Soldering irons & stations, compared
The spec sheet lies to you here twice: watts don't tell you how an iron recovers (cartridge vs conventional heaters matter more), and the purchase you're really making is a tip ecosystem — the consumables you'll buy for years, and the most counterfeited products in electronics. Every entry below links its cartridge family in the compatibility matrix.
Specs from vendors + community sources (EEVblog, SDG, Voltlog), checked July 2026. Clone-risk here usually means counterfeit tips, not stations — the fake-gear checklist covers spotting them.
| Iron / station | Type | Tip system | Fake risk | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pinecil V2 | USB-PD iron | Pinecil short (ST) tips (~6.2-6.5 Ω) | low | $26–40 |
| KSGER T12 (STM32) | station | Hakko T12 / T15 cartridges | medium | $30–60 |
| Miniware TS101 | USB-PD iron | TS100-style long tips (~8 Ω) | low | $45–70 |
| Aixun T3A rising | JBC-clone station | JBC C245 cartridges | medium | $60–110 |
| Sugon T36 | JBC-clone station | JBC C245 cartridges | medium | $70–120 |
| Jabe UD-1200 | JBC-clone station | JBC C245 cartridges | medium | $80–130 |
| Hakko FX-888D | station | Hakko T18 (900M-style) | high | $105–135 |
| Weller WE1010 | station | Weller ET tips | low | $120–160 |
| Hakko FX-951 | station | Hakko T12 / T15 cartridges | high | $230–290 |
| JBC CD-B (245 handle) | station | JBC C245 cartridges | high | $600–850 |
The short version
- First iron: Pinecil V2 + a 65 W USB-C charger you probably own. Nothing else at $30 is close.
- First mains station: KSGER T12 if you'll check the earth wiring, Hakko FX-888D if you'd rather pay for not having to.
- Fast heavy joints on hobby money: a C245 clone station — Aixun T3A / Sugon T36 / Jabe UD-1200, pick by price that week.
- It's your living: JBC. The clones exist because it's the reference.
The single most useful page here is probably the tip & cartridge compatibility matrix — which tips fit which irons, and which "compatible" combinations are traps.