[raferx]

Well, I'm starting a small home based (for now) Macintosh repair service for my local area (West End Vancouver) I need to get a soldering iron for work, so... what would be the best to get? Within reasonable costs please!
Many thanks!

[Secret Vampire]

Depends what you mean by mac work, for older machines, Weller's temperature controlled soldering stations (the blue ones) are the way to go. Dunno about the cost, they run well over £100 in the UK, but if you're going to be doing a lot of work with it, especially on delicate gear, you need to spend real money. I personally use a lower cost weller soldering station, but, I don't do a lot of computer work with it, and I don't use it to make a living.

For work on newer machines, there's no point. Unless you want to be spending thousands on SMT and BGA rework kit. It's not worth the risk of approaching a modern board with a soldering iron, get a professional service to deal with it, or just get replacement boards.

[raferx]

Thanks for the tip SV, I plan on using it for repair of older boards/parts. This is a fun side project for me, I've always loved hardware!

[phidauex]

Don't let anyone tell you that you can't do SO and smaller soldering by hand! Get a well temperature controlled station, and the smallest tips you can find, a good set of tiny hemostats (for holding the component and serving as a heatsink), and you can do the tiny components on modern boards. There are people who install new DACs in CD players and sound cards, people who replace capacitors and resistors with higher spec ones, etc. Its slow work, and will void warranties like crazy, and sometimes you do end up having to just replace the board, but if you have a tiny soldering tip, a good set of tiny hemostats, and a good eye, you can replace SO components.

peace,
phidauex