MAINS-POWERED SOLDERING IRONS

The mains-powered soldering iron is the most popular equipment for soldering and consequently offers the biggest choice and most competitive prices. Look for removable tips and check the price for replacements by finding out the diameter of the tip required.

One of the cheapest we found is through Screwfix, where the Rothenberger 40-watt soldering iron costs a mere £8.99. It’s a no-nonsense piece of equipment with a constant heat output that takes a little over one-and-a- quarter minutes to get hot enough to melt fresh solder wire. However, there’s no means of knowing whether the soldering iron is switched on, other than seeing if the plug on the end of its 1.2 metre-long lead is fitted into a socket that’s switched on, but what can you expect for under a tenner? There are many more similar soldering irons, some of which are priced a few pounds more, and they all seem to offer the same features. Laser’s 25-watt soldering iron for instance has a slightly higher price and takes roughly three minutes to warm up to melt fresh solder wire, but is light and easy to use.

You have to break into the £20 price bracket to get more features, such as Sealey’s 40/ 80-watt professional soldering iron, which has two heat settings and an off switch along with an LED light that illuminates when it’s on. We found this soldering iron to be a step up for the money due to the heat controls (most car wiring jobs can be completed using the lower 40-watt setting) and the design of interchangeable tip that’s 7mm in diameter and 90mm long. However, we struggled to choose a favourite between this one and Draper’s soldering station that’s available for a similar price through the likes of Machine Mart (even if the RRP is higher at £36). It’s not as versatile for in- car wiring repairs, but if you are soldering wires on a workbench, the soldering station is so much better thanks to its coil-sprung stand, large sponge and variable heat control. It’s the perfect workbench accessory for soldering, and the soldering iron is extremely light because most of its bulky components are contained inside the soldering station.

Draper’s mains- powered soldering station has a variable heat setting, a substantial stand, a cleaning sponge and a lightweight soldering iron.

At £8.99 from Screwfix, this Rothenberger soldering iron is the cheapest one that we tested and is ideal as a no- nonsense and reliable piece of entry- level equipment.

No-frills soldering iron from Laser costs around £12, is lightweight and straightforward to use.

Sealey’s SD4080 soldering iron has two heat settings, a useful off switch and a large but effective 7mm- diameter removable tip.