Boustrophedon

Given the colour of the box I would guess it's a Weller. Re: The faults you allege amount to "buy a mini Cooper, because the Roll's wheels fall apart". Sorry, that goes against common experience and is not credible. The faults I "allege" are facts. They are heavier, they are more cumbersome, the tips do occasionally fall off. Some Rolls Royce. Come to think of it, very like a Rolls, looks ugly, is big, heavy and unwieldy. You don't buy a Rolls-Royce for a learner, do you?

I was commenting from long experience of using both makes. Weller are heavier for the same power than Antex. Antex have shorter elements putting control from your fingers nearer the tip. The tip fell out of my Weller soldering iron repeatedly. These are all facts except the last which is anecdata; your soldering iron may vary. So why is having the tip round the element better than having the element round the tip?

As a long time teacher of electronics I must disagree about Weller soldering irons, their ergonomics are rubbish, Antex are better, are available in a range of Wattages (power?) and with temperature control. Also the bits don't drop out like they do with the afore mentioned brand. Just my two penny worth. For quick jobs I still reach for my Portasol gas powered iron, much smaller lighter and heats up in seconds. I have to declare that I have no connection or interest in any of the companies mentioned. I have to agree with the comments about solder, good old Pb/Sn is the easiest to use and the flux fumes are less annoying, they still need extraction though. I have had problems with commercial products soldered with lead free solder; a WV dasboard voltage regulator and a boiler control circuit board. Both failed due to embrittlement of the lead free solder. Both worked flawlessly for years after the old solder was removed and good ole lead ton used instead.

Hi I'm Don I work in education.