Hey fellow electronic tinkerer’s
I’m thinking getting a new soldering system,
opnion on
Also , I’m looking to tinker into variable frequency AC power ranging form 25/50 hz to at least 1500 hz if anyone has any suggested gear for that ?
Thanks for any input 
Budget? Lead or lead-free?
-D
The Xytronic looks ok. I’ve used units very similar to it. I currently own the lead-free combo station (LF-853?) that they sell. They work well enough. Xytronic, Aoyue are really all I know of in the super-cheap category. This looks to be a decent choice in that category from what I can see.
The Metcal (that the hive has for a nice iron) and the Pace (that I have) are MUCH better irons but they also cost several times more than the Xytronic. Do you really need that? no. Does it make things easier in many cases? Sure.
-D
That’s an X-tronic, not a Xytronic.
Reminds me of the time my buddy got on ebay to get a hakko like mine and ended up with a “Quakko”, which broke quickly.
Looks iffy to me. Also, 3rd link I looked at says the plastic is flammable, and they can catch on fire. Might be BS, but I can assure you that a mid-brand iron will really make a difference.
Hakko FX-888 is what I’d recommend, as well as lots of other folks. It’s a bit pricier, but the difference is large. Hakkos and Wellers last forever, too. I’ve had a heavily used hakko for 12 years. The Weller WES51 is another solid choice. We have one at hive. Very sturdy & powerful, but not as many tip geometries and less “precise”.
If your budget tops at $50 mark, Weller WLC is very reliable. Nothing fancy, but they work well and are solidly built. Xytronic (not X-tronic) 389 would be decent as well. I’ve gotten xytronic irons for student lab use before.
I’m really not being a snob. A soldering iron is the most used piece of electronic equipment, and yet too many folks seem to go for knock off soldering irons when they’d never consider a harbor freight cordless drill…
As far as frequency generator goes, what are you using it for? Sending audio, clock, timing, etc signals is very different from powering a motor, making a transmitter, or any high load application.
Well I really looking to get a nicer one than the like 30 year old one I have just some like 20 buck generic or something has no controls etc.
I don’t currently have anything major planned mostly I dabble with re-solder boards or dabbling out with 74ls series stuff or switches.
If you know a nice used one that’s similar features temp control etc, worth getting a better one or where to look I’d be open for nicer one,
still more a tinkerer though than like full time re-worker or something 
reserving more for like the freq generator supply…
Full time re-worker would be $500. 
I guess if you got a knock-off iron, be aware that the tips are the biggest problem. If you went with AOYUE 936, you could put a hakko tip on it and it’d be improved (the plating and thermal mass is much much better). Or, buy a weller WLC and it’ll last another 30 years.
What is this “freq generator supply”. Are you referring to a variable frequency power supply or a function generator, or are you really just looking for a tesla coil?
Lorin
Lorin
Well was looking around 50-100 prolly for soldering iron sure be nice to have a crazy nice one but 5-600 + bucks on something I prolly only use couple times a month if that seems bit silly
the generator mostly light load experimenting with effects of freq vs coil tuning emf
I’d still try to nab a deal on a Hakko 888 in that price range.
A function generator from ebay sounds about right for the latter. HP3312 is a solid choice. Those are usually a better bet than a much newer and more expensive used anything else. Only down side is no built in freq counter on that one, but look around… HP, B&K, Keysight, Agilent, Tektronix. Lots of very nice units at a good price.
L