Weller 5 to 30W Precision Grip Soldering Iron Station, 120V | WLSK3012A

Probably the best soldering iron I've ever used. I hope I have more reasons to use it!

When using a cheaper model by the same manufacturer, I was worried that I'd burn myself or my surroundings because there wasn't a solid place to rest the soldering iron. The built-in rest is perfect for holding this safely out of the way. It also has more adjustability and a nice spot to rub the solder off.

I'm replacing a 30 year old Weller soldering station. While this is not quite as well made as that product, it will likely give me good service for the next 10 to 20 years. I'm reducing the rating as the tip supplied with the iron is not very good. It is too blunt and does not heat that well. Will try some replacement tips. I'm reducing the rating even more. This is a lousy product. NOT up to the Weller brand quality. I bought the Weller WE1010NA Digital Soldering Station for $88.19 and it is SO MUCH better!

This Weller soldering iron heats up fast. I have used it to solder components onto a circuit and it works great. Very good quality materials. With the price.

I bought the 30 watt version to replace my 40 watt unit that I have had for many years. I do mostly pc work so I don't need a lot of heat. It is very difficult to find tips for this iron, on the ones available are a bit large. Secondly, the holder for the iron is made of out plastic, and it is not heat resistant. if you place the iron in the holder and it slips even a little bit, the hot iron touches the plastic and it starts to melt. It is not apparent when this happens until it starts to smoke and then it is too late. Very toxic smelling smoke. Very dissapointed.

Does the job just fine

This soldering iron worked perfectly for 2 weeks. I then went on a 2 week vacation. When i returned and started to use this soldering iron it would not get hot enough to melt the solder. The return window was 30 days. AT 36 days when i tried to request a refund i was unable to do so. I did contact customer service and have not had a reply re refund. Since it won't melt solder, it is useless to make electrical connections. I will be throwing it away Addendum: It was not possible to directly request a refund or a return on the amazon website. My poor initial reviews did result in the manufacture starting a warranty claim, which they processed and sent me a new soldering iron. This company stands behind their product.

Although it is conveniently omitted from the product pictures, the other side of the station is mess. The connection between the station and pen is a standard plug and socket, and the cable is the cheap stiff kind. It feels dishonest to not have that in the pictures, as it definitely decreases the ergonomics and organization. The rest of the device does not feel sturdy and is too light. The nib is too blunt, which leads to the molten solder falling off. With a decent nib, you should be able to hold some on the nib. For 40 bucks, what you’re paying in this product is a simply a variable transformer, some plastic, and a little metal. It’s overpriced. You can get a digital USB C soldering pen with 40 dollars instead. Don’t get me wrong, I like the brand and I love the teal and black digital soldering iron (I recommend if you can afford it), but this product is a miss. Gets two stars because it heated up, but that’s a pretty low threshold.