Weller 70 Watt Digital Soldering Station | WE1010NA

***** UPDATE Feb 2021 *****So about a year and a half ago, the handle on the original iron basically came fell apart due to excessive lateral pressure applied by me which added stress to the center point on the iron causing it to eventually come apart and it was no longer useful. Since I was far outside the warranty period, the cheapest replacement I could find was $55 plus shipping so I bought one. However, after about a year with that one, it started doing the same thing, so I thought, maybe I should just try and email Weller and talk to them about it ... maybe they have an idea of what the issue is ... I had ZERO expectations but it's their design so who better to talk to about it than them?I emailed support and explained the issue ... told them that I already bought one replacement and now it's going to fall apart very soon and could they recommend something to help me avoid the problem or perhaps they sell an iron for this station that is more industrial quality?The email response I got was COMPLETELY unexpected. They told me straight out that the first design of the iron had a flaw in it and it expressed the exact problem I was having. They asked for my address and within a week, they didn't just send me one replacement, they sent me TWO brand new irons. One for the original that broke and one for the replacement I purchased that was about to break. And they didn't ask me for proof of purchase, or any evidence that I bought a replacement last year ... they just said, "give us your address, we'll take care of it!"I don't even have words to describe customer service like that. I didn't think it even existed anymore on this planet. But man this company totally has their customers back ... whether you're buying a $125 station or a $10,000 industrial work horse, they simply have your back and it's been THREE years now and I still love this station. There isn't another station out there that I would remotely consider using. It works as good today as it did the first day I got it, and I use it at least 3 to 5 times a week consistently.***** End update *****The only thing I don’t like about this unit that I consider inconsequential to its performance is that I would love a backlit display.I recently tried two units before this one. The ERSA RDS 80 and an Aoyue 9378 Pro. There is no comparison, the Weller is by far a higher quality product. It heats faster than the other units I tried, and it maintains steady heat with seemingly no loss/recovery time.The wand chord has a very "silky" smooth feel to it, is VERY light, and very flexible... when using the iron, I noticed that I couldn't even tell I was attached to a wire ... where with the other units, I found myself always fighting for freedom because the chords were almost like a chain on the wand... the Weller isn't like that at all ... a very nice touch!I was initially concerned about the wand holder. In the picture, it looks like a typical cheap stand, but I was very surprised when I held the base of the stand. It is very heavy and very solid. The spring is made of a VERY rigid metal that once installed in the base, it transforms into a TANK. At the wand end of the spring, there is heat resistant plastic that is molded to the shape of the wand so that the wand fits perfectly and STABLELY in the stand. The sponge is vary large (wide in both directions) which allows for more travel distance when wiping the tip across the sponge. So if you’re thinking that they did not put much thought into the wand holder, trust me, they obviously put A LOT of consideration into it’s design and although I don’t like the aesthetics of it, I could not be happier with its functionality. The stand will outlive the entire unit I have no doubts about it.I bought the ERSA RDS 80 two weeks ago, which is arguably an equivalent station in this class. Then I saw this unit and it is the only Weller brand in this class at this price and is obviously the first time Weller has broken into this market ... it was a no-brainer for me to send back the ERSA and buy the Weller... my main reason for doing so, is because the ERSA tips are hard to find and extremely expensive. Weller tips can be found easily and for less than $10 (ersa tips are over $30 normally). Also, the ERSA unit did not have a sensor in the wand and did not have a timer for automatic cooldown like this unit does. With the ERSA, you have to manually put the unit into standby mode, which doesn’t work for me because I forget... having the unit automatically cool down is a must for me. The Weller does automatic cool down.This unit also shows you simultaneously your chosen temp and the actual temp in the same display at all times... a nice touch!As far as all the complaints about the instructions ... The first few pages explain all of the menus and settings ... and if you find yourself struggling with operating simple electronics, perhaps you shouldn't be buying one of these in the first place... just sayin ...Let’s face it, it’s a Weller ... marginally more expensive than its competitor but the extra cost is well worth it.******* UPDATE ********I've been using this unit for over six months now and I go through spurts where some weeks I'll have it on every day for a few hours and other weeks I wont use it at all ... but I would say that I have several hundred hours on this station by now, and it continues to perform like the day I bought it. I still get giddy when I flip the switch and its ready to go long before I am ... In fact, I'm starting to get into the habit of turning it off when I know I will be setting up my next weld and its going to take me a few minutes... since it heats up so quickly, I don't need to leave it on all the time.You can tell when a piece of equipment has been designed by people who actually use the equipment ... like an Apple product ... the whole experience of using this soldering station .... it's like .... having a tool that totally has your back ... it's a tank!Without question this is the best iron I've ever owned.***** 2 years and 4 months into ownership *****AND THIS IS WHY WE BUY Weller!The very first soldering station I ever owned was a Chinese knock off of some kind that was $80 and it literally broke after only four months.Not only have I had this Weller for over two years, but I also designed and installed a custom auto-shutoff circuit that uses a small Arduino and a relay to completely cut power to the unit after a length of time because I've left it on for several days more than once. It does do its own temperature drop based on the timeout that I set in the unit, but still, 4 days at 120 degrees is still a lot of electricity so I needed a more foolproof way to make sure that I'm covered if I forget again.But throughout the process of designing the circuit, I had this thing apart several times. I blew the fuse once but found a pack of replacements for like $6 on Amazon, and next, I'm going to see about installing a backlight behind the display to make this the most functional unit it can possibly be.The construction of the unit is absolutely solid. I did break the wand because I was pulling too tightly on the cord and it stretched and got disconnected from the element inside and there's no possible way to fix that. But I found a replacement wand for about $40. Amazon did not have them at the time.The beauty in Weller products is that they are designed for longevity. Their circuits are engineered - I'm guessing - beyond the standard 10% margin rule, and the construction of the circuit and the components they use along with the button types and connector types ... are simply high quality. The Transformer is solid... this thing will probably outlive me... lol.I'll post info on the timing circuit I installed when I get some time ... no pun intended :-)*** Final Update September 20, 2021I graduated to a Weller WT-1 Workstation complete with auto shutoff, backlit display, and it's up to temp in less than 13 seconds. I found one on eBay for $155 brand new and could not pass it up. I was, however, willing to pay over $300 for it and I would today if I still needed one because the WT-1 is in a completely different class in terms of performance and features.The WE1010 served me WELL and I would say that the German engineering that was invested into this unit was every bit what you would expect it to be. I modified the heck out of this station, adding my own Arduino circuit to cut power after 45 minutes, and even adding some LEDs to light the display which was not so successful ... but after having taken this thing apart more times than I can count, it remains in top working condition like nothing ever happened.

I did a review of the iron on a forum, so I figured I'd share it:It's a Weller WE1010 70W Solder Station. It comes with the WEP70 pencil iron and uses the rather common ETA type tips.Firstly, the unit is designed and engineering Germany. However, it was built in Mexico. I have to give Weller some credit, at least they didn't ship it from overseas. I did open it up, and the build quality is the same as my WES51. The unit is distributed in North America as the Apex Tool Group, in Apex, NC.Being that it uses the ETA tips, there are tons of custom aftermarket tips out there, especially for SMT and THT soldering rework.I've had a Weller WES51 for well over a decade, and wanted to upgrade to a digital interface. I could've went to the WESD51, but it's the same one I got, just digital.It was either Weller WE1010 or a Hakko FX888 or a FX951. I didn't like the Hakko, only because it seemed rather cheap. Even though it's got great reviews, something about it, I didn't like. Then the FX951's tips were stupid expensive.Then I had the problem: Oh my, I got a boat load of ETA tips. Hmm... well, the WE1010 it is. No brainer in my case. If I didn't have the WES51, I would have probably went to the FX951. Who knows... the tip availability is what curved me to stay with the Weller. I always had good luck finding a certain tip. Hence, why I got so many tips on hand.Anyhow, I've been using it almost every day. It heats up to 700F in less than 20 seconds, meaning I don't need to worry about running my iron excessively, has customization for auto power off, security password, and 3 presets. Which is awesome if you are working with different grades of solder (lead/no lead/silver bearing, etc). It is also ESD safe (when properly grounded). It also has a temperature calibration option as well. I tested the tip temperature, and it was only ~2F off. Which for me, is perfectly fine right out of the box.I am quite impressed with it. Since using it, I don't know how I did it with my old setup. It is very nice having the fine tuned control of the digital interface. It also has much better temperature control when doing large flow jobs or high speed repetitive tasks. Now mind you, after getting familiar with soldering for years and years, those numbers really don't mean much because you typically do it by feel and experience. However, it is very good to know what the temperature is. I know on my WES51, I always wanted to know about exactly what my tip temp was. I know the dial has it, but it was hard to tell.For example, I get a block of 100 THT LEDs on a PCB, and that is 200 solder joints. I can go from next to next to next, without worrying about a bad solder joint or needing to slow down for my iron to keep up. If I went too fast with my WES51, I'd have to wait 20-30 seconds for the tip temp to stabilize, between sets of 8-12 joints. Now mind you, the WES51 is only 50W, and the WE1010 is 70W. So it has the ability to keep a stable tip temperature. This sucker I can go as fast as my hands will allow and no messing around. It even shows when the heating element is active on the LCD, which is awesome!The WEP70 iron is very comfortable in the hands. The burn-resistant silicon cable is barely noticeable, and has good burn resistance (first thing I tried). One of the biggest complaints I had with the PES51 iron on the WES51, was the fact the grip wasn't comfortable after hours of use. The material they used (kind of like a foam) was irritating at best after a few hours. The WEP70 iron on the WE1010 is a somewhat squishy silicon. It feels very nice in the hand, and is almost like a writing instrument style. Has a curve to it and just has a much nicer feeling. Once picking it up, it feels like an extension to my body, giving me precise control. I really like the feeling of it, much more of a refined iron to the PES51. Removing the tips is the same as the PES51. However, the screw on the WEP70 is a larger plastic screw. It does make it easier to remove, but when I first saw it, I was kind of surprised. But it does make it a lot easier to swap tips, being it is bigger.One thing to note, like all pencil soldering stations, this isn't really meant for chassis work. I recommend a high powered soldering gun using some copper wire as the element and lots of flux. The Weller WE1010 is great at THT/SMT soldering.Now to the only things I don't like about it. For one, the fact the LCD isn't backlighted. It would've been a nice touch for it to be blue or white backlighted. Maybe I'll mod it. lol Second, I wish it had a sleep mode where it ramps the power down after a set amount of time. The Hakko FX951 has this feature. The last thing I don't like about it, is the fact that it doesn't have a rotary knob for temperature control. It has up/down buttons for temperature control. However, Weller did do a good job at controlling the way those up/down buttons work. If you press and hold, the increments goes fast. If you stop and press the button one at a time, it is fine-tuned control. The first time I did it, I got the iron all the way at it's max temp in like 3 seconds. After playing with it, I learned how sensitive it is. At least it isn't slow.Otherwise, it's a very neat unit, and if you are a serious EE major, enthusiast or do production grade PCB assembly or rework, I highly recommend the Weller WE1010. It is also a very professional looking unit too. Compared to the clown-colored Hakko. Not sure why Hakko went with that color scheme.I still have my WES51, and plan on keeping that as a backup unit, in case this one ever gives trouble, or I need to run 2 irons (never had the need to, but you never know!). I also have a Weller WLC100 out in my garage/shop, which is a great beginners/light duty iron.Some tech tips: I recommend using a brass type tip cleaner, versus a water-sponge. The tips will last a lot longer. The reason I don't recommend the water-sponge method is that the rapid temperature change can pit the tips, making them harder to properly wet with solder. Avoid using lead-free solder -- you will get much better joints with 60/40 or 63/37 with RMA. For SMT, use RMA solder with plenty of RA liquid or paste, and of course watch your dwell time. Lastly, keep your tip well-tinned after use. When you are done with your iron for the day, clean the tip well in your brass sponge, and then load the tip up with fresh solder then turn your iron off. This will seal the tip and help keep it from oxidizing while sitting on the bench.Overall, the Weller WE1010 is a phenomenal unit and would highly recommend it.