Weller WE-1010 worst soldering station on the planet

[nuke]

You'd think this would be a decent, well working soldering iron. Specs are great, 72 watts, digital controls, auto-standby, a variety of tips, blah, blah.

The WE-1010 has got to be the worst iron I've ever used. It was gifted to me a couple of years ago, when my trusty decades old WTCPT station failed (since repaired).

The WTCP - 24 watts, instantly melts solder joints of surprising size. It is a curie-point iron, the tip demagnetizes when it reaches a certain temperature, cuts off the heat, then becomes magnetic when it drops below that temperature and heats up. The tips determine the temperature.

The WE-1010 is a thermistor iron, that digitally senses the tip and supplies power to reach whatever setpoint set on the digital dial. 72 watts it says.

But about half the time, it says it is at set temperature, but it won't even melt solder to tin the tip. It just doesn't work right. New tips, replaced the iron, nothing wrong with the controller, it just sucks and I just got make myself toss it in the trash.

[sluckey]

Hard to beat those WTCPT stations. I've been using one for nearly 40 years. I even have a complete NOS station/iron and plenty of extra tips sitting in a storage cabinet.

[stephen_w_keller]

In light of this report, what is a good alternative to the WTCPT?

I've been looking at the WE-1010A, but now I wonder if that's the wrong answer.

Stph

[martin manning]

The Weller 1010 seems to get decent reviews, but it is yet another new version of previous models similar to the WESD51 I have been using for over a decade. The other popular station I see is Hakko FX888DX.

[neskor]

JBC or similar "clone" iron with cartridges
much better than previous generation with tips

[alnight]

My WE1010 is pretty ok, at least compared to the Radio Shack irons I was using before. It was frustrating until I learned to let it work the way it does rather than how I thought it should, though. I've had it set at 750* for years now, and generally use one of the fatter tips. This is a higher number than I think it should be, but seems to be the minimum for consistent performance.

[lonote]

The other popular station I see is Hakko FX888DX.

I have an older FX888 with the rotary heat control instead of the buttons.(15yo maybe?)

It was a night & day upgrade from various cheap units I had used previously. Pretty instant heat, big selection of tips, useful heat range.

I would buy another.



Edit: Looks like they are going back to the knob but with a digital readout.

[maxkracht]

I have an FX-951 which I believe has been discontinued but i'm sure there are plenty on the used market. Before that I was using a hakko 936 and an fx888, the 951 is a huge upgrade from both of those. With a big tip it does an ok job soldering to a fender chassis, though obviously not as good as a large gun style iron. Haven't tried in several years, but I was getting fairly inexpensive hakko stuff from amazon.jp. Beneficial conversion rates and fewer middle men.

[Guy77]

I also love the Hakko irons. That is all I have been using.
If you are looking for a great inexpensive iron the Hakko FX600 is a great iron to start off with. It has the heavier tips too.

Broke over 1000s posts today, Wow didn't see that coming!

Cheers
Guy

[sluckey]

My old WTCPT has a really flexible cable to the iron. I consider that to be a big +. Some of the more modern stations I've had my hands on have a stiff plastic iron cord which I don't like. Do the Weller 1010 and the Hakko FX888DX have a flexible silicon rubber cable between the iron and the station?

[dbharris]

I second the Hakko soldering station. Yes, mine has a very flexible and light cord from the iron to the station.

-Dan

[maxkracht]

The newer Hakko stuff with composite tips are very flexible and very light, so much nicer than the old ceramic tips. Going back to the old FX888 feels chunky and cumbersome after getting used to the newer one. Thermal recovery is WAY better and you can even hot swap tips. Admittedly I don't change tips too often, mid project, but sometimes it gets you out of a bind. I've heard some of the clones are actually pretty decent, but I don't have any personal experience with them.

[nuke]

Yeah I wouldn’t waste a dime on the WE1010. It is clearly made for kids or hobby use. Just not worthy of bothering with.

Look at Hakko or one of the professional series Weller irons.

Or better yet and old wtcp station. I still have one the really old ones that the iron holder and station are all one piece. Used to leave them on all day every day at work and they never failed. Was accustomed to hearing them tick on and off endlessly from the Curie point thermostat.

Metcal irons were also good for fine point work, albeit expensive.

[chaccmgr]

I also have a JBC for around 10 years now. Phenomenal! The tips heat up in 6 seconds to full heat, when in the stand it cools down to prevent grilling the tip and when you pick it up, it reheats in 3 seconds. strong recommendation!

[GAStan]

I've got an Edsyn 951SXe that i really like. 100 watts and ready to melt solder in less than a minute. Wide variety of tips available. US made. Not cheap but well worth it.

Edsyn has been around a long time, they made (still make it) the original SoldaPult blue solder sucker. Most of their stuff is professional grade (and priced accordingly).