Weller WES51 Analog Soldering Station
by Cooper Hand Tools
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List Price: Our Price: $85.11 You Save: $39.89 (32%) Availability: Usually ships in 4-5 business days Category: Tools See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Weller WES51 Analog Soldering Station
Customer Review: A top quality, inexpensive iron!
Summary: 5 Stars
Very nice iron for the money. Heats up in about 30 seconds, LED is solid on while getting up to temp, then blinks at ~10 Hz epileptic fit inducing rate when regulating - at least you won't forget that it's on! And if you do, the auto-shutoff will save your tip and iron.
The distance between the handle and tip is a bit longer than I prefer (I've been spoiled by Metcal irons at work) but it isn't too bad. Tip changing is simple: you unscrew the entire barrel, remove the tip which is held tight by the flange on the end, install new tip, screw on barrel. This locates the threads far from the hot tip and keeps them from oxidating and seizing up.
The cord is silicone, so it should be able to withstand brushes with the iron without burning up.
I really prefer analog irons over digital ones, as long as there is feedback like an LED to let you know when the target temp has been hit. The analog temperature set dial is the perfect memory! I've had a cheap digital for years that this one is replacing, and dislike its buttons to set the temp, its annoying digital display, and its forgetting the target temp every time I turn it off.
One nit: the iron holder "spring" was packed right next to the front faceplate of the unit with no additional packaging (bag, cardboard, etc.) between them. This caused some minor scratching of the faceplate during shipping. Not a huge deal, but the oversight was a bit surprising as everything else was packed well.
Customer Review: Great analog soldering iron.
Summary: 5 Stars
A few years back I bought a digital soldering station from Rat Shack. It said it had replacable tips. You can replace them with as many tips as you want so long as you replace it with the only tip that fits that soldering iron which is huge. So I was working on a little tedious project and decided it was time to buy a new soldering iron that actually had a large selection of tips. After much deliberation I bought this one.
The soldering wand is very ergonomic, light and easy to use. It has a soft narrow grip and a short tip making it easy to control when you are in tight spaces. It heats up in under a minute. The dial goes in 10 degree increments from 350 to 850 degrees Fahrenheit. The unit is very well built and has a sturdy stand with a funnel on the end to help guide the tip in so you aren't banging it against the coil when putting it in the stand.
All in all I think it is a great soldering iron. I don't know what the reviewer who gave it one star was talking about because this one definitely doesn't have an LCD. Perhaps they actually have the WESD51. As far as the lateral pressure goes, I can't think of any soldering project that requires pressure. It's about heat transfer not about forcing the object off the board.
Customer Review: Great Soldering Station
Summary: 5 Stars
We use this model soldering station at our business. We first purchased the previous version of this model and still have it. This version works basically the same way with the only difference being the way that the LED light on the front works. On the older version the LED was just an On or Off indicator, but on the newer version, it also indicates what heating state the iron is in (I.e. heating, or at temperature). We now have 3 of these units. Our company is in the Analog and digital panel meter business, and we are also a modification/repair center, so these units see daily use and sometimes use all day. These units have a great advantage over traditional soldering irons due to the added temperature sensor in the tip. This helps to avoid any overheating that may occur in a standard soldering iron. The price on these units as well as the nice tips they come with makes the choice between a cheap soldering iron and this unit simple. I would reccommend this to anyone who uses a soldering iron on a regular basis.Customer Review: MADE IN MEXICO NOW - Temp dial doesn't work
Summary: 1 Stars
For those looking for a made in usa sodlering iron...skip this one...they are now made in Mexico...mine just came the other day. I realize that doesn't matter to many but for those that do care, they are not US made.
Also it really doesn't work very well. The temp dial appears to not change the temp at all. Or the indicator light isn't working. Not sure which but I think the temp is stuck. According to the directions when you start at a certain temp and then dial it down the light should go off as it's not heating until it reaches the lower temp. My light never goes off when I do that and while i don't have a way to measure the temp, I can observe no difference in temperature. Seems stuck at the high setting of 850. To the best of my knowledge the temp dial is doing nothing. Of course since I discovered this while using it amazon is saying I can't return it....not sure how that will turn out.
Customer Review: No Frills Workhorse
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been using this solder station for a few hours a week for the last year. The durability seems fine, the temperature dial and on/off switch still feel crisp without slop. The iron stand has a ceramic holder ring mounted in the typical spring which keeps from banging soft tips on the steel. The stand base also has holes to store extra tips so they're on hand instead of missing in a drawer somewhere.
The ET tips that work with the included soldering pencil are great, from a 1/64" conical tip for SMD to a 3/16" screwdriver tip for chassis work, it does many jobs well. The soldering pencil is light and nimble so I don't get hand cramps with extended use.
This has been a great tool that's gone through 5 lbs of solder without a hitch. It's no frills and all business but a huge step-up in quality from the $15 irons I used until I purchased this. The end justifies the means.