Expected Life of Soldering Iron Heating Element - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: DW1961
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 26, 2022, 05:27:16 pm
content: Ball park figure for whatever parameters you want to use, cheap iron, expensive, off brand, name brand, etc.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 26, 2022, 05:30:40 pm
content: Cheap Chinese soldering irons usually last from a few minutes to a few hours. Expensive soldering station heating elements often last forever.

author: Gyro
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 26, 2022, 05:58:11 pm
content: Quote from: DW1961 on September 26, 2022, 05:27:16 pmWhat research have you done of your own?

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 26, 2022, 07:35:11 pm
content: I had a cheap Radio Shack iron fail after about 8 years. I've never had the element fail in any other soldering iron, I've had my Edsyn for over 20 years and it was used when I bought it, still working fine. I don't consider the element to be a consumable item, like anything they can fail, but this should not be expected.

author: DW1961
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2022, 04:50:51 am
content: Quote from: Gyro on September 26, 2022, 05:58:11 pmThat isn't related to the topic question, sorry.

author: EPAIII
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2022, 05:16:33 am
content: I have worked at several TV stations which had a Weller WTCP soldering station. They usually just sat on the workbench, turned on 24-7-365+. I never saw one have a heating element go bad. Bad cord? Yes. Heating element? NO!I bought that model soldering station for personal use back in the 1960s. It is still going strong. I used it earlier this afternoon. It is working fine.I also have a plain Weller iron, about 25 Watts that I kept in my traveling tool case. Just thrown in with the cord wrapped around it. It was for emergency use only. Can't really remember when I bought it, but probably around the 70s. Last time I plugged it in it worked just fine.I have used other brands of soldering stations at my employers' shops. Hakko and others that I can not remember the brand names. Again they often just ran 24-7. And I never saw one with a heating element failure.When I retired I wanted a second temperature controlled station for a second electronic bench here in my office. I purchased a Tenma "digital" station with interchangeable tips. That was about 11 years ago. And it also is still going just fine. Does that count as a Chinese brand? It cost about 1/2 of what I paid for the Weller WTCP those many years ago so, probably 1/4 of today's Weller price so, I guess it does.So, I really can't tell you how long you should expect them to last. In my opinion, you can expect a name brand to last longer then you or I will. But how long? I don't know. And I probably won't actually find out.

author: DW1961
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2022, 05:38:13 am
content: Quote from: EPAIII on September 27, 2022, 05:16:33 amGood information, thanks.

author: strawberry
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2022, 06:03:00 am
content: I have Weller WS80 for ~8y, on average 5h 6d a week always on. below 300C30USD chinese station cartridge thermal resistance is so high that you must always crank temperature high and that will destroy tip within a yearsome do have annoying sleep modes like some expensive stations but heating time is slow making it pointlessold mica style (no ceramic) irons are not good nowdays brakes within a year. had these about 10 until gave up on them (quality go down - prices go up). but its pure copper tip makes them conduct heat the best even today the best station can compete.expensive brand station have quality issues as well. otherwise they wont make money. some make consumables like tips, heating elements.... ,biggest problem is always guaranteed that your money could go in to features like bluetoth, sleep mode, passwords,RGB LED backlit,OLED display... but not into heating part thingssoon will come innovative feature where you need WIFI to get updates

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 27, 2022, 06:44:19 am
content: Quote from: strawberry on September 27, 2022, 06:03:00 amNonsense, yes copper conducts heat the best however any decent iron plated tip has a pure copper core. The only way something like this can perform even close to a decent soldering station is when it has a tip of significantly larger size. Modern tips work much better than long pure copper tips. There is much shorter distance heat needs to travel through the tip, with same tip size have more cross section for heat transfer compared with simple rod due to shape which reduces in diameter towards to the end of the tip. Not to say temperature sensing and much more responsive heating. Another thing that makes firesticks look more powerful than they actually are is that they run really hot when you make long pauses in soldering. But once you start soldering a lot of solder joints fast, or need to solder something larger for what there is not enough heat stored in the tip itself to melt solder right away, they simply are not able to restore the temperature fast enough

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 27, 2022, 06:45:04 pm
content: Quote from: DW1961 on September 27, 2022, 04:50:51 amThen just ignore him.

author: connectTek
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2022, 07:59:15 pm
content: Weller W60D, never had a tip go corrosive or heater failure, 20 + years.I worked for Telecom/. Telstra Australia in the 80s and 90s the Weller magnastat irons were the work horses, we NEVER turned them off. Lasted forever.

author: Doctorandus_P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2022, 08:20:55 pm
content: Also, with quite a lot of the soldering stations, the heating element is integrated in tip it'self ( or the other way around).Take for example a look at the T12 (and clones), and they are below EUR 5 from Ali.I've got a Weller WCP-80 for a bunch of years now and it still works, but I don't like it much.It's not a bad iron, but it's not as good as you'd expect for that price.

author: nali
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2022, 08:50:42 pm
content: Weller TCP. 40+ years & counting...

author: coppice
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2022, 08:52:42 pm
content: Quote from: nali on September 27, 2022, 08:50:42 pmIf you bought a new one the heater would outlast the iron, because the plastics now crack and fall apart quickly.

author: DW1961
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2022, 08:57:12 pm
content: Quote from: Doctorandus_P on September 27, 2022, 08:20:55 pmWeller and Hakko brand T12 tips for less than $6 bucks?

author: nali
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2022, 09:06:53 pm
content: Quote from: coppice on September 27, 2022, 08:52:42 pmI'm sure the damn thing will outlast me!Not sure what I'd buy now. My current employer uses JBC stations which are pretty nice and it's so easy to get used to the almost instant warm up... I've used my iron at home a couple of times since and thanks to muscle memory poked solder on to a cold tip

author: richnormand
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 27, 2022, 09:13:58 pm
content: If you go for a good quality iron it should "almost" outlast you.Often it is the tip that you will have to replace, if you are not careful with it.If you go in electronics it is likely the features, tip choices and flexibility that will get you to consider another model for soldering and desoldering eventually.I started with an American Beauty in the 60s. It lasted about 30 years until the tip screw thread disintegrated. Way before that I got an Ungar that lasted for about 20 years until the temperature control got very touchy.Went to a middle of the road Weller that still works today. Now I have a Weller WX2 with a full array of tips and wands and tweezers and a Pace desoldering station.None had issues with the heathers, it's just that technology has changed from point-to-point in TV chassis to PC boards to SMD etc etc etc....That is what dictated my change of soldering technology required to a full rework station and BGA reballing.The only negative note I have were with Metcal (RF tech) with had an electronics failure and a few tips that stopped controlling the temperature properly.Just buy a unit that will meet your needs a few years from now, that has a good reputation or is used in a manufacturing environment, if you can afford it.