What Tools/Equipment do you use?

[haymat]

Evening!

My trusty soldering iron died tonight
So it’s time for an upgrade (yet to tell the wife).

I was wondering what brands everyone uses or would recommend. I saw this combo unit with both a soldering iron and a heat gun that looked pretty handy: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005008169159788.html

Might also look at upgrading some of my other bits, any recommended brands for things like multimeters, etc.?

 

[Katekate]

this style of wire stripper. https://www.amazon.com.au/Weicon-Adjustable-Wire-Stripper-No/dp/B001NUMVHQ

i have used the HoHoHo out of my knipex one. I got that weicon when it was ~$45 to see if it was any good as a cheaper option to recommend. its $62 right now, but at least it works well.

multimeters, I have found the UNI-T ones to be a good price/quality crossover.

 

[domhodgson]

I use a Pinecil for indoor finicky stuff https://pine64.com/product/pinecil-smart-mini-portable-soldering-iron/
A portasol for outdoor stuff and solderseals https://portasol.com/

 

[Kent]

+1 for the UNI-T. Specifically have the UT210E.

The DC current clamp is great for checking how much current actually is flowing through that power injection point. It is also conveniently small for taking around the display, and is priced well.

The only slight negative for me is that I mostly use it for DC measurements, which in practise translates to one extra button press to change from AC to DC after selecting the mode from the dial as it always defaults to AC on each change of the mode dial.

For a soldering iron, https://pine64.com/product/pinecil-smart-mini-portable-soldering-iron/ cheap and paired with a USB battery pack, great for field repairs.

 

[AAH]

I use a similar soldering and hot air gun but I can't recommend the Quicko T12 soldering iron/station enough. Swapping tips is dead easy, the tips are quite cheap compared to my old Weller ones and it heats up in a few seconds. I actually have a near identical one that connects to a Makita battery and it's brilliant too.

Quicko T12 952 Stc Soldering Station | T12 Soldering Station Oled Quicko - Heating - Aliexpress

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

www.aliexpress.com

Multimeter brands don't matter too much. I've got a Fluke and a number of reasonably good quality meters but mostly it doesn't matter as long as you know how to use them.
Bootlace ferrules and crimpers are something well worth investing in.

The ACL101 has a list of the basic tools that are super handy. The Falcon F-test is a superb bit of gear if you want next level testing. It's better to have a cheap multimeter and a F-test than a Fluke and no f-test.

 

[TriC]

My work colleague has a Yihua branded station for his home workshop that he uses very regularly, and I gotta say, they’re great bang for buck when compared to commercial JBC / Hakko irons.

Another suggestion for a portable iron, Dremel make a stunning gas soldering iron that doubles as a blow torch, for field based work. I have had 3 in rotation between home, work and hobby for the past 10 years all without a failure (except each time I loan it to someone, they conveniently forget to give it back!)

Sydney Tools

sydneytools.com.au

 

[Lachi3]

I use a Pinecil for indoor finicky stuff https://pine64.com/product/pinecil-smart-mini-portable-soldering-iron/
A portasol for outdoor stuff and solderseals https://portasol.com/

+1 for the Pinecil — super handy if you’ve got a USB-C PD power bank, and it heats up super fast!

 

[Notenoughlights]

I bought one of these irons way back 2013-14ish https://www.jaycar.co.nz/goot-240v-15w-240v-soldering-iron/p/TS1430
has been going strong with the original tip all these years. I would certainly buy another one. Not the best if you're wanting portability like a lot of the usb-PD powered irons, but a good iron for keeping at a workstation.

 

[battle79]

I use a WCM118 Soldering Station from rockby.com.au, Terrible website, odd little store, loved it so much I have one in the shed and one in the work car for bigger jobs.