Is Velleman VTSS5 a decent soldering iron? (EDIT: Ended up buying Hakko 926)

[JenniferG]

It's the best one I've owned at least.  My local electronics shop recommended it to me as an affordable quality soldering iron.

Just want to know if it's good for everything. I can change the tips out. I get fairly fine pointed tips unlike the Radio Shack beasts.

Power output is adjustable with a pot, but there is no display.  I don't run it at max.

[Marinated]

Just a comment on the interface: don't be distracted by digital displays, knobs are fine. You can see them on high quality stations from Metcal, Weller etc., as well as on the older Hakko FX-888 for example.

There can be psychology at play with digital displays. Sure they might say 375, for example, and it looks good when it settles on that from 374 and 376, but how meaningful is the apparent accuracy? With a cheap station that could be miles away from the actual tip temperature. Obviously there are top quality stations with digital displays around, but they aren't in themselves a necessary feature.

[wraper]

It's a piece of crap made by zhongdi.

[wraper]

Just a comment on the interface: don't be distracted by digital displays, knobs are fine.

If those knobs regulate actual temperature. This crap has just a triac dimmer inside and no temperature control. It is so bad that just about any other soldering iron for it's price will work better.

[Marinated]

I found these images of the interior of the station:





wraper's assessment was was politer than it could have been.

[Refrigerator]

It will work fine once you get the hang of it.
It's only adjustable in terms of power so you would need to adjust the knob according to what your soldering job might require, eg. less power for small pins and more power for big wire.
If you've been using this iron then i think what i said shouldn't be a surprise to you. 

[Zero999]

Just a comment on the interface: don't be distracted by digital displays, knobs are fine.

If those knobs regulate actual temperature. This crap has just a triac dimmer inside and no temperature control. It is so bad that just about any other soldering iron for it's price will work better.

Yes, it's shit. I have one myself. They've been around for a long time. I bought mine from Maplin in the early 2000s. It is just a TRIAC phase controller. The setting will need to be continuously adjusted, depending on what you're doing.

The only thing I will say is, it's still better than a soldering iron which has no power control at all, although it's trivial to implement one with a lamp dimmer switch.

[wraper]

The only thing I will say is, it's still better than a soldering iron which has no power control at all

Actually half decent firestick without any temp control work better IMO.

[Audioguru]

My Weller temperature controlled soldering iron is about 53 years old and still works perfectly. Therefore it has cost me about $1.00 per year. It is still manufactured.

It does not have a light dimmer circuit, instead it uses a magnet and the Curie Principal to control the tip's temperature. The tips are made for various temperatures and I select 700 degrees F. It can idle all day without incinerating the tip but it immediately goes to full blast (60W?) if I solder something huge.

[ebastler]

Jennifer,
It has been implied in the discussion above, but may be worth stating explicitly: You really want a proper temperature-controlled soldering iron, i.e. one with closed-loop control, which measures the actual tip temperature and strives to keep it constant. That way, when you solder to some larger body of metal (ground plane on a PCB, mounting tabs on a jack or switch, larger plugs etc.), the soldering iron automatically applies full power to compensate for the heat sunk by that metal part, and keep the tip at the right temperature.

Whether that closed-loop control is achieved via a temperature sensor at the heating element and adjustable feedback loop, or via the fixed temperature magnetic/Curie effect tips Weller uses, is not a critical difference IMO. Individual preferences vary.

A decent brand soldering iron pays off in the long run, I think. The brand manufacturers offer a wide range of tips, and will still offer compatible tips in 10 and 20 years. Tips also live much longer than the no-name ones without oxidizing, compensating the higher tip cost. Weller, Ersa, JBC, Hakko... are all fine.

[Zero999]

The only thing I will say is, it's still better than a soldering iron which has no power control at all

Actually half decent firestick without any temp control work better IMO.

Well it doesn't. A soldering iron with no temperature control gets too hot, eats tips for breakfast and lifts PCB tracks really easily. The TRIAC controller allows the power output to be reduced so tips last much longer and there's less chance of lifting traces.

If a TRIAC phase controlled soldering iron is all you can afford, then it's much better than an iron with no temperature control at all. Like the original poster, I thought it was good, because all my previous irons had no temperature control, so I didn't know any better. When I started using a decent soldering iron at work, I realised how bad my phase controlled iron is and got myself a decent temperature controlled iron.

I think many people here are spoiled with the professional quality tools they have and often forget that others either can't afford them or justify spending the money yet.

[ebastler]

The TRIAC controller allows the power output to be reduced so tips last much longer and there's less chance of lifting traces.

If a TRIAC phase controlled soldering iron is all you can afford, then it's much better than an iron with no temperature control at all. Like the original poster, I thought it was good, because all my previous irons had no temperature control, so I didn't know any better. When I started using a decent soldering iron at work, I realised how bad my phase controlled iron is and got myself a decent temperature controlled iron.

I think many people here are spoiled with the professional quality tools they have and often forget that others either can't afford them or justify spending the money yet.

But there is a wide price range between the expensive brand name irons and the basic TRIAC controlled ones. You can get no-name soldering stations with proper closed-loop temperature control for not much more than what a TRIAC-controlled iron costs -- and you should, if that's the spend you can afford or justify.

With TRIAC control only, you have to adjust the temperature whenever your soldering "target" changes. And you have to do it all flying blind, because you have no idea what the tip temperature is.

Quick check for beginners, if you don't know what type of iron you have in front of you: Allow for the iron to heat up, then touch the tip to a wet sponge or large metal object and watch the heater control LED. If it has been flashing at intervals before, and turns to full-on once the iron is touching the heat sink, you have a properly temperature-controlled iron.

[wraper]

But there is a wide price range between the expensive brand name irons and the basic TRIAC controlled ones. You can get no-name soldering stations with proper closed-loop temperature control for not much more than what a TRIAC-controlled iron costs -- and you should, if that's the spend you can afford or justify.

+1

With TRIAC control only, you have to adjust the temperature whenever your soldering "target" changes. And you have to do it all flying blind, because you have no idea what the tip temperature is.

And it heats up like forever.

[NottheDan]

Doesn't the Yihua clone 936 have a proper temperature control and runs in the same price range as this one?

[wraper]

This one probably is the best of what you can get for <$40 http://www.gearbest.com/soldering-supplies/pp_363024.html?admitad_uid=b2289f89a101d70ed92a9e4314dd3760
Although 936 knockoffs have proper temperature control, this one is much better as uses Hakko T12 cartriges (clones but original Hakko can be used as well).

[wraper]

Doesn't the Yihua clone 936 have a proper temperature control and runs in the same price range as this one?

Yep, but you can get much better if add a bit more. Still this Yihua will be an order of magnitude better for about the same price.

[Zero999]

But there is a wide price range between the expensive brand name irons and the basic TRIAC controlled ones. You can get no-name soldering stations with proper closed-loop temperature control for not much more than what a TRIAC-controlled iron costs -- and you should, if that's the spend you can afford or justify.

It's been a long time since I checked the price of a new soldering iron and if you can get a closed loop soldering iron for the same price or a little more, then go for it.

At the time I bought mine, I was unaware there were better soldering irons available for not much more.

With TRIAC control only, you have to adjust the temperature whenever your soldering "target" changes. And you have to do it all flying blind, because you have no idea what the tip temperature is.

It's not as bad as you might think for soldering small components. You don't need to know the temperature. After awhile I learned the best dial position for the type of work I was doing. I'd turn it up to full power for it to heat up, then when it was hot enough to melt solder, back down to the appropriate temperature.

I still use it every one and then. It got left at my parent's house, when I moved out. I use it when I need to quickly repair something of my parent's, while I'm there.

[NottheDan]

Doesn't the Yihua clone 936 have a proper temperature control and runs in the same price range as this one?

Yep, but you can get much better if add a bit more. Still this Yihua will be an order of magnitude better for about the same price.

Certainly. But the point I was trying to bring up was that you can do quite a bit better even without adding a bit more.

[BrianHG]

Hello Jennifer,

Now I know your in the US and you need 120v, shipped from US and you may run into SMD in the future.  Here is what I purchased off eBay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SMD-2in1-862D-Soldering-Iron-Welder-Hot-Air-Gun-Rework-Station-Accessories-/191557453776


Now, I know it's 4$ more than your iron, and it is not a top brand, but, it is temperature regulated and you get a hot air gun good for both SMD work and small heat shrink tubing shrinking.

The one I've used has lasted me over 3 years now and for 54$ us, I cant complain as it functions reasonably well with the 2 tips I use and I regularly use the air gun without any nozzle to de-solder & solder smd.

[Audioguru]

Cost? Price? Affordable? A decent soldering iron is not very expensive (money grows on trees) and is a very important tool. Get one. 

[JenniferG]

I found these images of the interior of the station:





wraper's assessment was was politer than it could have been.

Wow, electrical tape? I need to open mine up now and look lol.

[JenniferG]

It will work fine once you get the hang of it.
It's only adjustable in terms of power so you would need to adjust the knob according to what your soldering job might require, eg. less power for small pins and more power for big wire.
If you've been using this iron then i think what i said shouldn't be a surprise to you. 

I solder excellently with it actually. [I've soldered for like 30 years.] I do adjust it down to the lowest temp I can yet still be able to work with the solder easily.  Just wondering why people spend more on a soldering iron.  I'll read the rest of the replies and try and make sense of it.

[JenniferG]

It has been implied in the discussion above, but may be worth stating explicitly: You really want a proper temperature-controlled soldering iron, i.e. one with closed-loop control, which measures the actual tip temperature and strives to keep it constant. That way, when you solder to some larger body of metal (ground plane on a PCB, mounting tabs on a jack or switch, larger plugs etc.), the soldering iron automatically applies full power to compensate for the heat sunk by that metal part, and keep the tip at the right temperature.

Okay, I didn't know this.  Thanks for sharing.  It makes a lot of sense.  Sounds like a great soldering iron.  This is what I want.

[rsjsouza]

How far have we come... For twenty five years I have used regular soldering irons (very similar to these) and was able to assemble a huge variety of circuits with through-hole parts on PCB and even on chassis for my valve projects.

After moving to US I was able to get a Hakko FX888 and a Weller 8200 soldering gun for the more demanding job.

What I am trying to say is that the soldering iron you have will certainly do the vast majority of the projects you mentioned in another thread. To me the need to purchase a more advanced soldering station came when I was tackling a project and felt my soldering skills had taken a deep dive - I just couldn't do a decent job at all and thought the culprit could only be the tool (which it was). 

[JenniferG]

Like the original poster, I thought it was good, because all my previous irons had no temperature control, so I didn't know any better. When I started using a decent soldering iron at work, I realised how bad my phase controlled iron is and got myself a decent temperature controlled iron.

Yeah, same here.  I thought it was great because of the wattage control on it.  But I understand now it does not *increase* the power dynamically as you solder to achieve the desired temperature.  I've actually run into problems with the soldering iron I have now like you say.  One with a temperature controlled tip is exactly what I want /need.

Thanks guys!