Product Description

Temperature Range: 900° F
Voltage Input/Output: 120 V/120 V
Wattage: 5 W - 40 W

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #99 in Home Improvement
• Brand: Weller
• Model: WLC100
• Dimensions: 3.90" h x 6.40" w x 12.10" l, 1.95 pounds

Features

• On/Off switch with "power-on" indicator light.
• Variable power control produces 5-40 watts.
• Quality lightweight pencil iron with cushioned foam grip with replaceable heating element.
• ST3 iron-plated copper tip.
• UL listed. 7 year warranty

Customer Reviews

THIS IS THE ONE TO GET!
Many years ago when I got this iron, it was only $30, and I see it has almost doubled in price, but STILL FAR BELOW the cost of the other Weller soldering iron stations!

And there is really no other reason to get the other ones, when one of the elements goes bad on the other ones, you have to pay more than the price of this whole station just to replace the element! This one doesn't have any element, you just replace the tip, which you can get at any Radio Shack for a dollar or two tops. And I still have not needed to replace the tip on this one after years of use, since I keep the tip nice and tinned.

This heats up nice and fast, is always reliable, just as good as any of the BLUE ones that cost three and four times the cost that the same company sells, and has never let me down.

Get it now, before they raise the price any more!

Once you get it, it should last a lifetime.

Bottom of the barrel
For the same price one can get a "Professional" series Weller iron (like this one) with constant tip temperature, or a less known brand temperature-controlled station (like this one) that will be much nicer to work with.

PROS:
Weller quality and durability.

CONS:
Price is too high for a simple iron without temperature control, the "power control" knob works like a simple light dimmer - with no feedback from the tip, so the temperature will be jumping up and down while you work.

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Side notes: for pleasant work experience and good quality soldering one needs to keep the proper tip temperature - it can't be too low or too high. Note that in both extremes the solder will visibly melt, but the quality of the connection will suffer. When the iron is too cold: you are likely to get "cold solder" joints that look fine outside but lack internal integrity and often drop the connection soon. These are hard to troubleshoot.

If the iron gets too hot, you may burn the copper traces and they will break off the PCB, you may overheat electronic parts, and (most annoying to me) you burn out the flux before it does its job. Ironically, using too hot iron may also result in "cold solder" connections. This happens because the flux will go in smoke before it reaches the soldered surfaces to clean them and make the solder stick properly and permanently.

The only way to ensure correct soldering temperature is to use controlled iron with feedback from the tip (very important). The WLC100 has only appearance of "control" but you can't set and hold the temperature. It is as good as the cheapest iron from Sears or Radio Shack that cost five times less.

Perfect
I purchased this needing to do a very delicate (several hour long) solder job, and I needed more than just the little handheld I keep around the house. I used to work professionally in the electronics repair business, but had long since gotten rid of my tools.

This is a very well built soldering station that really holds up. If you are a beginner or professional, you will appreciate the ease of use and nice soldering this station allows you to do. The temperature control makes it great for a multitude of projects.

In short, don't be fooled by the low price. This station will perform as well as any $100.00+ unit out there.