I am finding the selection of soldering stations so vast ... that making a selection is difficult.
Like many, I just have a cheap RS iron and probably never swapped the tip since buying it.
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Login alone present a lot of solder stations to choose from. There are also a couple of popular ($50 and $100) Weller irons (avail. at amazon.com) that also seem popular and have a longer track record than most of the newer brands on the market. I've also read how many of these units are perhaps re-badged and/or sold under similar model numbers to look just like a better known name brand model. The result is ... confusion!
There are a lot of "lead free" stations showing up with are usually 70w and have more expensive tips (because they have built in heating elements)., but may be easier to swap out the tips. Again, most people report lead free as being a pain, but if this become the norm in the future ... is a lead free station a wise investment now?
Also, I've had some confusion in the tips on the lead free stations, as they use slightly different terms and measurements so wading through the Bevel, Chisel, Conical, Tunnel, Blade, Sharp Bent, flow type, etc. is confusing.
I know, like anything, over thinking this decision is probably easy to do.