TCSS Temp Controlled Soldering Station ESD Safe

I don't do a great deal of soldering, but when I do (to repair one of my guitars etc,) i find that my usual trigger action gun becomes annoying. this station is set up in a way that allows you to solder properly, and the sponge can be located on either side of the base, which is nice for a lefty like me. A friend has a unit much like this one, though he paid nearly three times the price, and so far, mine seems to stand up well to his. I like being able to select the temperature for the solder I am using, and the pointed ceramic tip is great for delicate work. The unit seems well made, so I have confidence that it will hold up over time. Someone with more soldering demands may purchase a more expensive unit, but I don't really see why, this soldering station fits my needs.

Used it a few times and it was working great. Turned it on and smoke came rolling out of the main unit. Returning it for a refund.

I was excited to be using this soldering station.. used it a couple times without a problem. I changed the tip to solder up a car audio harness, then the main unit started smoking out of the vents. I quickly shut it off.. great.. now I cant use it. I use a Weller at work every day without problem. This was a good deal but in hindsight it not so much.

==Update==I'm lowering my rating 1 star because of 2 issues. I've had this station for 8-9 years but it only gets light use so I'd not expect to be dealing with these problems.1. The pen stopped heating up intermittently the last time I used it but after re-seating the cord it worked. The next time it didn't work. I unscrewed the connector at the base of the pen's cord and discovered that one of the chintzy looking soldered connections there had come apart. So.... Apparently I need to buy a new soldering iron to fix my existing soldering iron. Ironic lol. (See picture)2. I've never been able to switch tips on this. The tip it came with will not come off no matter what I do. I've even tried yanking it off with pliers, risking damaging it.-----Let me start by saying I'm a beginner at soldering, but so far this soldering station is working great. It feels very sturdy and the components appear to be good quality. It takes only a minute or two to get up to 700+ degrees which feels pretty fast to me for a unit at this level. I wish it came with a couple more iron tips of varying sizes - namely a smaller pencil tip for tight PCB soldering (I ordered the extra 4 tips separately). A copper wire tip cleaner would be nice, but the sponge with water does the job. It's nice how you can mount the iron holder on either side. My biggest criticism of this product is that the padded grip where you're supposed to hold the iron gets too hot when at 500+ degrees so I have to hold it back towards the cord. Regardless, I'm happy with it and have no regrets so far.***Note: The manual says that the red light turns off when it reaches your desired temperature, but it actually flashes, which was confusing to me. A lot of electronics use a flashing light to signal a problem. I assume what's happening is that it's sending current to the iron in pulses in order to keep it at temp.

The hollow-tip design is a very efficient design. It reduces the materials and cost (if bought from Parts Express) of each tip. Other improvements: The cord is much less rigid compared to other Stahl models and the ceramic heating element get up to temp much quicker.

This came and I was surprised at its weight it is very solid and heavy. The temperature control is god even without a digital display. The chord is a little short only about 2 feet. and the mobile base does not lock in to the station nicely however these are only annoyances the product is built like a tank with very solid thick chords and I expect it will last a very long time.

This is a fine, high quality and well designed workstation. It has the wattage range to work on mini-electronic assemblies, all the way up to putting a nice solder application on your heavy duty low voltage lighting wiring. Love the soldering iron holder that keeps old guys from trying to pick up the hot end of the iron!!

My whole life I've been getting along using cheap Radio Shack soldering irons. When mine was destroyed along with most of my other electronics tools (lesson: don't store acid next to an open toolbox) I decided to get a real soldering station. So I don't know how this would compare to say, a Weller, but for what I paid I am quite pleased with this. Heats up in seconds, easy to use, cord is very flexible and doesn't pull the iron around while you're trying to use it. My only minor complaint is that the handle gets a little warmer than I think it should be, but not hot enough to be uncomfortable.