I have 2 irons that I use in my consulting business, and I like them both. One is the Weller WLC100, and the other is a Weller EC2002M. The EC2002M is the BEST iron I have ever used, and I have used most of them. However, it is not cheap. There are similar analog units that are probably just as good, from Weller. The WLC100 is probably appropriate for a hobbyist. I am not familiar with the Radio Shack unit you are referring to, but I have never been impressed by any irons by anyone other than Weller, including Metcal, who make even more expensive irons. It depends on what you are doing, and how serious you are. If you need an iron that can handle virtually anything from 20 mil pitch IC's to 5 watt resistors, then buy a good, temperature controlled Weller iron like the EC2002M (but you don't need the digital feature.) If you are just looking for a general purpose iron, then a cheaper Weller is probably good. Also, Weller has an EXCELLENT warranty program. They replace virtually anything for either free, or $70. Ed At 10:09 AM 5/3/2000 -0700, you wrote: >I want to buy a new soldering iron station. Is the digital station sold by >Radio Shack any good? > >I also saw a Weller analog station in JDR cataloge for $50.00. > >These okay for a hobbiest? > >Thanks >John