WellerWE 1010 Education Kit (T0053298390) 70W/230V WE Digital Soldering Station Kit with 2 Tips, Shear Cutter and Solder Wire, Temperature Range 100°C – 450°C

I have spent a lifetime in electronics, my final job was teaching it, and I have had just about every type of soldering iron going, my last one, the Weller PU-3D has been my 'go-to' iron for the last 30+ years, and it has never failed me, except I have replaced the tip twice, not bad going I would say.I decided to treat myself though to a new iron, mainly because the older iron is a bit on the big size (the iron itself and the tips too) for modern circuit boards.I also liked the idea of being able to select the temperature by buttons and a display, rather than having to change the actual tip as I have to do with my old model, this is more relevant now because of the choice between lead and lead-free solder which need different temperatures.It is a very easy kit to set up and it is supplied with both a UK and EU mains lead of a decent length.The only slight niggle for me is that the power unit and safety stand for the iron are separate, and I personally find the all-in one more convenient when/if you have to move it, you can do that with one hand on the combined unit rather than 2 hands you have to use with this one.The iron gets up to temperature very fast though and you get the selected and actual temperatures displayed on the LCD screen and although it is not back-lit, I didn't find that a problem, as it is easy and clear to read, and I don't often solder in the dark anyway !You can even calibrate the temperature in the 'settings' if you so wish, but mine was perfect from the start and of course there are other settings you can tweak (PLEASE read the instructions !).There is a very large range of tips to choose from, a lot more than my older iron, I bought another 5 straight away, based on the tips I have for the older ironThis iron is mainly intended for 'bench work' and circuit boards etc and as it is it is just 70 Watt it is not for plumbing jobs and the like, in which case you need a more powerful iron, and for that I have a butane powered iron with bigger tip, this iron is more than adequate for any electronics work.Weller also do 'top of the range' professional soldering stations but they are phenomenally expensive unless you are a big company and NEED them, this iron is just fine for amateurs that do a lot of soldering and even for professional use as well.It is a case of 'horses for courses' and you need to choose the iron that you 'need' if you solder a few times a year this iron is not for you and a much cheaper one will be more than adequate and of course save you money too.Conclusion :I love this iron and appreciate that it is smaller pencil type, making it a lot easier to use.It does have a couple of things I don't like though, I have already mentioned the first, the fact that it comes in 2 parts, rather than the one unit.I the other thing I don't like is the fact there is no "main's on" light, which would only cost another 1p to put right in manufacturing, and I find it strange that they left this out.In the end this is a 5 star soldering station and would highly recommend it over some small fiddly underpowered, 'unknown name' Chinese one, it is a great iron.

Ha e used seller most of my working life,latest model really very good much nicer to hold slim comfortable iron! Keep away from Chinese JUNK!!! They are cheaper for a reason poorly made fail quickly handle break,element burns out in an 1hr. Seller will last you a life time parts readily available that's why all in electronics industry use them,l have for 70yrs just can't be beaten for easy to use totally reliable temperature controlled high performance versatile iron!

Most reviews probably write the same reveiw. I'd just like to endorse this station with them.Like others here I was very reluctant to spend the kind of money on this type of equipment, having used other soldering irons to mostly good results, but this kit allows you to do all your soldering under one roof.The main problem with non temperature controlled Soldering iron's is having to have to buy a number of them for different types of jobs, from easy soldering to the type of metals you have to apply plenty of heat to to get the solder to melt your component on to.I.E some guitar pots. Yes the tips can also be expensive, but they do last along time and with temperature control you stand less chance of damaging your various boards when soldering. This is my penny's worth to this product. A very happy solderer.

Heats up fast, very easy to setup and use, comes conveniently with a holder and tips are not that expensive.It is a reliable and good quality soldering iron/station.Highly suggest.

I previously used a soldering iron bought from Maplin quite a few years ago. Had no temp adjustment and the tips were very hard to find. This is a vast improvement over that. The cord to the soldering iron is much lighter and more flexible, the temperature adjustment makes its far easier to control. It also heats up very quickly, and of course the display shows you when it's at temp. I bought some extra tips which are easy to get hold of and work well. I managed to solder some tiny packages with it, including a 28 pin SSOP which I'm not sure I could have managed with my old one.The base unit is sturdy and everything feels good quality. Only thing that's annoying is the stand by setting. I've increased it to 5 minutes, but it's caught me out a couple of times where it's gone on standby whilst I'm using it and they I wonder why the solder isn't flowing like it should. I may just switch that feature off altogether, or perhaps increase the time even more. But overall, I'm very pleased with it!

Excellent, easy to use. An 'ON' indicator light would be nice and even a back-lit display, but no worries. Has some nice features.

Good quality product! Easy to use. Good design!

Weller was the name in soldering irons ever since I started in electronics decades ago.Having found my last iron to barely hot enough to tin itself let alone solder anything it was time for a new one.This iron is hot-hot-hot and heats up very quickly. It also by default puts itself in standby very quickly (which is a configuration) which is slightly tedious doing jobs where the time prep'ing cables exceeds the time it can be bothered to stay hot.The interface is simple, with few bells-and-whistles - not the many buttons/displays of the cheap-Chinese stuff that comes in at a third of the price.This iron only comes with a single bit, but others freely available as genuine or pattern parts. It was the bits that swayed me away from the cheap-Chinese products not knowing how easy it would be to get them.The soldering iron stand is heavy but does not attach to the base-unit in any way (unlike the Weller models of my youth which used to clip together).So I think it's entirely usable but seems rather expensive. I hope it lasts long enough to justify the premium price.