Elenco Soldering Station LED Display And Temperature Controlled

I replaced my older Elenco SL-540 with one of these fancier digital readout, temperature feedback soldering stations, and the new one (SL-30A  Elenco Soldering Station - LED Display And Temperature Controlled ) works OK now, but has been more trouble than the old one. First, the temperature control potentiometer (knob) on the SL-30A was extremely scratchy, so the set temperature would jump from minimum to maximum and it wouldn't hold a temperature at all. Second, I emailed the manufacturer using their web form with no response, so I eventually just opened up the base, figured out the part (a simple potentiometer) that was defective, and replaced it (using my old, reliable soldering iron).Third, after less than a year of light-moderate use (a couple of hours a week), the iron burned out. Replacement irons are cheap (about fifteen dollars including shipping) but it seems like the original one should have lasted longer. I could probably dork around with some kind of warranty replacement, but I'm not interested in a bunch of shipping and RMA b.s., even if they do respond to me this time.Fourth, the tips for this thing are harder to replace (both to find and to physically change) than those on the SL-540.All in all, I would stick with my old SL-540 instead at less than half the cost, try an Aoyue 937+ for a little lower cost, or maybe the new Hakko FX-888 for slightly more. I didn't find it helpful to know the exact digital temperature of my iron -- the variable power knob on the SL-540 was completely adequate, and a $4 new tip makes way more difference than a fun-for-a-few-minutes digital readout.

Seems to be an excellent station for the money. Heats up fast and performs well.( Instructions might have lost a little in translation, but not a problem.).

GOOD PRODUCTS

This soldering station is a big improvement over the classic Weller station that it replaced. I've had the Weller for ~20 years, and it was fine, but the Elenco heats much and faster and has a very sensitive temperature control.It's very useful to be able to control temperature, especially when doing repetitive soldering on multiple joints. By getting the temperature set properly, the process goes much faster.High quality unit!

Good deal, quick heating with heat control/readout, for a stable (pretty heavy/solid unit) and efficient work station.

great product

I have had this iron for 20 years with no problems, just changing the tips, thinking of getting one for a back-up, not sure how much longer it will last, just in case...

Been using this for a couple of months now and overall I’m pleased. Nothing fancy and does what it needs to do well.

We are in the electronics repair industry and I have owned several of these stations over the years. They work very well and compare to stations at 2-3 times the price.

Great price and shipped quickly