ERSA, JBC, Weller and Hakko are all roughly equal footing as long as we're talking prehistoric tech temperature-controlled irons that create heat by making angry pixies beat their heads against a piece of iron wire; it's just like listening to folks argue over whether Lincoln or Miller welders are best. The difference is both of their top of the line weld like crap compared to a mid-range ESAB; and neither of them can even get close to ESAB's plasmarc gear. Their technology is just that much better.
Similarly, MetCal (and clone/spinoff company ThermalTronics) have better technology; it works completely differently than ANY conventional iron. Their irons use high-frequency current to inductively heat an alloy slug to it's curie point, which by its elemental nature then operates at a fixed temperature. But the high-tech doesn't end there; the way it senses and closes the loop temperature-wise is similarly unique.
Instead of using a closed-loop circuit monitoring wherein the control cycle is: Tip at temp, tip touches work and cools, thermo senses drop in temp & turns on heat, heater heats metal slug and work, thermo senses tip at temp again, etc... the SmartHeat system monitors the HF inductance of the tip, and as soon as the tip touches the work that inductance changes, so the increase in applied energy is instantaneous. The "tip touches work and cools, thermo senses drop in temp" part of the loop is effectively eliminated.
This is true of both MetCal and Thermaltronics SmartHeat systems.
You see this as an advantage, but I see it as a major disadvantage from a professional point of view.
I should probably explain though, working in a research setting I tend to encounter a large mix of different solder alloys day-in day-out. One moment it's SAC305, the other SnBi54, and the next day I might be "playing" (if health and safety people permit) with SnCd solder. Given the price of Metcal tips, and the fact that we'd have to get one of those specific rather expensive tips (double to three times the cost of ERSA ones) for every single alloy is already a massive deal breaker, and in fact unless they changed it I doubt you can get one that can do 150°C? I often have to solder on plastic (don't ask - we work on weird things), and there smooth temperature control is an absolute must. And yes, I love all the metcal marketing wank, but they don't exactly cater to those of us who aren't running lead free assembly lines 24/7. Additionally I don't feel guilty about taking an ERSA tip to the grinder and changing it to whatever shape I happen to need, doubt the same would be a great idea with metcal tips.
The (un)Holy Trinity of ERSA, JBC, Weller and Hakko will ALWAYS have their loyal followers; especially among those with a "turn it up to 11" mentality who simply MUST HAVE a knob/button they can mess with. But those who solder to get the soldering DONE AND DONE RIGHT prefer MetCal and Thermaltronics, because they know their gear will always be at the RIGHT temperature for the job at hand, and they will always be able to get the exact right tip for that job. I learned that lesson long ago with my Weller GT7 soldering gun; when you need bigger, you simply need bigger, not higher temperature. It has 150W power, 6-second heat-up time and solid-state temperature control. It is old-school tech, but sometimes it simply is the right tool for the job.
I dislike JBC and Weller at this point actually, they're good enough for hobbyist usage. (Now if we're talking Weller Magnastat, those I do like. And actually those are employing a system in the same spirit of Metcal.) But when talking conventional stations Hakko and ERSA are on their game, they fixed the deficiencies using software and some clever hardware design apparently. And Weller and JBC are still catching up in my opinion.
And before you ask, at home I use a 80 Euro ERSA iCON I bought of eBay as "not working - for parts", took about 10 minutes to fix and 50 cents in spare parts. 
You are absolutely correct in that both MetCal and Thermaltronics design for production use; their feature set is based upon the original Weller WTCPN, the first temp-controlled iron made for this use. (Yes, MagnaStat) only adding a sleep mode on top of the fixed temp to prevent burning PCBs. They are all very much all about the SCIENCE of soldering, and about reducing (as in mathematical/chemical reduction) the process to such a point that it is hard to make a bad solder joint. This is driven by the needs of mass-production.
Your needs are clearly more the polar opposite; you deal with specialty soldering that no production electronics will ever need, therefore your needs focus more on the ART of soldering. You work with specialty alloys and components that nobody else deals with. And when I say "nobody", I can say that with statistical certainty; because the number of folks out there who actually do the sort of work you are doing are so few they are statistically insignificant. Y'all literally fall within the margin of error that statisticians will discard as erroneous data.
In short; you are "the exception that proves the rule."
That said... for most folks doing hobbyist or repair work, you can fulfill 80% of your needs with 3-5 tips from MetCal or Thermaltronics, and these are available from fleaBay for $10-30 each any day. IMO, it's worth the total ~$200 outlay to be able to use the MetCal most of the time, while still having a conventional soldering station like the OLED T12 to fall back on when you need a tip you can't justify the cost of for the MetCal or when you need to weld plastic (The T12 OLED with the 8mm knife tip are awesome for that, BTW).
Yes, knowing that something can kill you makes you hyper aware of what your doing. The fun is in the risk though.
Well, I've shocked myself properly when I was rather young, so I'm properly innoculated. That's how it works, right?
Honestly, I sometimes feel that experience has left me more careless than it should, because it made mains seem painful rather than deadly. Thankfully my reasoning skills also have a say in the matter.
Lets see.... I've been shocked by 120V AC least a dozen times, burnt the tips of my fingers on one hand with one of those, and HVDC at least as many.
Let me say, if getting shocked inoculates you it would be by making you comfortably numb and not any acceptable means because 300VDC still hurts like heck.
I guess I've been well and truly inoculated then... I've been lit up by 60KV from a Projection TV HV Focus divider, 100KV from ESD Electronic Ignition, and multiple times by whatever the gawdawful voltage is from the old RCA TV mains chopper circuits, which will burn your digits. I've gotten bit by the finals in my granddad's old Yaesu. RF burns are the worst; they'll track right up your hand like lightning, and they take weeks to heal and sting like a summitch, then they itch even worse while they heal.
The worst though, by a long shot, was getting bit by HV from a regular old uwave oven transformer I was working on at the Ding & Dent Appliance store. We had an old fellow there who would test for 120V mains voltage inside appliances by feeling with his fingers; I asked him why he would do that instead of a meter. "It's just as little tingle." he smiled. Even I thought he was nuts. Honestly, I think he liked it.
Anyways... I had one that didn't output correct power using the Amana method even after replacing the mag, so I thought something in the transformer or HV Diode/capacitor. I tried to test output voltage with my HV Flyback "cattleprod" test meter and slipped; that day the old adage "Always be a one-handed electrician" was driven home with terrifying force.
I became the path to ground; and it traveled from one hand to the other right through my torso. Everything in my upper body clenched up rigid as a rock; I could feel my heart spasming in my chest like mad and everything was on fire. I knew I had only one chance to make it through, and that was to force myself to fall and break the circuit. It took all my will to raise one leg; I'm still not even sure if I did or if I just got lucky and fell over.
The searing pain felt like it lasted hours; but of course it was over before the meter hit the floor. I remember watching it bounce in slow motion even as I struck the floor; then I heard the blood pound in my skull when my heart started again and it was over.
A few minutes later I was sitting at my desk looking at parts catalogs; the only reminder of this brush with death was sore muscles in my arms and chest that lingered for several days. But that hard-learned lesson still lingers to this day.
Yes always play safe, never said other wise. I just said the fun is in the risk, doesn't imply you have to throw caution to the wind it's just a statement of opinion.
Polymer tantalum it is then.
If it isn't a bit dangerous, it isn't fun!
The strange part is that we do things every day that are statistically much more likely to kill us, but we consider those utterly mundane or even excruciatingly boring.
To truly live you must first know that you could die in an instant. Even with something labeled as mundane or excruciatingly boring, if you know the risks it becomes a lot more interesting. If only because you pay attention to it.
Yes i might be slightly nuts, aren't we all? Yes i might be slightly nuttier than the rest of you, no argument 
The one i burnt my fingers on came complete with unconsciousness and pearly gates.
"There are old pilots and there are bold pilots, but no old, bold pilots."
My grand-dad told me this when I was little, but I never paid any heed. I rode my bike like a maniac and I was always trying to find new ways to get airborne; I was going to be a fighter pilot, or an astronaut, or... whatever. My passion for speed graduated from BMX to Motocross, then Stock Cars and Street Racing. I was 10 feet tall and bulletproof; my mother told me time and time again I was larger than life.
I played hard, worked hard, fought hard & f***ed hard and I didn't think about the consequences; I fully expected to be killed in a fiery crash or a barroom brawl by some girl's jealous ex or a house fire cave-in. In all honesty it's a wonder I survived to see my own kids. Now my tore-up old body is paying off those checks my loud mouth wrote as a kid; but in all honesty, I don't regret a single thing.
"A misspent youth is better by far than a wise and productive old age..." or so the song goes. Well, wisdom comes from making those mistakes and surviving. I have been shot, stabbed, on fire, blowed up and in a truck that flipped over seven times; amazingly, none of that happened while I was serving on my small town's volunteer Fire Dept. So where was i going with all this...? Oh yeah.
You have to have the right mix of both or you haven't lived.
Is this kit any good, it is 75 watts, the display is less than the one you linked to, just the 3 main digits for the temp display, includes power supply etc, alloy case etc. One that strikes about the T12 tips is they are just so long, or is large portion of that hidden inside the handle? My current tip / handle assembly, the tip protrudes no more than 8Cm from the handle, these T12 ones seem excessive to me.
https://www.banggood.com/DSK-Digital-Soldering-Station-Kit-Soldering-Iron-Station-Temperature-Controller-p-1055574.html?rmmds=search&cur_warehouse=CN
EDIT:
Found the same one on Aliexpress, all assembled and tested complete with 5 tips so have placed my order, so if its half as good as everyone says it is, my Hakko clone will become my backup station, all in it was £38.20, only problem is I think my order went through twice. I'll have to wait till I get my confirmation email and cancel 1 if I need to 
No... that handle is a complete POS; it's a 907/937 handle hacked (VERY POORLY) to accept a T12 cartirdge. AVOID AT ALL COST!
Also, the controller base is the wrong one; you want the OLED one as it has the auto-sleep firmware and the rotary encoder. The LED one is just one temp.
If you can, cancel your orders. DO IT NOW.
I'll give further advice once I have a chance to catch up on thread.
mnem
I hadn't ordered it so thats OK, but since then I did order however this one in the early hours of this morning and it has the same OLED display, case etc and comes with 5 T12 tips and 108 W power supply
here is a link to a video https://cloud.video.taobao.com/play/u/2111898941/p/1/e/6/t/10301/62367401.mp4
It depends on what you paid for it. That base is all the components I linked to preassembled with a preassembled handle. The problem is these kits are almost always poorly assembled with careless soldering and technique the focuses on turnover rather than proper function, and if I'm going to have to take it all apart and assemble it properly myself, I'd just as soon build it myself the first time. Typical cost on these should be $US50-70 delivered.
The problem I've found is that all the kits come with that horrible, POS bodge handle (because it's soooo cheap; the handle itself is meant for the old style 907/937 Hakko clones) and yes, the T12 tips stick out too far because they're not made for this handle. What you want is the handle the T12 cartridges are made for; the FX-9501 or the FM-2028. These have the connector socket all the way at the end of the handle where it belongs, and the iron is a joy to hold.
I prefer the smaller, more rigid feel of the FX-9501, but the FM-2028 is the one that comes on the FX-951 nowadays. The difference is that the FM2028 has a separate handle part that snaps into the socket base; the yellow part is intended to stay on the T12 tip (you can buy extras by the dozen) to facilitate quick tip swaps. The FX-951 doesn't have this; instead they make a piece of silicone rubber mat to grip the cartridges and change them out while they're hot.
I've bought
this FX-951 FX-9501 handle and can attest that it is of decent quality; it comes prewired (so the motion sensor works) for the blue T12 OLED controller I have. You'll just want to make sure it is wired the same as your controller.
You can buy the
FM-2028 handle ready-to-use handle on AliEx and eBay, but they're wired for the Hakko FX-951 controller. You'll have to put the aircraft connector/motion sensor (and maybe the cable) off that POS handle on it if you want to use that style; Hakko doesn't use the little ball/mercury switch the T12 OLED controller uses to detect when you pick up the handle.
Of course for the best fit/feel with the T12 system, genuine Hakko is definitely a mark above these clones; I can say that for a fact. But I don't believe the difference in qwal-i-tee is equal to the difference in price.
I'll be glad to help you figure it out once things get to you. They're really pretty simple once you understand how they work; there's just one extra wire for the motion-sense.
According to the tracking, they attempted delivery just after 9, attempted delivery again a little over an hour later and actually delivered it two minutes later. However, they also advise me to pick up the item, but neglect to tell me where. The only city mentioned is quite a large distance away and not the obvious choice for something like this.
These guys do understand I actually need the package here, not somewhat near to where I am, right? "Close enough" doesn't really cut it in the packages business.
LOL... I had exactly this occur with a package coming ePacket from Hong Kong; I watched the tracking on it for a week, where it bounced back and forth between two nearby hubs for several days, then my PO, then out to another PO in the next zip code over before I got fed up, drove over to that PO and picked it up myself.
What was in the box? The Ayima FX-9501 handle for my T12 soldering station...
mnem
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