Finally compared my old $40 iron to a TS1000 and wow what a difference

I've been using this cheap 40 watt iron from RadioShack for like 8 years. Finally broke down and got a TS1000 with a proper power supply last month. The difference in heat recovery on ground planes is night and day, especially working on this old stereo receiver with big solder joints. Has anyone else held onto bad gear too long just because it technically worked?

3 comments

3 Comments

thomas_martinez15d ago

Those RadioShack irons were bulletproof but man, the thermal mass on them is basically zero. What kind of ground planes were you dealing with on that receiver, like an old Pioneer or something?

masonm7015d ago

Yeah, that's not quite right. RadioShack irons actually had decent thermal mass compared to the cheap pencil irons today, they just couldn't hold temp on big boards.

charlie_ellis15d ago

Yeah @thomas_martinez is right, those old irons just can't hang on big joints.