🚀 go-pugleaf

"Joerg" <notthisjoergsch@removethispacbell.net> wrote in message 
news:snLHl.30689$ZP4.28252@nlpi067.nbdc.sbc.com...
> ian field wrote:
>> "Joerg" <notthisjoergsch@removethispacbell.net> wrote in message 
>> news:Xr8Hl.5837$Lr6.4045@flpi143.ffdc.sbc.com...
>>> William Sommerwerck wrote:
>>>> I don't know which brands you're referring to, but I've owned EDSYN
>>>> (Engineering Dedicated To Suit Your Needs!) irons for 20+ years, and 
>>>> they
>>>> don't look anything like that.
>>>>
>>>>
>>> ... and wherever in the world I happened to be, there were always those 
>>> Weller stations. Antex? Never seen it, never heard of it. Strange, ain't 
>>> it?
>>>
>>
>> The weller irons were once the best money could buy - then they got took 
>> over by cooper tools, since then the bean counters reduced the thickness 
>> of the iron plating so the bit oxidises in the barrel, "freezing" in and 
>> impossible to remove without damaging the element.
>>
>> Years ago I bought a new weller - the stat lasted nearly 2 weeks before 
>> welding closed, they sent me a replacement FOC which lasted nearly a 
>> month before also welding closed - unfortunately I was away from my bench 
>> at the time and it burned out the element, I've been using Antex irons 
>> ever since, they usually last at least 5 years as long as the bit is 
>> replaced at the proper interval and I can buy at least a 30 year supply 
>> of Antex irons for just the weller (not including transformer base) iron.
>>
>> I'd only use weller again if it was free (and I was allowed to keep an 
>> Antex on standby for when the weller packs up).
>
> Strange. I've suggested the Weller WES51 with the PES51 pencil to many 
> clients and then they bought oodles of those. Never a problem, in years, 
> and this stuff is cranking at least 10h/day. Ok, they don't light 
> cigarettes anymore like people use to with the older Wellers because 
> smoking is no longer allowed in US businesses.
>
> Last year in December I bought a WES51 also here for the lab, to have a 
> spare. But I started using it a lot because the tiny PES51 pencil lays 
> much nicer in the hand than the fat LR-20 of the older stations. They also 
> added a nice feature, not important to me but to companies and the fire 
> marshall: If the iron isn't moved in an hour or so it automatically shuts 
> down. Grand total of $92 plus tax, with pencil and one tip, not a bad deal 
> at all.
>

Maybe they learned from the mass exodus of customers and fixed the non 
existent reliability since the last time I had the misfortune to pay good 
money for one of their products, but once bitten twice shy, I'm not giving 
them any more of my money.