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Weller 5-30 Variable Wattage Precision Grip Soldering Iron Station EXPIRED

$30.60
$71.99
+ Free Shipping
+28 Deal Score
15,717 Views
Amazon has Weller 5-30 Variable Wattage Precision Grip Soldering Iron Station (WLSK3012A) on sale for $30.63. Shipping is free.

Thanks to community member akvtest for finding this deal.

Features:
  • Variable wattage dial enables you to take on a wider range of applications
  • On-board secure safety rest
  • Built-in tip holder provides on-board storage
  • On-board cellulose sponge tip cleaner

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    • Our research indicates that this offer is $10.76 lower (26% savings) than the next best available price from a reputable merchant with prices starting from $41.39.
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Edited February 3, 2023 at 08:14 PM by
Popular iron station deal is back again.



https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09632PQK1
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Featured Comments

Ideally you should be soldiering at a certain temperature, and that temperature is controlled by the iron using a thermistor/sensor. This one doesn't have that feature.

I have several soldering irons. I do mostly small circuit board soldering. My favorite iron is the MINIWARE TS100. I also have a Pinecil, which I like but prefer the TS100.

If you're looking to do small soldering on circuit boards, there are better options then this one.
You need specific temperatures to solder, not power levels. The idea of manually adjusting power is a bad idea, because you as a novice or even an experienced solderer have no idea how much power is actually needed for a particular joint.

The required power to solder should fluctuate constantly, to maintain the proper temperature. When you first contact what you are trying to solder, the iron needs a lot of power to heat things up. When everything is hot, the iron no longer needs as much power.

Having a power knob just means you will always have the wrong amounts of power. Either too little or too much. This is arguably worse than the non temperature regulated irons without a knob, because as a novice how are you supposed to know where the knob should go, when an expert wouldn't know either? You're paying extra for a useless knob, and paying more than irons with temperature regulation. Why buy this?!

You'll either have too low of temperatures from too low of power, or over heat what you are soldering from too high of power.

A person new to soldering needs all the help they can get, a tool like this is a hindrance to learning. At a minimum the iron any novice buys should offer temperature regulation. It doesn't need to be adjustable even, but the iron should be able to regulate to an ideal temperature, around 650-700 degrees F, and hold that temperature. The cost to get a temperature regulated iron over this piece of junk is negligible. There are plenty of temperature regulated irons on Amazon which will do an acceptable job in the sub $50 price range.

The pine64 someone posted in this thread is on par with the irons I use in my electronics lab designing power supplies with regards to temperature regulation, and it's less expensive than this useless Weller.

This iron is a waste of money unless maybe you want to use it for wood burning or other related crafts and not soldering.



That will not work except when the iron is just sitting idle. The temperatures will vary wildly while in actual use, since this doesn't have temperature regulation.

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Joined Feb 2009
L4: Apprentice
> bubble2 497 Posts
112 Reputation
02-04-2023 at 01:27 AM.
#1
Variable wattage? Wtf that's a terrible idea. Do not waste money on an iron without temperature regulation.
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> bubble2 22 Posts
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02-04-2023 at 05:47 AM.
#2
Weller makes good iron. Still debating whether I should get this or Pinecil.
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> bubble2 61 Posts
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02-04-2023 at 06:38 AM.
#3
Quote from Earthwormjim :
Variable wattage? Wtf that's a terrible idea. Do not waste money on an iron without temperature regulation.
Care to explain to a soldering novice?
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> bubble2 14 Posts
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02-04-2023 at 06:52 AM.
#4
Quote from welchm28 :
Care to explain to a soldering novice?
Ideally you should be soldiering at a certain temperature, and that temperature is controlled by the iron using a thermistor/sensor. This one doesn't have that feature.

I have several soldering irons. I do mostly small circuit board soldering. My favorite iron is the MINIWARE TS100. I also have a Pinecil, which I like but prefer the TS100.

If you're looking to do small soldering on circuit boards, there are better options then this one.
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> bubble2 14 Posts
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02-04-2023 at 06:53 AM.
#5
Quote from coconutstudio :
Weller makes good iron. Still debating whether I should get this or Pinecil.
Go with the Pinecil (unless you're going to be soldering things that require a lot of heat, like large ground planes; the Pinecil struggles with that)
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> bubble2 363 Posts
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02-04-2023 at 07:13 AM.
#6
Quote from PeterK2406 :
Go with the Pinecil (unless you're going to be soldering things that require a lot of heat, like large ground planes; the Pinecil struggles with that)
Yup. 100%
Also, get their USB-C cable and power brick.
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Joined Jun 2017
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> bubble2 753 Posts
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02-04-2023 at 07:24 AM.
#7
Quote from PeterK2406 :
Ideally you should be soldiering at a certain temperature, and that temperature is controlled by the iron using a thermistor/sensor. This one doesn't have that feature.

I have several soldering irons. I do mostly small circuit board soldering. My favorite iron is the MINIWARE TS100. I also have a Pinecil, which I like but prefer the TS100.

If you're looking to do small soldering on circuit boards, there are better options then this one.
Most people don't solder on PCBs. That's definitely some delicate stuff.
This would be fine for through hole or just soldering wires together.
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Joined Jul 2008
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> bubble2 371 Posts
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02-04-2023 at 07:42 AM.
#8
Quote from PeterK2406 :
Go with the Pinecil (unless you're going to be soldering things that require a lot of heat, like large ground planes; the Pinecil struggles with that)
I only see one pinecil on Amazon. Is this what you're referring to? PINECIL – Smart Mini Portable Soldering Iron, Small https://a.co/d/itnVzfa
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> bubble2 183 Posts
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02-04-2023 at 08:06 AM.
#9
Quote from EcoCheap :
I only see one pinecil on Amazon. Is this what you're referring to? PINECIL – Smart Mini Portable Soldering Iron, Small https://a.co/d/itnVzfa
If you are in no rush, order from pine64 website for only $26, shipping will take about a month from China. Just got mine on Dec, very happy with it.
https://pine64.com/product/pineci...ring-iron/
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> bubble2 742 Posts
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02-04-2023 at 10:13 AM.
#10
No worth the price.
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> bubble2 561 Posts
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02-04-2023 at 10:15 AM.
#11
Quote from LZsoul :
If you are in no rush, order from pine64 website for only $26, shipping will take about a month from China. Just got mine on Dec, very happy with it.
https://pine64.com/product/pineci...ring-iron/
Including shipping that's only $2 less than Amazon for me. Any way to reduce shipping?
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> bubble2 239 Posts
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02-04-2023 at 10:16 AM.
#12
Quote from fitz1899 :
Yup. 100%
Also, get their USB-C cable and power brick.
New to soldering also, what does the power brick do for a portable soldering iron?
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> bubble2 205 Posts
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02-04-2023 at 10:34 AM.
#13
Quote from Earthwormjim :
Variable wattage? Wtf that's a terrible idea. Do not waste money on an iron without temperature regulation.
Did Weller start putting fuses in all their irons or is it still a lucky dip?
https://youtu.be/XUtj-bWHeKY
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