at is in several months of daily use for all sorts of jobs, i have only found myself wanting my two go-to tips and then the third for special jobs. If you anticipate needing more, go ahead and get more. if you're in the USA, shipping is really reasonable direct from pace.