[geeks] what's a good soldering iron

[Sridhar Ayengar]

Kevin wrote:
> I've never had anything other than $15 Radio Shack models that
> take a good 15-20 minutes to heat up. I decided to finally bite
> the bullet and buy something decent.
> 
> I'm not looking for anything crazy, just a decent iron.  I don't
> want to go much over $120 or so.  I'm hoping i can get something
> usable for that price, let me know if i'm wrong.
> 
> I mostly just solder wires and a few simple ICs (car parts) as
> well as the occasional Indigo battery fix.  Stuff like that.
> 
> What do you guys recommend?

Weller is good, Metcal is better.

I use the Metcal 200-series.  It works for me.

Peace...  Sridhar