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Reviews For: Weller WTCPT Soldering Station

Category: Tools & Test Equipment for the amateur radio work bench

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Review Summary For : Weller WTCPT Soldering Station
Reviews: 10MSRP: 130.00
Description:
The Weller TCP station series utilizes a closed loop method (1950 patent) of controlling maximum tip temperature to protect temperature sensitive components. A ferromagnetic temperature sensor working with the "PT" tips controls the tip temperature - no electronic or external adjustments are required or necessary. Provides process termperature control in a simple design
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.cooperhandtools.com/brands/electronic_applications/index.htm
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00104.9
W5KVV Rating: 2016-08-25
Great irons Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have two Weller irons on my bench, along with a couple of Hakko irons. One is an old Weller Magnastat without an on/off switch, so I figure it's an early 70's era iron. It works like a charm and has never given me any fuss.

The other is a early 90's era WTCPT and like its predecessor, I've had no trouble at all from it. Quick heat up time, nice long cord and more tips to choose from than you'll ever need.

I've been in the hobby for 5 years. When I first started I had a "top end" Radio Shack iron. There is NO COMPARISON. The rat shack iron went in the trash the first time I used the Weller.
WB0YLE Rating: 2011-03-08
You just can't go wrong with one on the bench Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Summary says it all.

Great tool. Great support. Built like a tank. No fuss, no muss.

You want good results, you need the right tool. You want to make rosin smoke and solder flow correctly, you need this soldering station.
NK4K-1 Rating: 2007-11-07
Pro Equipment Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Have been using this and similar irons in the lab at work for YEARS, trouble free. Sometimes they get dropped on the concrete -- without problems.
The best part about these irons is once you buy them, you keep them for life. Weller/Cooper seems committed to keeping parts supplied for even their oldest irons.
I have a WTCPN that is the predecessor to this model that I've had since 1976. Parts are still available. The heating element was used frequently and did not need replacement until 2003.
Made in USA is a great feature, too.
K6NXI Rating: 2007-05-04
Reliable for many years. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This iron worked for about 10 years or so till it finally gave up the ghost. It's way overpriced for what it does and the power supply unit is nothing special,, just a transformer in a plastic box. The connector on the front tends to come loose.
N6TZV Rating: 2007-01-31
A GEM! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This is my third Weller soldering station. The very first, purchased in the late' '60s is still going strong. The second of early '70s vintage died but is repairable. The newest one bought six months ago is the best of the bunch.

I find it reassuring that Weller can continue to build quality products for reasonable prices that are not only built "like they used to", but are even better and equally reliable. AND, you can get the parts to repair the oldest of them. Remarkable!

What a great product. What a great company!
N2NJO Rating: 2006-09-09
Wouldn't do without Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have two. Heats up fast, maintains temperature with or without contact with the work. American made.
W9OY Rating: 2005-05-21
hotter 'n a $2 pistol Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I always used cheap soldering irons. The worked fine for everything. I had to tend the tips and such but they worked. Then I started doing surface mount soldering. Fagetaboutit. I needed professional grade soldering equipment pronto. Surface mount soldering is not difficult, but it is precise. The right tools are a must. What is needed is a good iron capable of putting controlled heat with precision, a good magnifier, and little bitty solder. If you have a crummy iron and no eyes you're just wasting your time.

I bought one of these on ebay for $30 and have never plugged in the cheapo iron since. For surface mount I use 1/64" conical tip and it works great. Mine was well used, but it just keeps on ticking. I can probably leave this thing to my grandchildren when I pass. I love this thing.
ALEX_NS6Y Rating: 2005-02-06
Don't settle for less! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This is THE soldering iron, even though I have a Metcal I reviewed elsewhere, this is THE workhorse that that I pull out when I really need some heat (and solder) flowing. I used one in the workplace for years, and all a shop full of them ever needed was a new tip once in a while, and maybe a fresh sponge. I would advise anyone getting into soldering to just go get one, don't get anything cheaper, and you'll have something that will last a lifetime. And it's so spit-simple to use, there's very little to go wrong.
KZ1X Rating: 2004-08-23
Great PERMANENT soldering station, too! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I agree with W9GB. Matter of fact, why have I not even posted about his iron, my first 'pro' grade piece of gear, and one WHICH I STILL HAVE!

It was used when I got it, a gift from a lab cleaning at the Whippany NJ Bell Labs, and I still use it 27 years later...

I also have the modern version, also a gift, but c'mon. What other piece of equipment can you still buy, and buy once?

Worth every penny.

Also: the principle upon which these operate is fascinating ... they work on the Curie temperature of a magnet. (Yes, one of the husband & wife physicists Pierre and Marie Curie.) Google that and learn about one of physics' most intriguing phenomena.
W9GB Rating: 2004-08-23
Great first soldering station Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I am partial to this design for kit builders, hobbyists and amateur radio operators because it is readily available in surplus market, easy to repair and the repair parts are still available (yes, even for the original 1950 era black bakelite TCP-1 iron and PU-1 base station). The sheer economics of replacing a heater or the SW-60 switch assembly at less than $25) is advantageous to other soldering stations that require an expensive control board replacement that are expensive (> $ 90) as the station itself.

In 1975, as a college undergraduate, with little money, I was asked to repair five non-working WTCPL stations that came from Collins surplus (Cedar Rapids). I repaired all five of these WTCPL stations and received one as a gift for the repair work. After using this station, I stopped buying cheap, poor performing (non-temperature controlled) irons and my soldering skills greatly improved.

In the late 1970s, the first electronic soldering stations with adjustable temperature controls were introduced, but required regular calibration for repeatable and expected soldering performance. These surplus stations, without proper calibration, are opportunities for the beginning kit builder or electronics apprentice to produce poor solder joints and learn bad soldering techniques.

I have used various soldering stations and still have some (e.g. Pace MBT-250, EC1002) in the workshop, but the iron that is at my kit building location is my Weller WTCP station.