Best Stained Glass Soldering Iron
Top Performing Soldering Iron
Your stained glass soldering iron is one of the most expensive items in your kit. And so it should be!
It’s a false economy to buy a cheap stained glass soldering iron and find that it doesn’t solder properly. There’s nothing more disheartening and it may put you off stained glass forever.
On this page you’ll find:
- helpful reviews of the best soldering iron around to help you choose wisely
- the important features to look out for before buying one
Best Stained Glass Soldering Iron
Recommended
The Hakko FX-601 Soldering Iron
Starting at the top, we have the Queen of stained glass soldering irons, the Hakko FX-601. This ticks all the must-have and wish-list boxes. I waited quite a while to buy mine but now I absolutely love its heat retention, adaptability and lightness.
Pros
- Not only is the temperature thermostatically controlled, it combines the latest highly efficient ceramic heating element
- This ceramic heating element enables these soldering irons to reach temperature very quickly and to maintain it consistently over prolonged periods. The light flashes when it is ready to go.
- This avoids the annoying ‘cold’ spots that you sometimes suffer with other stained glass soldering irons when they attempt to recover heat.
- The new ceramic heating technology is also cheaper to run than soldering irons with the more conventional temperature controlled tips.
Easily Adjustable
- Handy built-in control that can be adjusted to 6 different temperatures. For regular foil soldering tasks I use 360 or 410. For leading projects I use 360.
- Being able to change the tip temperature adds versatility and means that this iron can be used for all types of stained glass projects.
- It’s very light which gives you lots of fine control over your soldering. If you’re doing hours of soldering you won’t get tired holding it.
Cons
There’s only a couple of occasional problems:
1. This hasn’t happened to me but I’ve heard it sometimes suffers from ‘burn on’, which is when the tip fuses to the iron barrel that holds it. To avoid this I suggest doing the following before you turn it on:
- loosen the nut
- turn both the tip and the barrel
- it’s worth applying a TINY amount of anti-seize grease
- then re-tighten the nut and turn it on
2. if you’re NOT in the USA or Japan, you’ll need a step-down converter (sometimes called a transformer) – at least 100W- to use this iron.
I bought my transformer in an electrical store and have had no problems at all.
Everything else about this iron is fantastic.
Rating
The Hakko FX-601 professional quality soldering iron is lightweight, cheap to run, heats up extremely quickly and maintains temperature beautifully. 9 out of 10.
Other Stained Glass Soldering Irons
The Weller 100 Watt Iron
The Weller 100W Soldering Irons are just right for those who are starting out and who want a very good iron at a decent price. I used one for years and years until I bought the Hakko FX-601.
I still regularly use them as an alternative.
Comes with a 3/8″ 700 degree tip.
Pros
– These soldering irons reach temperature in a couple of minutes.
– Weller 100 soldering irons are easy to use for beginners as the tip is thermostatically controlled. This means you don’t need to adjust the temperature while you’re soldering nor do you need an expensive rheostat (separate temperature controller).
– It’s the most popular stained glass soldering iron and many accessories are easily available.
– The iron is lightweight and easy to maintain.
Cons
Very occasionally this iron will experience cool spots. This is when the temperature drops and it will need to rest for a minute or two to regain its heat.
Rating
The Weller 100 is lightweight and well balanced. It works well with different types of solder. These soldering irons are great for those not wanting to spend on the Hakko. 8 out of 10.
The Studio 100 Iron
The Studio 100 Iron is great value but I’m not sure if that is enough to recommend it.
The main difference between this and the Hakko FX-601 above is price, temperature flexibility and running efficiency.
The Studio 100 soldering irons have a temperature controlled tip which has a set (rather than adjustable) temperature – normally around 750F – which the iron reaches and then shuts off.
Once heat has been lost from the tip it has to turn itself on again. This causes ‘cold’ spots stopping it melt the solder.
Cons
– More costly to run as the thermostat than the irons with ceramic heating elements.
– Cold spots experienced.
Rating
The Studio 100 soldering irons come with a one year manufacturer’s warranty and have replacement tips in various sizes available to buy.
However, with commonly experienced cold spots I would pay the extra for the Weller 100. 6.5 out of 10.
What To Look Out For In A Stained Glass Soldering Iron
There are three key things to consider when looking at stained glass soldering irons:
First, temperature.
Your iron should have a heat capacity of between 80 and 200 watts.
– The exception to this rule is irons with the ceramic heating element, like the Hakko FX-601 above, which is a far more efficient technology and therefore needs less wattage.
– When you are soldering stained glass, you want the tip to reach and maintain a certain temperature to melt the solder evenly.
Second, weight.
You might be using the iron for prolonged periods of time, so its weight and the balance between the handle and tip are important.
Thirdly, versatility.
There are different tips and temperatures needed for various soldering tasks.
– The best irons can be adapted to suit all types of projects. – A standard ¼” tip is great for copper foil or lead came projects, whereas smaller tips are better for decorative soldering.
– Being able to adjust the temperature of your iron means that it can be set at the melting point of the solder you’re using and give you perfect results.
Helpful Resources
This is a useful 2mins 30 second video explaining some of the different tips you can buy for stained glass soldering irons. It tells you which ones are best for which kind of project.
Video explaining the types of tips available for soldering irons
There’s a page focussing on soldering iron temperature questions here
Find out about other stained glass tools for the Tiffany technique here.
Return to the Everything Stained Glass Home Page.
I’m old school been at it for nearly 40 years and have been using Hexacon all the time. Is this outdated? Are these Hakko better then a Hexacon? Maybe I’m out of date on my irons.
It’s fantastic that you’ve found a soldering iron that works well for you Dean. I’m all for people sticking with what they know if it works for them 🙂
I bought one of these recently and have been very impressed with the quick heat up and the consistent temperatures. But I do have a couple of issues with it. First, the grip area is not an ergonomic design. It is basically round and a bit large at that. It can get tiring. But the cord itself is stiff. This causes the unit to rotate in your hand which MAY not be how you want the tip oriented. I suppose you can fix this by changing the orientation of the tip in the unit… but frankly, I only think about it when the FX-601 is hot.
This may be the best unit available, but I’d like to see some improvements for the FX-701.
Thanks for your considered thoughts on the Hakko FX-601 Kraig. I hadn’t noticed the wire causing the iron to swivel but it sounds annoying. Like you say; the best can always be improved!
Hi Milly,
Thank you for doing this review on soldering irons it was very helpful. I’ve been using the Weller 100 iron for many years, always experiencing cool spots and being very frustrated. I thought the Weller 100 was the best iron available but having to deal with cool spots I’ve started to look for an alternative. After reading your review I’ve decided to purchase the Hakka FX-601 but will continue to use the Weller 100 as a backup.
Milly you always come through with a great piece on Stained glass that helps educate us all.
You are a great teacher, anyone in Stained glass can learn something from you.
Thank you, always your student
Robert P.
You won’t regret splashing out on the Hakko FX-601 I promise. I still use my Wellers – 100W and 200W – but mainly for lead work. The Hakko is used for everything else!
Lovely to hear from you Robert, and to see that you’re still making stained glass. Hoorah!
I am retired and do Stained Glass as a weekend hobby. I bought the Hakko-FX 601 a few years ago. Within the first year the rubber part that is on the cord where the cord meets the back of the iron started sliding down the cord. I took electrical tape and taped the part to the back of the iron to keep it from sliding down. Because of the constant twisting of the iron when you are soldering, that did not work. As a result a short time later it shorted out. Luckily I had it on a GFI outlet and it tripped. I am grateful there wasn’t a fire. I tried to get ahold of the party that I bought it from on Amazon with no luck. A $70.00 mistake! I do want to say that before the short happened it was a good iron.
Wow, thanks for the warning Dave. I’ve never heard that happening to anyone else but it’s certainly worth keeping an eye out for.
Hi, im sold on the Hakko FX-601 Soldering Iron, but unsure about the step-down transformer – having tried to look into them there is a whole range of options – please could you advise exactly what you use, or what i should look out for.
I use a 240V to 110V 300W Voltage Converter.
It’s a bit more expensive than some of the others but I never like to push electrics to the limit. It’s been great, no problems with leaving on for ages. I always tend towards more robust for electrical goods.
You can get cheaper ones but can’t be left on… for example the Mercury Step-Down Voltage Converter. It says it: “enables a 110-120Vac device from the USA to be powered from a 230-240Vac UK mains outlet. Allows use of US electrical equipment with 2 or 3 pin plugs in the UK. This transformer is not suitable for constant use and cannot be used for more than an hour at a time and is not silent as it makes a slight humming noise.”
This would put me off, especially for an item such as a soldering iron that heats up to high temperatures. Having said that, I’m not an expert on transformers (!). I would spend the extra to be safe and sure.
I hope that helps.
The Marlin website is closed. Is there another place to look at for your recommendation?
Love all of your information! Have only been doing stained glass since January 2015. Taking my classes from an instructor who teaches in two different counties thru their Recreation and Parks departments. Have seven classes per year, now have expanded to twice a year.
I have all my goodies in a rolling backpack. After one set of classes you needed to buy your own tools if you wanted to continue. My instructor has needed to “borrow” my tools from time to time in classes. She likes to crumble that ‘you have everything’, gotta love her, lol!
Thanks for all your advice!
Lola from Richmond, Virginia
Thanks for the heads up Lola. I’ve changed the Hakko stained glass soldering iron to this link now; let me know if you’re still having problems with it. If you’re not in the US the link will try and find an equivalent product which may not be the same one I’m afraid. We can’t change that at the moment.
I love the idea of a rolling backpack full of stained glass goodies! You sound like a professional Teaching Assistant 😉
Thanks so much Milly!!!
I am a newbie at Stained glass and just found your web page.
You advise on soldering rings helped me finally finish my first piece.
I love your site!
The links you include and videos are great.
thanks again,
Trudy
BC Canada
That’s so nice to hear Trudy, thanks for taking the time to comment. Glad your stained glass is improving 🙂
Thanks for such helpful advice
You’re welcome Gourlay, thanks for your comment.
Nice one.. Thanks for sharing.. I just have one question in my mind.. Which is the best among the three models and best temperature recommended for stained glass?
I particularly like the Hakko FX-601 but still use the Weller 100 too. I would recommend either of these.
As to the temperature – I use 410 for copper foil work and 360 for lead came on the Hakko and tip number 8 for copper foil and number 7 for lead came on the Weller.
I hope that helps and thanks for your question Edward.
How AWESOME!!! You put all this together and i am so excited… expert answets at my fingertips! Thank you Millie
You’re most welcome Gail. I’m glad you’re finding my website useful.