repair, electronicsWhat makes/is a good consumer priced soldering iron for fixing gadgets? Obviously soldering on a cell phone would take special tools and talents, but what about soldering on a VCR or a home lighting sensor?
Up until recently, I was always sort of mediocre at soldering until a friend showed me how to solder properly. We used the Weller WES51 which has an analog thermostat control dial. He explained that unless you're already really good at soldering, it is utterly critical to have a soldering iron in which you can control the heat well.
If your iron is too hot, the solder may flow more quickly than you can handle. If it's too cool, the solder will be harder to manipulate. Having that control to find the "sweet spot" makes soldering (and learning to solder) SO much easier.
This iron may be around $90, but it's worth it. I highly recommend it.
(Once you learn to solder well, using soldering irons that lack a good temperature control won't seem so difficult anymore, but you will definitely long for a good soldering iron like a Weller WES51.)
I was always bothered by the power cord, and the cord is also a safety hazard when it snags something and burns you, the desk, or the floor after it falls down.
Option A
For occasional use, I can recommend ColdHeat, a wireless soldering iron. Amazon, Wikipedia. $20.
It runs on 2 AA batteries and works like a charm for normal purposes. It's not a PRO tool, but if you only solder once in a while and don't need to solder really large things, then it's incredibly comfortable.
Option B
There is a pro tool available as well.
Honestly, it's all in the user. I have a $9 soldering iron from Radio Shack which I learned on. The $22 workstation is more comfortable though, as it has a place to set the iron and a sponge holder.
As long as you learn how to solder, this should be sufficient. I've used it to solder things from motherboard components on my Zune, to various portions of my senior project, to just a random robot-shaped desk weight made from spare parts I found at school (my personal favorite soldering project lol). My cheap Radio Shack iron has served me well :-).
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