They are MET certified in the US and Canada, good enough for me. UL is hardly the last word in safety certifications.
MET is as good a certification as UL in the US and meets all applicable safety standards. Besides, I want to drop in to check out the free lunch they mention! 
I upgraded from my old Realistic pencil to a 40W Weller station recently. Satisfies my needs and having the hot iron in a stand is much safer than balancing the pencil on something. I do need to get a set of tips for it. The one supplied with the unit is a bit big for most of what we do. One complaint is it's a bit slow to warm up.
@RSJB18 posted:I upgraded from my old Realistic pencil to a 40W Weller station recently. Satisfies my needs and having the hot iron in a stand is much safer than balancing the pencil on something. I do need to get a set of tips for it. The one supplied with the unit is a bit big for most of what we do. One complaint is it's a bit slow to warm up.
My major complaint with that style of workstation is it's useless for the work I do. I need to know what the tip temperature is for working on PCB's, especially with SMT components. They are rated at 320C soldering temperature, and I know from personal experience that going significantly higher than that will kill many of them. I also like that the Hakko has 70 watts capability if I'm soldering something that needs more energy, the heatsinks on my TMCC buffer come to mine. Obviously, unless the work is sinking the heat, you don't need 70 watts, that's what the precise temperature control is for. 
I totally agree John. Other than building LED lights and general wiring installs/ repairs, I'm not doing the level of work you do (I wish I could tho).
As an electrical contractor I used do do some exothermic welding for grounding connections. Much more fun than soldering 20 something gauge wires.
What GRJ said about the Haako model FG-100B temp sensor; I got 2 from Ebay about 2 years ago for less than $100 each (don't ask how I wound up with 2); one was made in China, the other in Japan; both measured within a few degrees of another; one in Centigrade, the other in Fahrenheit.
RSJ, before I bought the Haako, I bought the Weller but did not know what the tip temp was till I got the Haako temp sensor; that enabled me to set the Weller to the right number on the dial; BUT, have used the Haako station most.
I should have bought another calibrator or two when they were selling the clones for $20, they were everywhere a few years ago, they've totally disappeared.
I use a Hexacon TOT-1002 Therm-o- trac soldering station. Bought one close to 20 years ago and still works like the day I got it. Also it made in New Jersey, USA.
We used them at work for many years.
I use this Weller 1010 now and it's very good (up to 750 F and with lots of features), but I still miss my Ungar Race Station with the Thermal Thrust tips !
@gunrunnerjohn posted:I should have bought another calibrator or two when they were selling the clones for $20, they were everywhere a few years ago, they've totally disappeared.
GRJ, when assembling one of your boards from components, what temp is best? Is the temp effected by the solder selected?
I don't recall any discussion or advice regarding soldering iron temperatures. Please offer your advice for general soldering tasks.
@gunrunnerjohn posted:I bought mine on Amazon a few years ago, paid $94 and it was shipped free.
Just paid $104 plus tax on Amazon .
Alan
@Pingman posted:GRJ, when assembling one of your boards from components, what temp is best? Is the temp effected by the solder selected?
I don't recall any discussion or advice regarding soldering iron temperatures. Please offer your advice for general soldering tasks.
Well, for SMT, I recommend 500F [260C]. For most thru-hole stuff, you can get away with 550F or even 600F.
@gunrunnerjohn posted:Well, for SMT, I recommend 500F [260C]. For most thru-hole stuff, you can get away with 550F or even 600F.
Thank you, GRJ.
Here's a product review video on the $40 Weller WLC100, 40W soldering station mentioned by me and others.
@gunrunnerjohn posted:Inquiring minds want to know. What's so much "nicer" about the WES51? I had Weller irons for years, and they served me well. However, I still think the Hakko is a better station. It's also way less expensive, and given the fact that it's widely used in industry, clearly up to routine soldering jobs like we do with model trains.
I especially like the fact that with a soldering tip calibrator, I can actually know the tip temperature and calibrate it. I can also do a quick change of the wand for a different sized tip, very useful.
FWIW, I still love my Weller 100/140W gun, it's my track soldering tool and does a bang-up job for that duty.
I was mostly making the “nicer” comparison to the OPs pencil iron, but that said my Weller is made in the USA and the cord is the most flexible of any iron I’ve used. For the extra few dollars I’d stick with the name brand.
As noted above, a Ground Fault outlet would be in order. Interesting memory trip. I have used an open flame torch to do some soldering. Click on the link for available GFI, from a big box store. 
Solid copper wire soldered to a metal plate, TT fabrication.
As much as I like the Hakko for the bench, I can NOT give up my Weller WP35. I use that for layout work quite a bit. It also travels with me in my in my real life work.
@rplst8 posted:I was mostly making the “nicer” comparison to the OPs pencil iron, but that said my Weller is made in the USA and the cord is the most flexible of any iron I’ve used. For the extra few dollars I’d stick with the name brand.
Not sure why you think Hakko is not a name brand. Hakko is a Japanese company which has been in business since 1952:
https://www.hakko.com/english/...profile/history.html
Also, from what I found, Weller is made in China currently or other overseas countries. Here is a good comparison against the two competing products:
https://vsearch.com/weller-vs-hakko/
For what it's worth, 15 years ago when I was upgrading my soldering gear for my RC hobby I asked the President/Owner of Castle Creations (which makes electronic speed controls and motors) and a major lithium battery supplier what iron to purchase. Both said hands down the Hakko. Both companies are soldering items which are highly sensitive in ESD protected environments.
I am not advocating against the Weller, it's a good machine. However I believe after having used both the Hakko is better and or many of the reasons addressed in the linked comparison above.
I found where I bought my FX888D, I didn't realize it was almost six years ago. How time flies when you're soldering! 
@RickM46 posted:RSJ, before I bought the Haako, I bought the Weller but did not know what the tip temp was till I got the Haako temp sensor; that enabled me to set the Weller to the right number on the dial; BUT, have used the Haako station most.
@gunrunnerjohn posted:I should have bought another calibrator or two when they were selling the clones for $20, they were everywhere a few years ago, they've totally disappeared.
Since I'm going to be assembling a bunch of GRJ's LED passenger car lighting modules, and since tip temperature is important, eBay lists many of the iron tip thermometers and I ordered two (they're cheap) after consultation with @gunrunnerjohn. Just use this search phrase if interested:
FG-100 Soldering Iron Tip Thermometer Temperature Tester LCD Display 0-700℃ BE
Pingman, AHA!!, searching for FG100 instead of Haako FG100 makes a difference on Ebay.
Took a look at the 2 that I got from Ebay 3 years ago: the one made in China is new and unbranded and measures only C; the one made in Japan is used and branded as Haako and measures either C or F depending on a moveable jumper in the circuit board.
I thought those had disappeared, I'm glad Carl found them again. I grabbed a second one in case mine ever croaks, the first one I got is quite accurate when compared to a Fluke meter temperature reading on the top. It's a convenient way to keep the iron calibrated. Also, I have an extra handle that I swap in if I want to use a broad tip for some larger material, and when you change the wand, it usually needs to be recalibrated.
@gunrunnerjohn posted:I thought those had disappeared, I'm glad Carl found them again. I grabbed a second one in case mine ever croaks, the first one I got is quite accurate when compared to a Fluke meter temperature reading on the top. It's a convenient way to keep the iron calibrated. Also, I have an extra handle that I swap in if I want to use a broad tip for some larger material, and when you change the wand, it usually needs to be recalibrated.
That re-calibration step is important; I always check the tip temp using my Haako FG100 temp sensor before I start a session and re-calibrate the FX888 station if necessary; as GRJ says, changing the tip may require re-calibration.
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