My antex C 15w solder iron died this eve, it must of died out of jealousy as I just brought a Antex XS 25W may god rest its soul and give it peace after all these years of great service I looked in buying a new element but at £11.99 it was cheaper to get this as a spare emergency one This was on half price offer £12.99
It's an OK beginner's kit, but if you've been soldering long enough to wear your iron out, you should really be considering upgrading to a temperature controlled station. Preferably not an Antex
yes it was a in between buy to tie me over. I used to have a temp control and I loved it but my son who is disabled pulled it off the table one day and the ceramic broke and I have never been able to find the parts for it, I need to buy a new one but needed a solder station as well and got one of those first. I have found antex to be pretty good for me and with the tip replaced to a better one it works a treat. btw what solder iron are you talking about as I would like to look into it.
You can get one of a million hakko clones for around £30-40 if you dont want to spend much, but want something decent.
Antex are fine to learn with, but they're not really suitable for fine PCB repair. You want a station for that... and Antex stations suck. That tip in the photo isn't much cop, either. My Weller fell off the desk, too. The left socket got torn up and the front panel fell off, but it still worked. I contacted Apex (who acquired the Weller brand) and their service department is really helpful. They still make all the parts to order. You really want a decent ceramic iron and station (e.g. Weller, Metcal, Hakko) if you can afford it. Some like Nichrome (Hakko made some), but ceramic is more common. There are Hakko clones of varying quality if you don't want to spend a fortune. Once you've used one, you'll realize why Antex aren't that great past the beginner's stage.
I have heard about Weller and yes very expensive. tbh im not fussed about cost, my main concern is paying good money for something that turns out rubbish. but if tose brand have you guys recommendations then yeah I will go for one thanks
