Hack a Game Boy, assemble a mechanical keyboard, build a Raspberry Pi–powered drone—these are just a few of the projects that an inexpensive soldering iron enables. We think the X-Tronic Model 3020-XTS LED Soldering Station is the best for beginners and casual hobbyists because it performed similarly to irons that cost twice as much and had one of the fastest warm-up times of the soldering irons we tested.
The X-Tronic Model 3020-XTS LED Soldering Station surprised us with its reliability. Some of its features are usually found only in models that cost twice as much. Its handle is comfortable to hold and not hot to the touch, and the iron comes with a heavy, sturdy stand and useful accessories. It is also one of the few irons we tested with a digital display—a feature that makes tracking and changing the temperature especially easy. While putting together our electronics-project kit, we occasionally had to wait for the X-Tronic soldering station to rebound to its set temperature; you could spend around $40 more for an iron with a faster temperature rebound, but we barely noticed the difference. The iron comes with a sturdy stand to hold the hot iron during use, a spool for the solder, and both a sponge and a brass sponge for cleaning the iron’s tip.
The Hakko FX-888D may be worth the upgrade if you plan to solder frequently, as it heats up slightly faster than the X-Tronic, so you can solder with fewer pauses. It comes with a digital display plus a thin pen that’s easy to hold and designed to stay cool to the touch. The FX-888D feels especially sturdy, with a heavy stand and station that feel like they will last longer than competing models. Plus, the fact that the stand and station are two separate pieces gives you more flexibility in how you set up your work zone.
If $50 is more than you want to spend, we recommend the Vastar Full Set 60W 110V Soldering Iron Kit. This adjustable model is the cheapest iron we tested, but it performs well and comes with more accessories than any other, including solder and multiple tip sizes. But the included stand isn’t sturdy—we didn’t feel safe setting a hot iron on it—so you should consider adding on our favorite stand, the Hakko FH-300. The Vastar’s grip got the warmest among the irons we tested, and the temperatures marked on the Vastar’s adjustment wheel proved to be totally inaccurate, as well. The Vastar produced the highest maximum temperature of all the irons we tried, though any of the irons we recommend can reach temperatures high enough for general hobby use.
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