Radio Shack CLEARANCE 70W pro soldering station

[SILVERGUN]

I wound up in a RS store over the holidays, and saw this on clearance (marked down from $119 to $39.99)
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=15725446

When I took it up to the register, it rang up for $29.99, and I didn't hesitate.....I need a decent unit for home use.

If you need one, I was told that stock is limited to in store only at this point....I visited a couple other stores (collecting terminal strips) in my area and they each had one on the shelf....marked down to $39.99 (I'm not sure about the deal I got, but on the receipt it said ***additional 25% off clearance***)

After using it, I am pretty impressed with it, and it reminds me of my very expensive Weller 

[eleventeen]

The housing certainly looks like a Weller. Good catch!

[SILVERGUN]

Mine actually looks like this one......and the pencil holder is cool, with a couple slots for tips, and a solder reel built into the top (kinda like a toilet paper roller)

Body looks just like the Weller, but faceplate looks just like this.......this is a picture of the actual box

[Willabe]

Very nice!


         Brad       

[eleventeen]

Boy, I'm tempted to ask you to go get one of the other ones around there (none are in-store stock around here, I checked) and ship it to me. I'd of course pay you for the item, shipping, and $10 for your trouble.

[SILVERGUN]

Go ahead and ask....
Really not that far out of the way for me....

And I get daily pickup from UPS at my shop.

Can't guarantee you'll get it for $29.99, but I'll try 

[Scsoul]

   I'm gonna have check that out, i just bought a weller from rat shack and have not even opened it yet, im pretty sure they had that solder station there i may just have to exchange the weller for one  thanks

[SILVERGUN]

Looks like there's a couple showing up on Ebay already.....the cat's out of the bag

http://www.ebay.com/bhp/radio-shack-soldering

Maybe I should buy em all up and try to double my money?......

F'in entrepreneurs  

[jjasilli]

Thanks for the heads up!  Just picked one up @ a local Shack.  Mine wrang0-up @ $39.99.  First impressions:  The iron holder has a beteer grip than my Hakko & I love the holders for a solder spool & extra tips.

[SILVERGUN]

 

I might just grab another one if I drive by, in case someone comes a little late to the party....

nice unit......worth every penny

[sluckey]

Boy, I'm tempted to ask you to go get one of the other ones around there (none are in-store stock around here, I checked) and ship it to me. I'd of course pay you for the item, shipping, and $10 for your trouble.

It would be cheaper to just buy this one. Mine cost $44 out the door. Shipping would be $10-$15.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/RadioShack-Soldering-Station-Pro-Line-70W-Brand-New-in-Box-/121245382716

[sluckey]

I bought this station yesterday and have had a little time to play with it. At $40 + tax, if you don't have a decent temp controlled station already or just want another one, this is a great deal. The unit looks good (except for the huge Radio Shack logo). The iron feels comfortable. I like the up/down temp switches and the station remembers the last setting even if you unplug it. Just keep the sponge wet and wipe the tip EVERY TIME you pick it up and it should be good for a lot of soldering.

With that said, now I'll give you a comparision to my 30 year old Weller WTCPT Soldering Station.

1. The RS cost $40. The WTCPT cost $140 (from Amazon). But remember, the RS station was $129. No way would I pay that for the RS station.

2. The RS unit has what appears to be a special tip that may become extinct now that RS is discontinuing the station. Better get some extras today (Catalog #: 64-208). My Weller tips have been around over 30 years and will probably be around when I'm gone.

3. The cord to the iron is 8' long! That's about 4' longer than I need for a bench station. The cord is also very stiff  and bulky and the insulation will melt quickly if you touch it with the iron. Weller uses a very flexible rubber insulation (almost like a silicone rubber) that is easy to move around and will not melt. My 30 year old has no burn marks.

4. The controller and stand are made of cheap plastic that will melt quickly if you accidently touch them with the iron. Weller is made of some harder plastic that will not easily melt. You have to hold the iron to the plastic for quite a while to make a mark.

5. The solder spool holder is useless for a standard Kester 1lb spool. My classic 30 year old spools will not fit. Even the roller is too big to pass thru my spools. I suppose I could wind a length of solder on this spool, but I already have a very good spool holder. I'll pass. Weller has no such spool holder.

6. The overall quality of the RS station seems to be in line with all the cheap RS clones. I would be surprised if this station is still working after 30 years.

Bear in mind that I have a special appreciation for quality tools. And I've been using Weller soldering stations for 40 years. There's a reason that the USAF had thousands of Wellers in their electronic depot at Robins AFB. Weller is also found on most every FAA repair bench. The RS looks similar to a Weller, but the quality does not compare.

But, for $40, it's a bargain. Still, I'll be returning mine as soon as it warms up.

[SILVERGUN]

Great review, and I'll touch on a couple of sluckey's points:
1) when I said "worth every penny", I meant for $39.99 ($29.99 was a steal... I went in to see what my options were, and they're not great.....this was the best option for a budget buy)

2) tips,,I should've been more concerned  (but did buy the only tip they had in stock for a spare).....good call!....ordering some now

3) 8' cord is a very strange feature, and I'm hoping that the cord softens up (the Weller is a joy to use, I forget the cord is there,,,and the PES51 pencil is the slimmest, most comfortable one I could imagine using)

4+5) I haven't put them side by side, but it looks like the RS, might be a re-branded Weller case......my Weller stand is made of steel, with a ceramic opening, and has a nice heavy duty base that doesn't move and cant burn,,,,the RS IS cheap plastic and I guess the spool holder was only designed to fit RS type small spools ???

6) Yeah,,, 30 years is a long time for any modern production anything, and I would suspect that the temp. adjust push button circuit would be prone to failure......the weight is similar so I'm imagining a decent xfmr

I agree with sluckey,,,except, I like mine enough to keep it around, especially because it will only get use as a home "light duty" tool.

Sluckey's  review made me look a little deeper, and I found this deal on the Weller WES51 that I use in the shop:
http://www.jbtoolsales.com/weller-wes51-analog-soldering-station-with-power-unit-soldering-pencil-stand-and-sponge/?gclid=COK9ysbU7LsCFSbNOgod8TwACA

[Willabe]

I have a Weller WD1 that I bought at least 5 years ago. I love it!

I was using 60w pencil irons before, it took time to heat up and was no where near as light and easy to maneuver around in a chassis and yes the Wellers flex cord is a dream compared to the 60w irons 3 wire power cord.

When it's all said and done if the RS unit lasts, what 10 to 15 years at $30/$40 I'd say that's a great deal.

My only hesitation would be the cords length and flex, but still, if it holds up that's a great deal.

Should be a great starter solder station for newbs.


             Brad    

[jjasilli]

Hakko tips, the outer sleeve and the tightening ring/nut are interchangeable with this RS soldering iron.  The Hakko tip I'm using on my Hakko 936 is thin-walled and has a separate inner sleeve to fit over the inner ceramic element.  The RS tip is thick-walled and fits with no inner sleeve.  I just verified this interchangeability with review I read somewhere online.

RS 8 oz. 60/40 solder spools do fit this solder stand.  It looks like the next larger size spool will fit too.

Assuming this creature lasts, it seems like a good buy for a first time or back-up soldering station.

[sluckey]

That's good to know about the Hakko tips.

[stratele52]

Sluckey ,
 I have  the Weller WTCP series soldering station , more than 35 years old . IMO you have for what you pay.

[punkykatt]

Hey Guys, I always wanted a temp control iron. I stopped by a local RS and they had one left on the shelf. I got 10% off the sale price for have served in the military.(I knew that would pay off someday) I like the long chord cause sometimes do soldering away from my bench in speaker cabinets on the floor. One question:  What temperature do you guys set the tip at for most soldering?   I remember seeing a thread here a few years ago but can`t seem to find it.
Thanks in advance.  Punky

[sluckey]

700 works good on turret boards. I like a little extra (800) for off board soldering such as switches, jacks, fuseholders, etc. 600 is usually good for ss pcb work. You can probably fine tune from those numbers.

My iron controls temp by changing tips. I have 600, 700, and 800 tips in several different styles for my Weller, so I'm limited to those 3 choices.

[pullshocks]

Does this produce enough heat to do rework on lead-free solder?  Unfortunately I wired one of my amps with that dreadful stuff and find it very difficult to un-solder anything.

[SILVERGUN]

Hey Guys, I always wanted a temp control iron....
 One question:  What temperature do you guys set the tip at for most soldering? 

Congrats Punky!......it depends on what I'm soldering, but doing some 20 gauge solid wire on tube socket terminals I was @ 740*F and moved up to 770*F for 18 gauge stranded...(at those temps I was able to get on and off quickly)
using .050 60/40....for all amp work, I really like the .050 size

Does this produce enough heat to do rework on lead-free solder?  Unfortunately I wired one of my amps with that dreadful stuff and find it very difficult to un-solder anything.

Well, it says it does......
In the manual it lists 790-820*F as a range for lead-free work, and says that the unit is capable of reaching 896*F

http://www.radioshack.com/graphics/uc/rsk/Support/ProductManuals/6400207_PM_EN.pdf

[punkykatt]

Thanks guys for the great info. Im gonna write that on the wall in my shop.  Memory isn`t what it used to be.
Punky

[pullshocks]

Picked one up today.  No time to try it until the weekend.