I use XYtronic gear and have always found it very good indeed. I have an older model unit, the XYtronic 988 rework station, with all the accessories. ... The 60w pencil iron is the most comfortable one to use for extended periods of any I have ever tried, and it very reliable. 8 years old and still on the original element, with pretty much daily use.
According to the spec sheet, the iron on the
988 is the same as the iron on the
137ESD I spoke of above. I thought I had read something about the iron tending to get a little hot, but that may have been the Aoyue version. It's nice to hear some feedback about that.
A much simpler, cheaper one is the
XYtronic LF-1000, which is basic but very effective. ... Quite inexpensive, a company I work with bought two of them for about £50 each on my recommendation recently.
If I could find it for the equivalent of £50 (about $100), I'd probably snap it up. I can't find it for less than $180 here, though, which is more than I'm willing to pay. Also, it's got a nichrome heating element, and everything I've read tells me that I want a ceramic element.
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