I've owned many soldering irons over the years. I got my start many years ago using an old soldering gun, then
moved on to the iconic 25w radio shack black pencil iron. When I got my Tenma, with its flat, iron-clad tip and
temperature control, it made soldering so much easier. Since then I've used many other irons, including butane,
battery, USB-powered, and hot air models.
Nowadays, rather than juggle tips, I'm just keeping three different irons ready for different situations:
- Tenma (with small flat tip) for regular use
- HandsKit (with medium flat tip) for larger items
- Kernowo (with needle tip) for surface mount
(and I just love those stock photos for soldering irons... "hey lady, isn't your hand getting a little warm?")