It depends on what PCB & what components you want to solder. Tip mass is an important consideration if you deal with large ground planes. There are many Hakko knock-offs available on ebay or Ali express - they are the same ones used in the Chinese factories and are ridiculously cheap! You can also get many different tips - the one you choose is dependent on what you intend to solder & perhaps a touch of personal preference. I use Weller - the stations I have must be pushing 30 if not 40 years old now, parts are readily available for them and I believe the only original parts are the PSU, body & shaft! They saw daily use - 6 days a week for about 20 years and had enough thermal mass to desolder L.O.Ts. I have had several other soldering irons for various special cases (everything from a solder gun to a 15W SMD iron), but they are my "go to". Should my Wellers fail or become hard to obtain parts for I would go for Hakko or the knock offs as they have parts readily available and importantly are very cheap!
For a single iron I don’t think you can go wrong with a 25w Antex iron. I have an 18w which is fine for small soldering but does really struggle on larger pads or large earthing pads.
I also have a Aliexpress cheap air rework station with a soldering iron and that is what I use mainly these days as I can control/set the temp and have a multitude of bits that I’ve purchased for it.
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sorted byThere are many Hakko knock-offs available on ebay or Ali express - they are the same ones used in the Chinese factories and are ridiculously cheap! You can also get many different tips - the one you choose is dependent on what you intend to solder & perhaps a touch of personal preference.
I use Weller - the stations I have must be pushing 30 if not 40 years old now, parts are readily available for them and I believe the only original parts are the PSU, body & shaft! They saw daily use - 6 days a week for about 20 years and had enough thermal mass to desolder L.O.Ts. I have had several other soldering irons for various special cases (everything from a solder gun to a 15W SMD iron), but they are my "go to".
Should my Wellers fail or become hard to obtain parts for I would go for Hakko or the knock offs as they have parts readily available and importantly are very cheap!
I also have a Aliexpress cheap air rework station with a soldering iron and that is what I use mainly these days as I can control/set the temp and have a multitude of bits that I’ve purchased for it.