Soldering Iron: A Thorough Comparison - Introducing the Tech Staff’s Favorite Equipment

In this article, I would like to show the soldering irons I use in my daily work.

First, let me briefly explain what a soldering iron is.

■ What is a Soldering Iron?

A soldering iron is a tool used to heat the solder and the joint area when soldering.

■ What is solder?

Solder is an alloy of lead and tin. People use it by melting it with the heat of a soldering iron. The most common type is shaped like a wire, as shown in the photo below.

Here, I'd like to introduce the soldering irons I use on a daily basis. There are two of them, and I mainly use the blue one, while I use the white one for chip components and detailed work. The part I'm personally particular about is that I change the soldering iron tip.

Soldering irons themselves can be obtained at DIY stores, etc., but most soldering iron tips are cone-shaped.

○ Cone-shaped

You can solder without any problems using a cone-shaped tip, but the heat will be transmitted in a small way, because its end is narrow. It is good for detailed soldering work, but for areas where heat does not transfer well, such as large areas of copper foil or thick lead wires, you need to be creative, such as by laying the soldering iron tip flat. I use soldering iron tips that are both C-shaped, which are like a cylinder cut at an angle.

○ C-shaped

The C-shaped tip has a flat surface, so the area that touches the joint is larger. This means that more of the heat is transmitted, so it can be heated well. The shape of the tip cut at an angle allows the heat to be transmitted to both the smallest of places, and it can be also used to solder even lead components that require a certain amount of heat, so I personally think that it is the most useful tip.

There are various types other than the C type, such as the I type and K type, and I use different types depending on the size and type of the parts I'm soldering.
If you're having trouble choosing a soldering iron, why not try finding a soldering iron tip that's easy for you to use? They're available for a few hundred yen, so it's easy to try them out. If you find one that suits you, your work efficiency and results should improve.

○ Soldering Iron Stand and Soldering Iron Tip Cleaner

In addition to soldering iron tips, I will also show some of the other soldering goods that I actually use.
First things to introduce are soldering iron stands and soldering iron tip cleaners. There are also wet sponge cleaners, but I would rather recommend the wire type. The wire type can keep more heat of a soldering iron, so it helps to work more efficiently.

○ Solder Sucker and Solder Sucker Wire

Top: Solder sucker, Bottom: Solder sucker wire

Another tool is a solder sucker, which is used to suck off excess solder from the circuit board. There are also solder sucker wires, but these are only used when it is necessary to remove solder that could not be removed with the sucker, so they are not used very often. Solder suckers are essential items, as they are used to remove existing solder when replacing parts.

That’s all for the soldering irons that I use for repairments.
Thank you for reading through.

We are also offering soldering irons.
They are very useful for making cables and wiring guitars.