Best soldering irons and solder to get?

[Jaruff]

I have one of those Radioshack de-soldering irons and I personally feel it's a piece of shit. I prefer wick instead.

With that being said, I have a Weller station and a few loose irons that I use. I still have the Radioshack brand I received as a teenager and there's a Weller meant for Plumbing but I've found it to be great for quick circuit board work.

Like InsaneDavid, I'm in the 60/40 camp and I also agree that lead-free solder is terrible.

[FABombjoy]

I use a Hakko 808 for desoldering. If I had to go back to a soldapult, rubber bulb-based tools, or solder wick I'd probably switch to collecting pogs or my little ponys.

The Hakko FX-888 is the solder station that I just bought (as I mentioned above). So far, no complaints. It takes up a little less bench space than the Weller it replaces, too.

[jb143]

Yeah, after using a powered desoldering iron you'll never want to go back to a bulb or wick again. The secret to using desoldering irons though is to keep them clean and sometimes you need to add more solder first for there be enough to suck up.

Also, when did Hakko stuff start looking like toys? They used to have a tough black industrial look, now they're blue and yellow plastic looking.

[BlueBMW]

I use a Hakko FX-888 and love it! Ive never had a job it didnt do well.