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Customers most agreed on the following attributes:
Terrible iron. The tip got oxidized very quickly. Only a very small part of the tip could actually melt the solder. Not buying radio shack soldering iron again!
[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
NO replacement tips and much better irons with temp controls can be had for very little more. Wish I had known spending $10 less for this iron was not worth the headache! GET A ***** brand instead.
This has been a decent soldering station for light electronics work and I though I was getting a pretty good bargain when I bought it. Unfortunately, I didn't do enough research. Now the the tip that came on it is about at it's end of life, so I went to get a replacement tip. There are none.
Too much money for a disposable soldering station. Not recommended.
Could have been a great gun. Add a reostate temp setting and be able to get RS tip part number 64-2084. This part can not be found on site and can not be ordered at the store so just bite the bullet, throw it away and buy a Weller
it's a good set up for a beginner, but eventually you will need to replace the tip. THERE AREN'T REPLACEMENT TIPS AT RADIOSHACK!!!
Good iron for basic soldering. Wouldn't recommend it for fine jobs. Poor heat control since there are only 2 heat settings, but I only need high heat anyway. This is a re-badged Weller soldering station, so any Weller PL series replacement tip can be used. You can order them at www.grainger.com.
REPLACEMENT TIPS ARE NOT AVAILABLE.
from san diego,ca on 3/14/2008
Major problem getting replacement tips. Not even located on website.
I have used this for 3 years now. It has served me well. I have used it for heavy to light solder jobs. It has never fail. I used it at work everyday and it is just wonderful. No problem with tip replacements. [...].
There ARE tips available. You just have to order it from your local radioshack store. Ask the employee to look it up via RSU parts.
from Fort Wayne, IN on 2/11/2008
I, also, was duped into purchasing one of these as I was looking for a quick solution for a dual-heat iron. [...], I shelled out the [$]. Alas, no replacement tips - and 6 months later this iron is as blunt as a baby's fist. I could have gotten a one year old Hakko Future Product pro station for [$] more - and wouldn't have had to wait 10 minutes for full heat.
Not useful when tips wear out.
I go your tips because I leave them on for hours,
but you can;t find them .
I got a 50w iron and installed that and
run it in lo/hi high setting !
( lo setting simply reduces the AC to the iron )
The only tips available for this unit render it a flat head screwdriver, just perfect for those spherical connectors that you need to apply hot pressure to!
Works good on electronics
Good heat control
Tips are made to be replaced, but can not get them
Some of you may laugh, but I have been using this iron for production for about 3 years now, I have owned 2 of them for almost 10 years. They still work, and I have been shelling out bucks for tips. I was just too cheap to buy a better iron. I finally have ordered a better one. Try the Tenma line, they are good and widely availible, from E-bay to M-C-M Electronics, you can find them online. Not really that bad of an iron, and the price is right, [$], with stand, that's not bad. But for about 50.00-100 you can get a much better iron.
from Brooklyn, NY on 1/12/2008
Bought this for my son for his birthday with several electronic kits. In no time at all the tip wore out and to my chagrin I found that Radio Shack discontinued the replacement tips. This soldering iron is worthless if the tips can't be replaced. [...]
from nh on 12/29/2007
Contrary to another review, the tips have changed and do not hold up, not a chance "for ten years". I thougt maybe just a defect so I tried to replace the tip...not available. The old model used the conventional tips which you can replace, the new irons have a totally different tip, incompatible with anything I can find any where.
No spare tips stocked at [...].Cord too stiffShould have read others comments before buying, I would not have chosen this one.
[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
from San Luis Obispo, CA on 12/14/2007
Sean B's suggestion to move the soldering iron wire to the front is excellent! I had adapted to carefully orienting the soldering iron wire to keep it away from the hot tip for about eight years (date code 05A99)... and wrapping the soldering iron wire with some electrical tape, to be safe!
I had to remove five screws with a Phillips screwdriver, move the Underwriter's knot inward about three inches, and use some diagonal cutters to make a little exit slot for the soldering iron wire in the front of the unit. I attached the Underwriter's knot with some adhesive to the underside of the tip cleaning tray, and reinstalled all five screws. The total time needed for the modification was about twenty minutes. Now, I have an excellent soldering iron... and it is finally time to order a new tip RSU number: 12439154.
73 KE5HXX
As radio Amateur, I have many delicate RF projects to solder. I also convert PC Power Supplies into 12 Volt Power Supplies [...].My only problem is finding replacment tips.
Worst soldering iron I have ever used. I have purchased several soldering irons from [...] over the years, and all of them were top notch except this one.
from Austin,Texas on 10/2/2007
Th first one I bought woudld not keep a constant temperature. The next one worked but the tip started to disentegrate within a couple hours of use. I tried to get replacments but cannot find them and it does not use a standard "nail" type tip. I'm going to try to return this one too. I hope they will take it back. it's a dog.
Why would you buy this when replacement tips are not available? Wait! Why would *I* buy this? No excuse. I should have checked first. Save your money.
[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
from NE Ohio on 9/26/2007
Reader reviews concerning available tips are realistic.
However tips are available from supply houses that sell Ungar tips.
The Ungar tip numbers are PL100 PL111 PL113 PLxxx etc etc. for most needs.
These are used on the Ungar UTC100 & UTCSS Soldering stations.
There also is an adapter available from Ungar you can screw onto the 1/4" thread to accept 1/8" threaded end tips that "ARE" Available from RS
The lamp cord type cable is too stiff and is always getting in the way of the soldering Iron tip when in use and gets hung up in the coiled spring holder. I found this very annoying.
I purchased this Iron for an emergency onsite repair where I found myself without a soldering Iron,so no research was done. It did however allow me to make the emergency service call repair
and I now see it as a backup Iron when needed in a pinch
Sodering iron tips don't seem to be available [...]. Tip does not seem to be iron plated and erodes quickly, even when used with rosin-core solder exclusively. Spring rest for iron clumsy to use. Cord to iron is too stiff, gets in the way.Dual heat is nice, reaches soldering temp quickly. Price is low.
I've had this iron for years and liked it. But as one would expect, even with all the tip cleaning goop and flux, the tip eventually wore out and needed replacement. I didn't expect this to be a problem until I found that none of the available tips fit. Now my 64-2184 is just a bulky holder for my new soldering iron, after less than two years of use.
Tip too large for delicate work. variety of tips would be nice. ANY REPLACEMENT TIP WOULD BE NICE. Use it awhile and throw it away. [...]
Product works OK. If you are doing more than casual soldering and use the tip cleaner that RS sells the tip will wear out in no time flat. [...] WHAT A PAIN. .UGH I AM RATHER UPSET now in case you could not tell. I should have spent a little more money and get a real soldering iron that is properly supported like a... well, never mind, there are other choies
No longer a great deal because Radioshack discontinued the tip for it. A friend and I both own one of these and I had to wire in a new iron just so I could replace the tip as needed.
Tip erodes quickly, cant find a replacement , in 40W handle gets way too hot, not well balanced, cord retained shape from packaging and stays in the way, I guess its good if you only want to use it once a year.
Tips can last awhile however they DO need a lot of care. 20W for standby and OFF if leaving for more than 10 minutes. Use only high-quality silver-bearing solder and when needed, grind the tip back a little to expose new material. The tips are long and with proper care, grinding it back should be a seldom affair. This iron is not recommended for professional use but for the average Joe, will due nicely.
just ask the sales person to check the RSU parts for the iron. tips are available for any radio shack store to order.
The iron is not balanced well so I find it very clumbsy to use. The tip wears out fast, and from what I read here, you can't find them. Piece of junk!
The unit works well with electronics and small projects. 20W setting works fine but takes a while to warm up; suggest to go to 40W and once hot switch back to 20W. Pen's wire should be attached to right front side instead of rear. Biggest problem: replacement tips are IMPOSSIBLE to find online and in stores.
The 20 watt setting is useless. Can't get a replacement tip. I fixed all these problems by splicing in (with heatshrink) a radioshack 25 watt iron instead. I can not only replace the tip but I use the low setting for standby.
I can't find the tips at the stores or on this site. The 20w setting is almost to low to melt even skinny solder and the 40w is often too much for wiring and electronic work and makes the handle alarmingly hot. The sponge doesn't last much longer than the tips. It's a shame because except for these issues it works very well and I like the setup much more than using an iron with a tiny holder or rest. If they sold replacement parts in the stores, or maybe even on line, it would be a good deal, but...
The unit is fine - until it's time to replace the tip. It is not stocked in stores. However, a local employee provided the following RSU number: 12439154.
I wish I would have read these reviews before the tip wore out.
As mentioned by others - tip fails too quickly and RS no longer carries tips for this unit. Why do they still sell the iron? Good question.
Decent unit, but once the tip wears out the whole unit is junk. No tips are available. Save yourself the time and get a better one if you can.
Do not buy this soldering iron! Radio Shack no longer provides replacement tips for it. As soon as your first tip wears out than you have to get a new soldering iron! Radio Shack should discontinue this product!
For this price range the iron gets plenty hot, it's good for repairs and small projects. Cord should come out the front, and the iron holder needs to be reworked. Replacement tips are a must, but are unfortunatly hard to find. However some diggin has revield an RSU number 12439154 any RS store should be able to order that for you, its 4.99+shipping and probably tax.
I think it's a good inexpensive iron, my problem is I can't seem to find replacement tips, and that really makes the value drop.
This isn't so much of a "station" as just a medium sized pen designed for working on electronics. It's just a basic unregulated stick without real temperature control permanently attached to a lightweight base. The power switch is in the base. When switched on to the 20W setting a diode is between the line and pen that reduces the pen's wattage so it doesn't get as hot. In the 40W position it gets full line power. Quality is acceptable for the price. Perhaps the previous reviewer got a defective unit. I found it sturdy and comfortable enough for regular use and the handle did not get hot. Unfortunately while the light-duty tips are plated and will last for awhile, the heavy duty tips are unplated copper and need lots of tending and frequent (and expensive) replacement.I think better values can be found but this unit is not unacceptable. It's occasionally discounted and is a better value then.
This unit is the WORST unit i have ever used!!! It barely gets hot enough to melt solder. Forget about soldering any wire over 16 gauge. IT IS GARBAGE!!!!!
Soldering tips are ridiculously hard to find. The local stores do not carry & online is impossible to order. It is great if you are buying a disposable unit.
Great set up, especially considering cost....I ust this to tinker around with electronics, as well as on the job. Only gripe is that the cord going from the base to the actual iron needs to be in FRONT of the unit, not behind it! Very easy to fix though by cutting two grooves in the base to accomdate the wire. Great product!
great iron for hobbies and repairs... A+