Soldering irons are of many types and ratings. But choosing the best soldering irons for electronics circuit boards work can be tricky and need some special attention.
As a beginner, you may not know which brand is the best out there. What parameters to look for when picking up your solder? What type of tips the solder should have? What should the price range be, and perhaps a few other questions as well.
And because a reliable soldering iron is so important that from day one there are a lot of industry-leading power supply manufacturers out there on the market i.e., Weller, Hakko, and a few others.
Hi, I am Abbas. In this article, I will be helping you how to select a quality soldering iron specifically designed for electronics circuit soldering and repair work.
I am not perfect, nor is this article going to be. This is just my limited knowledge try to help you somehow.
I hope you will enjoy it.
Best soldering irons for electronics circuits
A soldering iron is a basic electronic tool that we use to join various electronic components together in a specific way. After joining these components we end in a complete circuit that we use in various projects and products.
We do soldering for either to make a new circuit board or to repair the old one. But for the jobs, we need the best soldering iron that is specific to electronic circuit boards.
Alright!
Let’s see first what parameters to look for when picking the best soldering irons for electronics.
Choosing the best electronics soldering iron
Before we jump to our list of the recommended soldering iron for electronics. Let’s first look at some key things that will help us pick the right soldering iron for our specific situations.
Wattage ratings
This is the most significant parameter to look for. For working with electronics, the best wattage range is 30 to 50W. So if you are picking any soldering iron for electronics, make sure it is in this power range.
Tip temperature
In simple words, this parameter tells us to which degree the tip of the soldering iron reaches. Now for soldering electronics, there are two types of solder (the white wire also known as soldering wire).
One is lead based solder wire that melts under 400 Fahrenheit. The other is lead free which requires a temperature of 570 Fahrenheit to melt.
So when you are picking up your soldering iron, make sure the temperature lies in this range based on what type of solder you will prefer to work with.
Tip size
A large tip size means more heat that will melt the solder easily. But the chances of damaging the electronic components are high in this case.
Small tip size means high precision work but will not be enough to solder properly. In short, choose a medium size tip if you are a complete beginner. Or select a soldering iron that comes with various tip sizes so that you can practice each one of them and find out which you can handle effectively.
Ease of use
As soldering hot irons. So it must be easy to use. The soldering iron design must be practical. It should not be fancy or have some angles.
Temperature control
Every situation is different. And different projects require a certain level of tip temperatures. So the soldering iron you pick must have a tip temperature control feature. And this feature must be easily accessible.
The temperature control in soldering iron lets you control the temperature at which you are heating the solder on the tips. This can be through the trigger or some other knob setup.
Tip replacement
With time the tips of any soldering iron become out of shape, and it cannot perform at its best efficiency. In that cases, we need to replace the tips with new ones.
So your soldering iron must have easy to available tips and the replacement mechanism should be straightforward so that it doesn’t waste your time.
Safety
These soldering irons become super hot at no time. They are heavy and sometimes very hard to handle in some situations. So, safety should be the key priority of the design you pick. Also, it must be ESD safe.
By ESD safe I mean your solder should not be responsible to damage the electronics components that you will solder using it.
List of Best Soldering Irons for Electronics
I think I have shared all the information that I have about the topic. Now let’s have a look at some soldering irons for electronics. I will start with very basic irons then I will talk about the intermediate models and then will end with some professional irons. So please keep on reading.
Also, keep in mind, that I am not going to repeatedly talk about the above must have features of an electronics soldering iron over again and again. They are applied to all the below mentioned models.
Also, I am not going to add some fancy-looking models that you will see a bunch of them online. Look man, I am an engineer and technical terms are more romantic to me than the looks.
1. Weller SP40NKUS
The first best soldering iron for circuit boards is the Weller SP40NKUS. This iron is amazing and comes from the most reliable and trusted brand, Weller.
Important features of this iron:
- It is rated for 40W which is best for electronics
- It comes with two types of tips this giving you the flexibility to work with any of them
- Three front end LEDs to light up the soldering spots. This feature is so impressive. You can use your solder in any dark situation without having an extra lighting system.
- Round hand holder, giving you the flexibility to adjust the tip at any angle depending on the situation.
In a short summary, the Weller SP40NKUS (Amazon link) is a go to soldering iron for electronics. It is reliable and comes with a decent price tag.
2. Weller WE1010NA Digital Soldering Station
If you are a beginner and want to stick with a solo soldering iron then the above solo iron is best for you. But if you are planning to work on various projects. Then the best way to handle them is to invest in a good soldering station.
A good soldering station will give you a lot of options such as temperature control, safety features, over voltage and current protection, ESD safety, reliability for long term use, and much more.
Alright!
The soldering station that I personally like is the Weller WE1010NA. It is a simple station with a lot of great qualities. I think you will like it too.
Important features
- First, it is of high quality. I believe in quality and this guy gets it. It feels premium, and you get the feeling that this station is going to be a very long lasting machine for your lab or career.
- It gets you one year warranty.
- It has safe rest which doesn’t get heated when you work on it for a long time. And also it has a sponge around it making it more comfortable to handle.
- It has a 70W power range. Which means it heats up very quickly.
- You can change the tip easily and replace it with the new one or other types in a few minutes. Though this station has an auto power function, still if you are not using your soldering station like even for a few minutes, turn it off. This way you can extend the life span of your solder tips.
In the nutshell, the Weller WE1010NA (Amazon link) is a beautiful best beginner soldering station. If you are serious and want a neat soldering output and want your end results to be satisfactory and beautiful then you should definitely go for this guy.
3. Hakko FX601-02
Let’s talk about another professional level soldering iron for electronics, i.e., the Hakko FX601-02. I don’t know if you know this or not but let me tell you Hakko is a big brand when it comes to soldering and desoldering tools.
It is considered a tough competitor next to Weller. That is why I am listing its soldering iron after Weller.
The Hakko FX601-02 is the next generation of variable temperature-controlled soldering irons.
It is ideal for soldering applications that require mobility or a long reach, such as soldering solar panels, etc. Here is the link to, Hakko best soldering iron, the FX601-02 (Amazon link), for your own further investigation and research.
4. Hakko FX888D-23BY
Similarly, as I shared for Weller brand. I am going to share the same here as well by introducing you to a Hakko soldering station. The reason is, I previously shared Weller and Hakko are top brands when it comes to soldering tools and devices.
This specific soldering station, the FX888D-23BY, is one of my favorites. It is so easy to use, and the design is just lovely.
Important features of this station:
- You know, FX888D-23BY delivers excellent thermal recovery by using T18 series tips for their terrific heat conductivity.
- This allows soldering at a lower set temperature and reduces the thermal impact on components as well as tip oxidation which can shorten tip life.
- Has a sturdy soldering stand which is an important thing to consider.
- Digital temperature control mechanism.
- Pencil soldering tip with the option to be easily replaceable
- Sponge and brass for tip cleaning
- Auto shut down feature to increase the life span of the soldering tip.
If this amazing soldering iron has got your attention. Here is the link to follow, The Hakko FX888D-23BY (Amazon Link), for your own further investigation and research.
5. Sremtch 80W soldering iron
The next soldering iron for electronics I have for you is from the Sremtch brand. This soldering iron is rated for 80W which is very good for quick heating up.
But the best part is, that it is a small set of all basic soldering tools a beginner would need for his projects.
Important features of this iron:
- There is an ON/OFF button in the connecting which is don’t make sense at first look.
- But when you will be busy with soldering and there is so much soldering you will be doing. Then you will realize the importance of this small feature.
- Temperature control system
- Comes with solder, stand, and sucker which are the essential tools for any soldering project
Now here is the link, Sremtch soldering iron (Amazon link), if you want to have a look at it yourself. The best part of this iron is, that it comes with additional soldering tips with such a low price tag.
6. IRODA PRO-25L
Let’s talk about some rechargeable soldering irons for electronics circuit boards and repair work. I am sharing this so that you know that you also got these options as well.
Alright!
Another best circuit soldering iron is from the Iroda brand. IRODA has been designing and manufacturing battery soldering irons and torches for global brands for over 30 years.
This soldering iron from this brand comes in a kit form and has a well organized box so that you can carry the iron anywhere you want.
Important features:
- Rapid Heat up and over 100 mins operating time which is far more than the above irons
- It is easy to charge up with the supplied USB cable and heats up in 8 seconds, so you can get working quickly.
- The kit Includes Soldering Iron, Soldering Tip, Hot Knife Tip, Heat Shrink Tip, Safety Cap, Cleaning Sponge, and IRODA High Quality Solder.
In a short summary, the IRODA PRO-25L (Amazon link) is one of the high quality cordless soldering iron kits. With this you will not have only iron but a lot of other useful accessories as well.
7. Noevsbig Soldering gun for electronics
Just so know soldering iron also comes in gun shapes as well. These guns shape iron has their own advantages over normal pencil looking soldering irons. They are efficient and time saving.
Alright!
This gun, form the Noevsbig brand, is geared toward electronics soldering as it is rated for 60W which is a perfect power rating for almost all electronics components.
You can clearly see the difference between this gun and the above soldering irons. This gun type soldering iron is geared toward PCB soldering. It is a soldering iron with an automated solder wire feature and gun shape.
Important features
- It is rated as 60W, which is amazing.
- Comes with 5 different soldering tips which you can use depending on your project requirements
- Also comes with a sucker, screwdriver, and quality tweezers
- Inner-heated ceramic technology makes soldering iron heat up very quickly
In a short summary, the Noevsbig Soldering gun for electronics (Amazon link) is a great option for those who want to solder electronics circuits board with a soldering gun.
Conclusion
Soldering is an important step in developing any kind of electronics product or project. But you have to be very careful about the tools especially the soldering iron for this task.
A bad soldered circuit is not good. If you use a bad soldering iron for soldering chances are you may end up adding extra nice to your circuit. And most importantly you may end up damaging some pretty expensive components.
So to avoid any of the above situations. Always choose one of the best soldering irons for electronic circuit boards. When I say iron for electronics, I mean the soldering iron that is specifically designed for electronic circuits and repair work.
To select a soldering iron for electronics, you have to keep the following in mind. These are the parameter a quality iron should have.
- The power rating should be in the range of 50W
- There should be a temperature control mechanism
- The tip must be easily replaceable
- Tip temperature must be in the range of 400F for lead based solder and around 600F for lead free solder wire.
- Easy to use
- ESD safe to protect your electronics components
After discussing these parameters in detail in the above sections. I then share a list of top quality soldering irons with you that field experts used and recommend for electronics circuit board soldering and repair.
So that is it. That is all I have for you about the top soldering irons for electronics. I hope you enjoyed it.
Thank you and have a grateful life.
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