DRAPER si400 soldeerstation set, blauw

Very quick delivery from Bamford Trading...full marks for that. This Soldering Station is certainly OK for the money. It took longer to heat up than my previous solder station (a cheap Lidl item that has served me well for 2 years and which I have now fixed by replacing the Triac). When it came to temperature however, it did the job and certainly seems fit for purpose. The sponge (I prefer to use the wire shaving tip cleaners anyway) is not well placed and there is a likelihood that the plastic moulding will soon be damaged by misplaced hot irons. My only complaint is that it is only supplied with one tip and there is no clear instruction on where replacements can be purchased (other than "from Draper"). I took a look at the Draper site and it appeared that there was only one (conical) tip that 'may' fit this iron and that was circa £5 (which I personally feel is too expensive). I did not find any other type of tip variety (such as chisel) for this model. I would say this item is OK for occasional use (so that you get a good lifetime from the tip).LATEST UPDATEI reported the problem I had experience (detailed below ) to Draper and what a fantastic company it turns out to be! The company undertook a extensive tests and were unable to re-produce the problem. Additionally they were mystified by the issue I have experienced as they have not, it seems, had ANY previous comment or complaint of this nature from thousands of units sold. It seems therefore that my problem was a one-off. Nevertheless, despite not being able to accept there was an issue, they sent me a replacement soldering station, without prejudice, free of charge. First rate customer service.!------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Since reviewing this item (shortly after receipt) I have been using it more extensively and have found what I consider to be a SERIOUS design issue. When the iron is left in the holder at a reasonably high temperature (about 3/4 on the scale), the metal coil which forms the holder obviously expands and the plastic top is then released along with the inner sleeve. This means that when you attempt to lift the iron for use the whole, very hot, (iron temperature) inner assembly comes with it. ! PLEASE SEE ABOVE FOR LATEST UPDATE

It's a great iron that didn't last long, but, Amazon replaced it asap under warranty and I'm impressed with it for the price.

Easy to use, great set up. The temperature control is really useful. Just having a little difficulty buying a spade bit, will keep trying.

Had no problems using the sodlering station to do the 12v electrics for my campervan. The temperature adjuster is just from low to high, rather than indicting the actual temperature. I used a setting in the middle, which was fine for the rosin core sodler I was using.The stand to hold the hot iron is adequate, and a very useful safety feature, and the dish and foam pad are convenient.At the budget price it is very good for the occasional hobby user.

Originally purchased the Draper soldering iron station to swap the pickups on my bass however the temperature wasn't high enough to melt the original solder and the tip was poor quality out of the pack, no amount of cleaning or sanding was allowing me to tin it which meant the small amount of heat it was producing wasn't enough to heat up the correct locations.Positives are, it's lightweight and small footprint however this is countered by the heavy duty cable for the soldering iron which means when you try use it you end up moving the station at the same time. I ended up clamping it to the desk out of frustration.Overall really not impressed with this and ended up buying Preciva one instead which allowed me to get the work done in 20 minutes (including unboxing). Normally Draper are fine for the price but not this time.