Review on Weller D650PK Industrial Soldering Gun: High-Performance Tool for Efficient Soldering Tasks by James Dominick

For most of my life I have used my father's wonderful 1950's Weller soldering iron for hobby use. But eventually it started to wobble. I bought this new Weller as a replacement and was totally disappointed. There are so many frustrating things that it's hard to know where to start. But I think the biggest disappointment is the trigger. it has a very heavy effect, so the finger gets tired to hold it. It also seems like something inside is just waiting to break every time I tug on it. The tip of the soldering iron is big, thick, too thick for most of the soldering work I do (the old Weller tips were much smaller and fit smaller spots). Then the work lights. This new Weller still has the same screw-on bulbs as the 1950's unit. However, they are quite prone to breakage and do not emit much light. They also flicker and I have to wiggle them to keep them on. I would have thought Weller could turn on a bright and reliable LED work light. Does it solder? Probably yes, but I definitely don't like using it.