In the recent discussion of soldering stations, I saw nothing about tip l=
ife. =20
But I've noticed on some soldering irons, that the tips don't last as lon=
g as=20
with other irons.  They "erode" at the very tip, rendering them unuseable=
=2E

I really like the Weller SP12 iron for example -- super lightweight, only=
 12W=20
(works for everything I do), and super low-cost (~$11 IIRC), but the tips=
=20
don't last too long, and worse, the tips are not replaceable.  A true cas=
e of=20
"you get what you pay for".  So it's time to move up, and perhaps I shoul=
d=20
also get something with a bit of temp control. =20

I'm considering this one...
   http://web-tronics.com/cispdeesdsas.html

However, this Weller temp controller seems like it would work with any ir=
on,=20
so I'm thinking of getting a Weller WM12 (which is a tip-replaceable vers=
ion=20
of the SP12) for ~$35, and later I could add on a temp controller like th=
is=20
one...
   http://www.action-electronics.com/weller.htm#Stained

But I'm guessing that weller's tips are going to all be of the same quali=
ty,=20
so perhaps I should switch brands.  How do I determine which ones will la=
st=20
though?  Are there some tip specs (or material) I should look for?  Also,=
=20
keeping it to a popular brand (so I can find and actually see the tips=20
locally) would be nice.

BTW, can old tips be re-ground, or is there some coating on the outside t=
hat=20
makes this idea useless?

Cheers,
-Neil.

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