Best Cordless Solder Iron Price vs Perf.

JRILLA I also use the master appliance, it has been great for many years, but latley it is really hard to get the flame going/staying lit, any ideas on what could be the problem? have you had any problems with yours? i would hate to just throw it aside and buy i new one if its a simple fix!Mike Battaglia

Specialized Car Audio

Bensenville IL 60106

I think the tips are so expensive for butane irons because they contain patinum, the work along the lines of a catilylic converter on a car. When they start acting funny you either have bad fuel or moisture problem. THe other thing is they get plugged and corroded like anything else. I have used a Weller Portosols for at least 10 years now. I think I gave up on my first one 4 or 5 years ago and I dont remember why. The 2 i have now still work great. I have 2 because I always seem to need 2 differnt tips or soldering and heat gun at the same time so I bought another one. They dont seem to make the model I have anymore but I would hope the current model is just as good. I have been through several tips. I found keep them coverd when not in use or in some sort of a sealed container. Dont let them roam around your bench or tool box, if dirt or dust gets in the little screen they dont ever work the same again. Another thing is dont run the heat any higher than you have to, I used to leave mine on high all the time and found especially on the smaller soldering tips that the plating flakes off and then they dont work worth a crap. I found these links to the current version of the ones I have. I kept my corded iron in my kit for the first year or so because I figured I would use it when I had a lot of soldering to do but so far that has not happend. I cant seem to link direct to the one but here is the page with them listed. http://www.testequipmentdepot.com/weller/butane/butaneselect.htm