A couple of months ago I teamed up with Weller to give away one of their brand new soldering irons that feature built in LED lights. Not only were they kind enough to let me give one away to you fine Tool-Rank readers, but they also sent me one so I could see for myself if those new LED lights made a difference.
These new LED soldering Irons are pretty basic and offer only a set temperature, though the series does offer irons in various temperature ranges to suit your specific needs. Most people would probably want Weller's Standard Model, which uses a 25 watt heating element to deliver up to 750°F, and this is the model that I am reviewing.
As simple as the Weller LED soldering Iron is, it is well designed. The heating element takes only a couple of minutes to reach temperature, and it seems to recover from heat loss quickly. I tested it out on some lighting projects around the house, soldering some LED's and basic wiring, and it worked very well.
The handle features a soft black ribbed grip area that I had no problem holding on to even with sweaty hands. The only other part of the iron, and main selling point, are the built-in LED lights. They are positioned at the end of the handle in the three corners and direct light towards the tip and a little of the surrounding area. I found that the LEDs do provide enough light to solder in dark spaces, but I would always recommend using additional light if it is available.
Surprisingly, the new Weller LED soldering Irons don't cost much more than their non-LED soldering irons. So why not just get those instead? If you are working in dimly lit areas, the few dollars you do spend, should pay off in the end.
